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Elemental Whirligigs
Carbon Atom Whirligig

2019
Stainless steel, fluoropolymer paint
16.5 x 4.75 x 4.75 ft.
Hazel Wolf K-8 STEM School
Seattle, WA

Washington State Arts Commission in partnership with Seattle Public Schools

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Elemental Whirligigs
Photosynthesis Whirligig

2019
Stainless steel, red acrylic discs, fluoropolymer paint
16.5 x 3.5 x 3.5 ft.
Hazel Wolf K-8 STEM School
Seattle, WA

Washington State Arts Commission in partnership with Seattle Public Schools

Elemental Whirligigs acknowledges the school’s environmental science focus as well as its dependence on alternative forms of energy generation. The starting point for these two sculptures was to consider how the artworks could utilize the wind and inspiration came from plant forms, growth processes, and from some of the most basic chemical elements found on Earth. These basic elements of life and growth evolved into designs for two sculptures with wind-driven elements: one based on the carbon atom; the other based on the process of photosynthesis.

The atomic structure of carbon atoms inspired the Carbon Atom Whirligig design. Carbon is one of the six most common elements in the known universe and is the element on which all life is based. Four stationary hoops represent electron orbits, with the blue spheres as the electrons. In between each stationary hoop is a rotating “nucleus orbit,” with the small purple and orange discs representing the protons and neutrons in the atoms’ nuclei. The blue hemispheres on the rotating hoops represent additional electrons, and power the rotation of the “nucleus orbits” –at least when the wind kicks up.

Photosynthesis Whirligig represents the essential process of photosynthesis. It includes symbolic icons for the sun, photons (sunlight), oxygen, and carbon dioxide molecules, with green leaf-like forms containing the symbols for CO2 molecules that plants capture from the atmosphere. Some of these design elements move: the “Sun spinner” at the top spins wiggles back and forth; the “Photon twirler” with its yellow discs and cups rotates; the “Oxygen wind vane” functions as a weather vane, indicating wind direction; and the six “CO2 spinners” spin, propeller-like, inside the leaves of the plant form.

Image credit: Bruce Tom


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Queen Swans of Cary
2018
Painted steel, granite
each swan: 6’-6” x 9’-8” x 5’-8”

Carpenter Park, Cary, NC

Swan forms embracing simple granite benches are situated around a central pond, drawing visitors through the park. The goal was to create an iconic image for the park that is whimsical and inviting. The choice of the swan is based on concepts of transformation (the park property has been re-invented as a community amenity from fallow farmland) and fantasy (elegant, fanciful creatures that connect to the imagination, fairy tales and water), as parks aim to be places of rest, recreation and imagination.

Image credit: Richard Carter


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Towers of Burble and Conversation Clusters
2018
Granite and cast bronze
Yesler Terrace Park, Seattle, WA

Commissioned by Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation 1% for Art Funds

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The Towers of Burble is an arrangement of nine sculptures made from layers of stacked granite and located in the central plaza of this new park near downtown Seattle. Designed with children and young families in mind, six of the sculptures are incorporated into a water fountain and play area. The sculptural forms are inspired by the shape of vessels, baskets and stools deriving from the communities and cultural traditions of the diverse neighborhoods around Yesler Terrace Park.

Similar to the Towers of Burble, the cultural backgrounds of area inhabitants inspired the design of the sculptural seats, Conversation Clusters. Quotes and proverbs written in a variety of languages appear throughout the installation of layered stone seats and cast bronze stools, located in small clusters throughout the park.

The siting of all the artworks and plan development for the water feature was a collaborative effort with SiteWorkshop Landscape Architecture, Seattle.

Image credit: Andrew Buchanan


Snails
2013
Cast Bronze
Sizes vary: heights from 24"-29", widths & depths from 16"-50"

Fields Park, Portland, OR

A series of six snail sculptures for a new neighborhood park in the Pearl District. These works are interactive–children may ride them–and playful, an eccentric take on denizens of our NW gardens, and what is a park if not a glorified garden?  My goal in this project was to create episodic moments of surprise with works of small scale–objects of simple form but with a small amount of intimate detail that an adult would bend down to look at and a child would find of familiar scale.  And of course, there is the matter of the snail’s pace: it is another reminder to slow down, to be in the present, to release the imagination–-reasons we go to parks.

