This is a 5′ x 9′ triptych made as a fundraiser for Arbutus Folk School in Olympia, WA. This project took four months to complete, and included many participants, from absolute beginners to seasoned mosaic artists. A frame is being created to secure the sections to the wall of the art center, just inside the entryway.
Arbutus is the Latin name for the Madrona tree, an iconic tree here in the Pacific NW. I created a simple design that could be easily divided into a few color sections, but had some other iconic images from our region, including the hills typical of the Puget Sound waterfront, an Orca, and a Great Blue Heron. With the help of one of my students, Maleah Larson, I created some of the foreground elements in my studio through September. Then, during Olympia’s spring Arts Walk festival, we opened participation to the local community, including a mural making workshop where more than half of the mural was completed. Over ensuing months, groups of people have gathered weekly to add more to the mural, and visitors to the center have joined in. Finally, in early January 2019, we finally finished grouting, and the triptych is ready to mount on the wall!
