LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN CREATES BIRDHOUSE FOR THE "TASTE" Benefit for LARIMER COUNTY FOOD BANK and NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR

"Barn Owl Barn" birdhouse—Laurie Beth Zuckerman and Tom Mathies

"Barn Owl Barn" birdhouse backside—Laurie Beth Zuckerman and Tom Mathies

"Barn Owl Barn" birdhouse closeup—Laurie Beth Zuckerman and Tom Mathies

Laurie Beth Zuckerman and her husband, Tom Mathies have created a folk art birdhouse for the annual TASTE silent art auction benefitting the Food Bank of Larimer County and Neighbor to Neighbor. This swanky event will take place at the Fort Collins Hilton Hotel on April 19, 2012 from 5-9 pm. It is the classiest benefit in town and extremely popular, due to its vast spread of food, drinks, and desserts from all the best of Fort Collins' eateries, breweries, and wineries. For tickets and info, just click on this TASTE link.

This is the second year running that Tom and I have combined our artistic abilities to create a birdhouse for the arts collectors who come to bid on these and an array of hand-decorated artist plates at The Taste. Our birdhouse is constructed of all found-object materials from two ghost towns in Colorado and Wyoming. The roof is protected with vintage tins and the sides are covered weathered boards, painted up to look like an old barn. Tom carved a barn owl out of cottonwood root, and I painted all of her feathers. On the back of the barn I have painted a tin Hex Sign, typical of barns in the Pennsylvania region. Tom included a battery-operated tea candle to serve as a night light. Or the birdhouse can be used outdoors. A screw off bottom allows easy cleaning at the end of the nesting period.

Tyler Morris Woodworking of Fort Collins has once again donated ten exquisitely constructed birdhouses to be painted and decorated by ten Fort Collins artists. This is the second year that Tyler has contributed his birdhouses to The Taste's auction. Thank you, Tyler!!!

"Aspen" Birdhouse for the 2011 Taste Art Auction—Laurie Beth Zuckerman and Tom Mathies

"Aspen" Birdhouse (back) for the 2011 Taste Art Auction—Laurie Beth Zuckerman and Tom Mathies

To view more photos of our birdhouse from last year's 2011 auction, please click on this earlier post at ICONARTE.