"New outdoor sculptures showcase Skagit birds"

by Jacqueline Allison

LA CONNER — Twenty-eight metal snow geese, and one hummingbird, are coming soon to the La Conner area in the form of three outdoor sculptures. 

Milo White

Two sculptures celebrate snow geese — an icon of the Skagit Valley — said artist Milo White, who is based in Sedro-Woolley. 

The plan is to install the larger, 20-foot-tall sculpture on April 25 at Morris and Fifth streets in downtown La Conner, White said. The smaller one will go in the Shelter Bay area. 

Both pieces were commissioned by a local property owner. 

White designed 11 different silhouettes for the 28 birds, drawing the shapes in a digital program and cutting them out of several metal sheets. The birds will then be attached to the two standing structures. 

“Itʼs about recognizing nature and its beauty,” he said. 

A third metal sculpture featuring a hummingbird is in progress. 

The 11-foot-fall hummingbird sculpture by White and artist Jay Bowen is part of an ongoing fundraiser for the La Conner School Districtʼs Braves Club after-school program, said program director Marlene Brenton. 

As donations are made to the club, feathers will be added to the bird sculpture until itʼs full, she said. Three donation levels starting at $250 correspond with different feathers — copper, bronze or aluminum, she said. 

White and art collaborator Lin McJunkin work out of a downtown Sedro­

Woolley building, which was formerly a machine shop, White said. 

Attached to the studio is a future gallery space the two are hoping to open in the next several months. 

“We try to do as much in-house as possible,” McJunkin said of the design and installation process.