The Beast

Yesterday I was able to install the large piece I made for my husband's new medical centre. The original plan was to have it hanging in the waiting room, but I miscalculated the height of the ceiling, not realizing how much it would be lowered during construction to accommodate heating ducts, etc. I think Plan B is even better than Plan A. It is visible as people mount and descend the stairs, or as they wait for the elevator on the second floor. It was a real thrill to have two workers assemble scaffolding just to hang this piece, then measure carefully and adjust it. I felt like Christo.

It measures about 90" wide and 90" high. The "quilt" is pinned to a double width of charcoal-gray fibreglass screening, held against the wall with a plexiglass bar, top and bottom. Track lighting will be installed soon to highlight it. One of the interesting things about the space is that the back wall, though it appears to be much lighter than the side walls, is actually painted the same putty colour.


My working title for the piece is "It's All That..." I am open to suggestions. At times, it felt quite alien in my studio, being so big, and I sometimes lost confidence that I was on the right track. But I like the colour palette and colour gradation, the irregularity of the edges, its modernity and ambiguity, and how it seems to suit the building as a whole. As you mount the stairs, it takes on the appearance of a stained-glass rose window. I'm calling it a success! Two and a half months in the making.

My thanks to all of you who supported me with your kind guidance and advice. Virtually all of your ideas found their way into the making of The Beast.