The newest addition to the stick sculpture series, ‘Over the Harbor’, was custom commissioned for a financial powerhouse overlooking the beautiful Baltimore harbor. The artwork was created with the intention of making a bold statement in a corporate space, while reflecting the city’s movement and energy.
The piece consists of 200 wooden dowels, each individually hand glazed and dipped in stimulating, rich color. The result is a truly original, modern wall sculpture full of vibrant energy, a perfect fit for the city it overlooks.
Inspiration for the piece:
When I was asked to make a large sculpture for a financial firm in Baltimore, my first thought was I have never been to Baltimore and I don’t know how it looks and feels. I knew they were on the penthouse floor of a beautiful building so I asked if they could take photos of the space, which resulted in nothing too inspiring (thus why they needed some amazing artwork to give the space life!) As an afterthought, he sent me a photo one day that said ‘thought you might like to see the view across from where your art will be…’ and there it was… the most incredible view of the Baltimore Inner Harbor… the boats, the architecture, the sail colors, the water… and the inspiration was ignited!
I had a vision of creating something that would be structural to represent the architecture, and capture the feel of the wood of the boats and the colors of the sails. Then I looked back at the photos of the space and realized there are a lot of numbers and money people there and little creative inspiration in the space itself. Having the playful motion of the overlapping and seemingly moving pieces of the dowels along with vibrant colors seemed to be just what this space needed to reflect the beautiful harbor view back onto their wall, giving a boost of energy and creativity to the space and the people who spend time there.
After experiencing the city while there for the installation, I kept thinking how much the finished artwork seemed to accurately capture the feel of the people, the local environment, the colors and feelings around me. The end result was exactly what I saw flash in my head and although it was a very laborious and tedious installation, it was so worth it for the satisfaction of the finished result.
Process:
200+ wooden dowels were each individually hand-glazed and then dipped in beautifully rich color. The process is quite laborious but working with the bright color on a gorgeous California day is so energizing.
Installation:
Once the final layers of paint were sealed and the sticks were ready for their new home, the sculpture was carefully assembled on-site in Baltimore.
Shop ‘Over the Harbor’ on etsy
This piece of corporate artwork is part of a series of modern structural wall sculptures. A similar wood stick sculpture, ‘Stick Together’, was created for a healthcare facility earlier this year.
