Kind of Blue Ben Birdsill Contact Ben Via Email
Kind of Blue is available in the 2021 Auction!

“Kind of Blue” was made to fit the 2021 auction theme of “the Covid 19 pandemic”. The name and the blue background were twofold. If you lived through 2020 without having some times that made you kind of blue, you weren’t watching the news. On a tangent, this is also a shout out to the Miles Davis album “Kind of Blue” which was a staple on my playlist as I kept my social distance in 2020.
On another level, the scope has one side of Ambrosia maple. This streak of color is caused when the Ambrosia beetle infests the tree (evident in the small hole in the streak) and brings with it an invasive fungus that infects the tree. Although not a virus like Covid, it does spread through the tree, killing damaged, old or unhealthy trees, while the strong usually survive.
Finally, most all of the images depicting the virus I saw were red or orange, and yellow, which along with blue are the main colors in the object chamber (along with some dichroic to keep it a kaleidoscope ;).
While “Kind of Blue” is an open edition, I consider this to be a one of a kind scope beause it is the only one that will be made with the ambrosia maple streak. It will remain unique.

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