After some struggles, “The Louie Project” should be on display this weekend at Oil Fest Fine Art Exhibit in Titusville. The show runs from 4 to 7 p.m.  Friday, Aug. 8, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, at The Parkside, 201 W. Spring St., Titusville.

There was some confusion as to what category the project should be placed. I am not sure whether it was placed in the mixed media category or the 3-D art category. It took some explaining to clarify that the deer skull was not a project in itself but was to be included with the windowpane of photos.

Originally, I had wanted to debut the project at the Oil Heritage art show, but the deadline eluded me. However, a simple mailing from the Titusville Council on the Arts lit a fire under me. The target date of Thursday, Aug. 7, seemed doable. The registration period wasn’t impossible and the drop off place was near my current workplace. Thank goodness, I found a place close to the exhibition site to park. I was so afraid I was going to have lug a windowpane and a deer skull at least a block or two.

Earlier issues with getting the project completed ranged from printing problems to other hangups. Somewhere along the way I thought my printer would be able to print a full photo to fill each windowpane. The panes measured nine and a quarter inches by 11 and a half inches. The printer only prints to eight and a half by 11 inches. So, I surmised that my Cricut machine could cut mats for the photos since I had a 12 by 12 inch cutting mat. However, the machine added some margins, and I could only cut smaller than the windowpane size. I just settled for cutting the backing paper a little short and hoping that the not-so-great paint job on the old window would hide any open areas.

Sorting through hundreds of trail camera photos was a bit daunting as well. After some scrutinizing, I determined by antler identification which photos were Louie. I was able to print most of the photos I found of Louie. However, the last photo that I superimposed a poem on presented a problem. It was sepia toned like the rest of them, but after several attempts printed out purple. After tweaking the settings, the photo still didn’t print right. I changed several different inks. Despite having a new black cartridge, the black wasn’t printing. Finally, after several nozzle cleanings later, the photo printed correctly.

Then came the hangups with making sure the display could be hung. I affixed some eyehooks to the back of the windowpane. Those worked well. However, I tried using 11-gauge aluminum wire. The project was supported, but I was unsure of its stability. I found some rope wrapped wire at a local store and decided it may work better. I brought the wire home and then our 7-month-old bloodhound decided to snatch it and take it outside. I retrieved the wire. However, some of it was uncoiled in the process. I managed to salvage enough to hopefully create a more stable mounting system for the project.

Despite all the setbacks, I was glad to be able to tell Louie’s story.

He was a decent buck, by newer standards. However, he didn’t get to be a trophy on anybody’s wall, despite his formidable rack. He didn’t get to be any hunter’s big buck story.

The fault behind his true demise remained a mystery. Trail camera photos revealed that he had a wound on his cheek that refused to heal properly. However, after his skull was cleaned, there weren’t any signs of deeper bone issues.

I, or rather, our dogs, located his remains near the neighbor’s pond last October. There wasn’t much left of him other than the stench of decay. I decided that he was a trophy buck, my trophy buck. Determined, I called the Pennsylvania Game Commission to see what was involved in acquiring the horns. I was a little shocked when game wardens were dispatched to my case. I was nervous. I didn’t know how to take the officers, and I don’t think they knew what to think of me either. Here I am leading them onto my neighbor’s property on a deer trail to take possession of a dead deer head. I explained to them that I had seen this deer on my cameras and wanted a memento of it. I tried to play it cool by saying, “We didn’t name it or anything. We just knew he was around.” Then one of the officers quipped, “I would have named him Louie.” After an $80 check to the game commission, the Louie Project was born. I am glad I got his skull and horns the legal way. This allowed me to take a very stinky Louie head to a taxidermist whose bugs cleared away the dead flesh. The alternative was for me to boil the head and then pressure wash the brains out. That was a “hard, no” for me. I did attempt to pressure wash the maggots off of Louie before taking him to the taxidermist. It was something I cared not to repeat. The bugs and the taxidermist did an awesome cleanup job for under $60. Originally, I was just going to keep Louie’s horns. However, I felt that the antlers by themselves wouldn’t give the full scope of the buck that he was.

The next step in the process was finding photos. Louie wasn’t the only buck on camera. I searched through a year of trail camera photos. With some help, the field was narrowed down. Even though a picture is worth a thousand words, I decided to include a poem in the project.

“In life you wore a crown of antlers on your head.

However, for an unknown reason, you ended up dead.

Nature had claimed most of you when found.

Any evidence of your demise went into the ground.

Was it an errant arrow, a run-in with a car or a natural end?

A wound on your face that never seemed to mend.

Cameras captured some of your last days.

In late October, the images of you went away.

The next year, your antlers you would have shed.

Now, they forever remain attached to your head.”

I hoped that the words would expand on what the photos were depicting.

I had another piece on display at the show. It was it was titled “Autumn Waves”. It was simply a photo of autumn trees reflecting in the ripples of the neighbor’s pond. Like the Louie Project, this piece had its issues as well. The frame was acquired from a home decor item at Big Lots. It originally had a large, embossed tin design occupying the circle. It sat for a couple of years in the attic, until I decided that I could repurpose it. I planned on using the tin for a sunflower painting for the porch. The frame’s circular opening was 23 inches by 23 inches. I was pleased when Walmart offered a poster print of 24 inches by 36 inches. I could make this work.

However, like the Louie Project, this piece had its issues. The photo mounting when off without a hitch. The wiring for the piece was a different story. It already had brackets. I thought all I had to do was add wire. I needed to guess again. The brackets weren’t strong enough and bent. I turned to the same eyehooks I had used for the Louie Project. I planned on mounting them where the brackets were. However, one of the mounting blocks split. I then placed the eyehooks on the frame itself and used the same rope covered wire that I had purchased for the Louie Project. This piece, unlike the Louie Project, was available for sale.

Hopefully, my pieces will remain hanging during the show and not crashing to the floor.