By Eleanor Cade Busby
The entrance to Waldoboro artist Nathan Nicholls’ Recycle Art garden. (Eleanor Cade Busby photo) |
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A monkey sculpture hangs from a tree on Nathan Nicholls’ Waldoboro property. (Eleanor Cade Busby photo) |
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Nathan Nicholls, of Waldoboro, was a prolific artist and sculptor who used recycled items to weld together creatures from his imagination, or sometimes from the favorite story book of a child or grandchild.
Nicholls had no health insurance and passed away suddenly on July 11 at the age of 52. He had not been ill and continued until hours before his death to create art and share his thoughts with his many friends on Facebook.
The woods around Nicholls’ home are full of strange and wondrous creatures. There are pathways, footbridges, and clearings; each filled with creatures from his imagination and welding torch.
On Saturday, hundreds of people wandered the woods and stopped by the small pool to share stories about the artist, father, grandfather, and friend. Fellow artists, family members, and passersby drawn to the sculptures gathered to appreciate the man and his works.
He was a gentle man who respected others, even when he disagreed with them. He taught many youngsters how to weld in his little shop in Waldoboro and inspired many to follow their dreams, even if they were not dreams that would make them wealthy.
On Saturday morning, four of the youngest of Nicholls’ ten grandchildren, Liam and Anabelle Nicholls and Barrett and Douglas Geis, wandered around the woods near the family home showing visitors their favorite things.
Apogee Adventures, a summer biking camp for teens from around the globe, has Nathan Nicholls’ sculpture garden on their “Best of Maine” bike tour. For three years they have biked in and spent part of a day with each camp session on the 4-acre exhibit.
Peter Cutler pulled in Saturday with 14 bikers, unaware that Nichols had passed away.
Cutler was saddened by the news. “This is the third bike tour I have brought by this year,” he said, “this stop is a high point of our ride along this part of the coast.”
His bikers were rushed off by Nicholls’ grandchildren, who wanted to show them their favorite things. The woods are full of motorcycles and bicycle sculptures from 2 to 3 inches in length to full-size, each one made of odd bits of this and that.
Nathan Nicholls’ grandchildren (from left) Douglas Nicholls, 6, Barrett Nichols, 3, Liam Geis, 3, and Anabelle Geis, 6, play in the garden on Saturday. The children guided visitors around their grandfather’s outdoor exhibits. Nicholls passed away suddenly last week at the age of 52. (Eleanor Cade Busby photo) |
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One of the riders, Jim B., a 14-year-old from Minneapolis, reported back that the children were great guides. “We sat on the ground and ate potato chips,” he said. “Then we visited the Wild Things and saw hundreds of cool sculptures. There are even huge spiderwebs made of really thin metal in some of the trees. Everywhere you look it is a surprise.”
Nicholls’ legacy is available for the public to see on about 4 acres of land on the Bremen Road in Waldoboro. Nicholls created all of his works from scrap metal and things discarded by others.
Many Waldoboro children have grown up wandering in this wonderland of imagination. The family hopes to find a way to keep the lands open without cost to the public. “We are not sure just how to manage it, “said Nicholls’ daughter, Alissa Geis. “We have to find a way to keep the sculptures available and Dad’s legacy alive.”
Some pieces of the artist’s work disappeared from the property within hours of his death. His family is asking that anyone who sees the distinctive work in unexpected places please contact the Waldoboro Police Department.
“We are very saddened by this,” said Alissa Geis. “We are cataloging everything in photographs as well as considering placing cameras in the woods, as much as we hate to do that.”
The family must deal with many things surrounding this sudden death and have not had time to consider how to protect the sculpture gardens so that visitors can continue to enjoy them.
“We want to keep the garden open,” said Geis, “this may mean moving some of the sculptures back from the road. We have 4 acres to work with and can make a parking area and a short drive with plenty of room for all the art.”
For now at least, the public is welcome to stop by and wander through the woods anytime during daylight hours at 483 Bremen Road in Waldoboro.
Suggestions on how to preserve the exhibits are welcomed on Nicholls’ Facebook page.