Last Princess of Atlantis by Nathan Callender, sponsored by Billy Keyserling-Coldwell Banker Real Estate, located in Waterfront Park near the bridge
		What did you think of mermaids before the Big Swim? Female and mysterious... mysteriously female.   How'd you feel when you first read or heard about the opportunity to design a mermaid?10% excited, 20%curious, and 110%nervous.  I know that doesn’t add up. Why is it important to you to invest time, money and materials into a piece of public art? It’s important because it’s art, and without art we would be forced to scavenge an Armageddon wasteland in search of water and reliable footwear. How much of a legacy do you consider the Big Swim to be? <this question is answered using a hands free microphone, on a large stage, utilizing a power point presentation> “I think it's a wonderful way to engage those already involved in the arts, and to create a larger base.  It’s all about synergy, and the synergistic effect of networking.  Often we network, but forget about the energy of that synergy we create.  We should all look inside, and ask ourselves, ‘How do I contribute to the plan of the mission statement in my heart?’  In a nutshell, we should open up lines of communication, and communicate how others can open up their lines, or maybe shut down certain lines that clog more positive routes of communication.” Where will your mermaid be in twenty years?  Hopefully not in pieces.  I am trying to preserve this mermaid by using auto grade urethanes and a UV resistant clear coat, and the metalwork will also have a special lacquer for use on patina brass and copper.  I want to thank Randy at DYNABLAZE for doing the final clear coat for free.  I told him about the design and he was excited about being a part of it.  Thanks Randy.  The coatings on both the urethanes and the metals have a 10 year outdoor UV rating.  Once 10 years is reached, she’ll jump back in the water. What's the story behind your design? My mermaid is the 'Last Princess of Atlantis.'  She has a story, but it hasn't been written. Why does she carry a lotus with a pearl, why is her skin hues of blue and purple, where do the gold markings come from?  How did she wind up in Beaufort?  She's a mystery.  No one knows the fate or history of Atlantis, or it's last Princess.  A few weeks after I first started working on the mermaid, my mother came to visit my family for two weeks.  While she was here, we got the rare opportunity to brainstorm and work together on a few projects needed for the mermaid.  She left, and I started thinking about her and what she means to me. I want to dedicate this mermaid to my mom.  She is a costume designer in California, and she raised my brother and I as a single mother most of our young lives.  We were pretty rough and tumble boys, and she put all her dreams on hold to provide for us.  I spent a lot of years never thanking her or my step-father Gilbert for everything they’ve done for my family and I,  and I want them both to know they’re appreciated.  How do you hope people will react to your mermaid? What do you want them to take away from your design, from the Big Swim, from Beaufort? Seizures and uncontrollable tears of sheer joy, people shall leap from moving vehicles just to be near it as the heavens open up and rays of warmth surround the mermaid as her beauty makes the earth quake.  Maybe the unveiling will be like the ending of Raiders of the Lost Ark when they took the lid off the Ark of the Covenant… wait, that didn't go well.  If it brings a smile to one person having an otherwise bad day, I'm satisfied.   Nathan Callender N8 Grafix