My Process of Creating
My creative process begins with a spontaneous thought or a moment of external inspiration. Alongside the initial idea, I often imagine a deeper intention—something the object should convey beyond its physical form.
In 2015, I visited the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City to see an exhibit of Picasso’s sculptures. Upon leaving the exhibit, I realized that Picasso eliminated everything from his creation except the “essence” of the subject.
Inspired by this insight–and fond of giraffes–I returned home and made an eight-foot giraffe from scrap wood in my basement shop.
He “lived” in my living room for about a month, after which my wife said, “It is time for the giraffe to migrate from our living room.” So, he took up residence in our backyard. I then decided he needed a companion, and created Big Poppy, who stood 17 feet tall.
Some months later, my wife said, “It is time for the giraffes to make their final migration.” So I painted and installed them in the Somerville Community Path’s “guerrilla” art park in June 2016, as can be seen in the last image of the first row of the photo collage.
Three years after the giraffes were installed, the neck of Big Poppy began to bend. In hindsight, this was not surprising as they were constructed with little concern for their outdoor durability.
I took them down and rebuilt them in November 2019, with the intent that they should live a long and healthy life on the Somerville Community Path. The revised versions of George the Giraffe & Big Poppy have now attained their adult height of 18 feet, and are made from pressure-treated lumber, with rebar embedded in the body to ensure their necks do not bend, and stainless steel hardware.
But this time, I added an interactive element: viewers can wiggle the giraffes’ ears–in the hope that this feature would make people smile.
Over the years, George the Giraffe & Big Poppy have required some minor revisions and maintenance, but they are doing quite well. As I have observed, they have since become beloved fixtures in the community as they often elicit a smile from young and old alike.
A delightful article about this sculpture appeared in The Boston Globe.
Hayward Zwerling
Making George the Giraffe & Big Poppy
