Redbud Sprig
Jennifer Russell Building, Lafayette Community Center, Lafayette, California
2016
6ft x 6ft x 16ft
aluminum, blown glass
“Redbud Sprig” marks the entry to the building, and is in the shape of a three dimensional forking branch with stems made of welded aluminum tubing, and leaves made from sheet aluminum. Glass blossoms hang freely from this aluminum structure. The artwork fills the overhead area of the atrium, and brings durable color and organic shapes into the building's architecture, thereby creating the warm presence that hand-made art objects can possess. It can be enjoyed up close by people standing underneath it, as well as by people walking in the parking area and those driving by on St. Marys Road.
The material choices and color treatment of the artwork to respond to the functional honesty of the architecture of the Jennifer Russell building: this is an all-metal building that does not hide the structural components that make up its presence, with I-beams and C-channels exposed. In the same way, the mechanical fastenings of my structure are appealing, yet remain exposed—not hidden or masked. Using transparent lacquers to create vibrant and varying color, this allows the bright aluminum to shine through in a celebration of the material. Nothing about the artwork construction is masked or concealed: bolts and fasteners are proudly shown as part of the artwork, in keeping with the all-metal building aesthetics.