Image Credit: Greg Kozawa


Dust Devil
2011
Acrylic paint on aluminum
132” x 95” x 86” (11’x 8’x 7’)

McFarland Middle School, Othello, WA (WA State Art Collection)

 

The form and feeling is based on dust devils so common to this arid region of central Washington. The whirlwind's frenetic energy is meant to reflect the essence of a middle school (where it is located); its spiral form is a metaphor for momentum and growth.    

Image Credit: Greg Kozawa                                         


Cairns (Cairn #1, #2, etc.)
2009
Stone
Sizes vary: heights from 11’ to 3’, widths & depths from 6’ to 3’

Downtown Light-Rail Corridor, Portland, OR

Inspired by the stacked stone cairns one finds marking trails all over the world, this series of 6 sculptural stone cairns mark the way between Portland’s Union Station and the two nearest light-rail stops.

Inspired by the stacked stone cairns one finds marking trails all over the world, this one of a series of 6 stone cairns marks the way between Portland's Union Station and the two nearest light-rail stops.

Image Credit: Jeff Lee


Listening Trumpets
2009
Rusted mild steel, stainless steel
Heights vary 62-72” x 22” x 32” 

Cooper Mountain Nature Park, Beaverton, OR

Three of these listening devices are sited throughout Cooper Mtn. Nature Park on the outskirts of Beaverton, OR to encourage visitors to listen to the sounds of this exquisite natural area.

Image Credit: Jaime Valdez


Nest
2009
Rusted mild steel, stainless steel
4’6” x 7’ x 7’

 

The idea came from observing the nests of Western Gray Squirrels, which appear to be woven together with twigs, grasses, and other forest debris.  Though these squirrels do not nest on the ground, the intent was to create a shelter-like structure that children could enter and play in, while introducing them to the habits of some of the animals that inhabit Cooper Mountain.


 

Points of View
2008
Glass mosaic tile, stainless steel
33”x24”x24” (series of 12 boxes)

Valley Metro Rail, Phoenix/Tempe, Arizona (2003-’08), worked with architects, engineer and landscape architect in developing artwork for green trellis walls at light rail stations that takes into account extreme heat, light, shade and tight space limitations.  Community research for this project, wherein artists were encouraged to respond to the various demographic contexts of four different stations, involved interviewing community activists and researching historical records, including oral histories.

Works in trellis walls at light rail stations take into account heat, light, shade and tight space limitations.  Research for this project, where artists were encouraged to respond to diverse contexts of four different stations, involved interviewing community members and researching oral histories.

 

 

Circulations
2007
Stainless steel, granite, limestone, bronze
6'2" x 280' x 4'

Totem Lake Freeway Station, Kirkland, WA


A sequence of sculptures straddles the edge of a pedestrian walkway connecting a park-and-ride with a freeway transit station. Transportation relates to time, daily cycles and the arrivals and departures that connect us to the rest of the world. The series of 8 sculptures consisting of steel arches and elegant granite “wheels” is integrated with landscaping along the walkway, adding a sense of movement and lightness to the pedestrian experience.

Image Credit: Dan Kvitka


The form, evocative of bud and flower shapes, provides an organic counterpoint to the site's formal geometry. The idea for the piece came from thoughts about the cyclical nature of growth and change, whether in nature or in the world of business.

Image Credit: Spike Mafford

Bloom Cycle
2005
Cast bronze
9’6” x 10’6” x 8’
Columbia Center lobby, Seattle, WA; deaccessioned 2015

Currently in King County Public Art Collection, King County, Washington  


Gathering In
1998
Granite, bronze
Installation area: 75’ long x 6’ wide; objects heights: 24-40”


Hatfield Gov’t Center Station, Westside MAX Light Rail, Hillsboro, Oregon

 

Based on a theme of Gathering-and-Dispersal, bronze basket forms are based on the shapes of indigenous gathering baskets; granite balls seem to be rolling in or out of the baskets, in playful reference to the daily comings and goings of all who use this light rail station.   

Image Credit: Greg Kozawa