Last fall I had the opportunity to do a truly fantastic project for Paul. Paul is the owner of a beautifully renovated house in the Avenue’s area of Salt Lake City. The house renovation project has been underway for quite some time, at one point, The old wood frame windows were removed and I was the lucky recipient of the glass.
When the renovation was complete Paul asked me to design a permanently installed piece for his mantle. After meeting with Paul, seeing the house and talking about the what Paul hoped the feel of the finished piece would be, we talked about the history of the house and Paul’s interests. After a whole lot of pondering, I presented Paul with three different concepts.
Concept 1: Winter Tree Tops
The inspiration for Winter Tree Tops was the finished renovation of the house itself. Paul had done a fabulous job in integrating many types of wood in a modern design that still upheld the tradition of his 1903 home. The floors, cabinets and mantle are all lovely and lovingly made to highlight the beauty of the wood. In addition, Paul had installed a very nice floating bar of 1″ thick glass, in addition to a modern glass topped dining table. I took these elements and added in the surprisingly private view from the small back deck and the panoramic view from the garage top deck. Combined, these elements suggested a substantial clear piece of recycled glass with cast in tree branches.
Sketch of Recycled Glass Sculpture “Treetops”
Concept 2: Green swirl
Paul is a person with exquisite taste and is very sophisticated. The Green Swirl concept is based on a sophisticated glass method called pate’ de verre. The finished concept would have an incredible tactile feel and would bring movement to a environment that is particularly linear.
Sketch for Recycled Glass Sculpture “Green Swirl”
Concept 3: Pixelated
Pixelated was inspired by Paul’s career as a successful video game designer. The finished artwork was intended for the house that Paul built, and reflects Paul’s talents so well.
Sketch of Recycled Glass Sculpture “Pixelated”
And the winner is: Winter Tree Tops
After viewing the sketches and samples of each concept, Paul opted for Winter Tree Tops. The final piece is spectacularly beautiful and is particularly beautiful on Paul’s mantle.
Winter Tree Tops installed
Winter Tree Tops
