Rain - GFS

So - the commissioned piece I've been working on all year was installed last week. It's a permanent installation in Gordon Food Service's new building in Wyoming, MI.  Rain - GFS is 10' x 10' x 15'h and made of silver leaf on polyester film squares, fabricated steel suspenders and aluminum. There are around 10,000 squares and 10,000 suspenders. Here are a few photos -

view from below:

view from the second floor:

view from the stairway:

Last comments on Art Prize 2011

I have some thank yous to post -
- Cathy and Alan Moore for a warm home and comfortable bed during the three weeks of Art Prize
- Ellen Wilt - thanks Ellen, for the beautiful working space
- Connie Cronenwett - thanks Connie, for the timely use of your paper cutter
- Klaus Wolter - thanks Klaus, for taking pity on me and making the jig
- Paul Malboeuf - thanks Paul, for food, ideas, videos, construction help, support and a million other things
- Rick DeVos for the platform that allowed Art Prize to happen
- the people of Grand Rapids for their warmth and understanding of Rain

MLive Art Prize do over? Here's the link

My two favorite videos of Rain:

This one by Paul Malboeuf on YouTube

And this one by Dustin Dwyer on YouTube

Art Prize - on to Silver Leaf

I finished bending the 7600 aluminum wire suspenders on July 4. Now it's on to the silver leaf. This is for Art Prize in Grand Rapids, MI, Sept 21 - Oct 9, 2011.

I have adhered most of the silver leaf to polyester film but have a few sheets of pf to be beautified yet. Here are a few photos of the silver leaf on polyester film before I seal it and cut it into 2.5" squares. It's beautiful this way - makes me want to leave it uncut.

Installation for Art Prize 2011

8 June 2011
Recently I went on a car trip from Ann Arbor, MI to Seattle, WA. While I occupied the passenger seat I bent wire to form suspenders.

I've cut and bent 4800 aluminum suspenders. I have approximately 2600 more to do. This is all in preparation for my installation at the Grand Rapids Public Museum in Grand Rapids for Art Prize 2011 (September 21 - October 9, 2011).

I bent wire in the Columbia River Valley:


I bent wire in Missoula, Montana -


I bent wire at the Grand Coulee Dam -


I bent wire in the car -


I've bent wire in hotel rooms -


This is my elevator talk about the piece (called Rain)I'm making:

"I'm taking 7000 reflective squares and arranging them within the space of an airy 10' cube. The squares will move with ambient air currents."

In case you're wondering how the reflective squares relate to the suspenders, one suspender sits under each reflective square on lines of monofilament. A visual of a small version of this in on youtube.

Silver Liquid: a tribute to water - part 2

Exhibition dates: October 19 - November 28, 2010

"Rain"
collaboration between Lynda Cole and
Candace Compton Pappas
silver leaf on polyester film, cement
10'h x 5'w x 5'd
The hanging sculpture rotates and the individual squares move with air currents.



Perceptual title: "Peace Ball"
Conceptual title: "Wrapped Pond"
encaustic with EPS center
2' diameter
the dish is wax on concrete


WSG Gallery
306 S. Main Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103
734-761-2287
wsg website
wsg blog

more to come -

A Different Alphabet

Since October I've been working on a major piece of art for the Bloomfield Township Public Library in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. It's called A Different Alphabet. It was installed on January 29, 2010. The materials are 4"x4" squares of patinated silver leaf on polyester film supported on a wire armature. There is a flat piece of red/orange aluminum mounted on the wall at the right end. Except for the aluminum A Different Alphabet stands out 4" from the wall. It is about 18' wide and 6' high.

To go with the dedication of this piece, I participated in a panel discussion on Public Art with Reed Kroloff, Christine Schefman and Marc Schwartz. This was at the Bloomfield Township Public Library on February 4.

So, here is a photo of A Different Alphabet in its new home in the BTPL -


work in progress in my studio shortly before it went to the BTPL -