FROG POND FARM

FROG POND FARM

DECEMBER 9, 2007

by Ham

On November 27, 2007, I was driving through Little York, NY when a couple of sculptures sitting near the side of the road caught my eye.

I quickly pulled the car over to the side of the road and noticed more sculptures in front of a barn.

My god! A gorilla? A flying pig? A dog peeing on a hydrant? A frog holding a giant ball of yarn over it's head? Another frog wearing a crown? What was this wondrous place I had stumbled upon? I went up to the front door of the barn and saw that this was a place called "Frog Pond Farm" and it was a "Folk Art Gallery". Unfortunately, they were closed that day. So, I wrote down their name, planning to do an internet search later that night.

What I found out was that this place featured what the owners described as "Ferroart". Ferro is the last name of the family that creates this art. As their website states, it can also describe a kind of "ferrous" metal containing iron, such as steel, which is the material the Ferros use to do most of their work. I found out when they would be open for business and returned on December 9, 2007.

Of course, being December in Upstate New York, there was plenty of snow on the ground that day. At first I was a little upset that the outside sculptures were covered in snow, but then I realized it kind of made them look that much more absurd. And that's a good thing. Plus, as I would come to find out, there was plenty to see inside the building as well. Let's start with a closer look at some of the outside sculptures, shall we?

I think my favorite out of that bunch would have to be the lady bug giving the other lady bug a body slam.

Here are a couple more pictures of the snow-covered sculptures that were outside on display:

My favorite sculpture in this group would normally have been the frog on a bike playing a flute while jumping through a hoop of fire. However, I really found myself fascinated with the gorilla and his snow-covered head. I don't know exactly why. I guess it sort of looked like it was the last scene in some wacky cartoon or something.

After roaming around outside for awhile, I couldn't wait to see what was waiting for me inside. I soon found out that there was more than I could've ever imagined.

There was just stuff everywhere - on the floor, on the walls, hanging from the ceiling. This was basically just a really old-looking barn converted into an absurd art gallery that was just a feast for my eyes. I didn't know where to look first.

Zebras, flowers, bugs, horses, tigers, and a car-driving frog wearing a top hat! And this was only the tip of the ferrous metal iceberg!

I don't even think I can pick a favorite out of these. The two Santa Clauses (Santa Clausi?) watching the tiger jump through the hoop of fire is pretty cool but, for some reason, I really think that octopus is fabulous.

So, at this point I thought I had seen everything there was to see at Frog Pond Farm. I grabbed one of their business cards and started to leave when the person working there asked if I had seen all of the rooms. What? All of the rooms? You mean there's more? The hell, you say! Yes, there were at least three or four more rooms to explore. Here are some of the highlights of the art contained in the other rooms:

Ahh, what a wondrous world of magic and illusion. No, wait. That's Doug Henning, isn't it? Well, Frog Pond Farm is definitely a place you'd want to visit next time you're in the vicinity of Little York, NY. As the person working there reminded me, all of the items shown are for sale. Also, they are open "starting in Spring" and close right before Christmas.

I'll end this post with a couple more photos that I took outside on my way to my car. I found myself speechless looking at some of these sculptures. They're certainly not something you see everyday while driving through Upstate New York.

(Posted 3/2008)