Ocracoke Drift
Mike says he started making his sculptures "just for fun, as a creative release." He has a desk in his house where he twists scotch bonnets, helmets, sand dollars, and olives with grapevine or glues them to interesting pieces of driftwood.
"The pieces were stockpiling," he said. "And then my wife Christy asked 'When are you going to start selling these?'"
The "Ocracoke Drift" exhibit was a "team effort" with Mike, Christy, and Ocracoke Alive programming coordinator Meredith Rollman. Christy created the installation for Mike's work, and had so much fun she volunteered to help display future exhibits as needed.
All the shells and other materials in "Ocracoke Drift" were found and collected on Ocracoke by Mike himself. He enjoys beachcombing and has great luck – one time he found 100 perfect Scotch bonnets all at once! The grapevine comes from his island backyard. He uses a semi-gloss polyurethane on the driftwood; the shells are naturally smooth and polished.
Most of the pieces are for sale, ranging in price from $10–$35, and all proceeds will be donated. Mike is researching a responsible organization providing disaster relief to Honduran hurricane victims.
Deepwater Theater is also the temporary home to the Ocracoke Library until its building is repaired from hurricane damage. The "Ocracoke Drift" exhibit is open to the public during library hours: Monday – Friday 1pm–5pm and Saturday 9am–1pm.
