Selected proposals and unbuilt designs

The Texas Tech University System called for exterior artwork for the circular courtyard on the west side of the building (Project No. 04-15). Because half the funding came from the 1% landscape allocation, proposals had to include landscaping. Water features were highly discouraged, and artists were asked to keep Lubbock's dry climate in mind when choosing plants.

• ClientTexas Tech University System
• Budget$235,000, all-inclusive
• StandingOne of four finalists, 2013

Concept rendering of the pillar in the center of the courtyard lawn.

The site from above, the courtyard plan and footprint, and a dimensioned plan and color studies from the second time I pitched this concept.

My clay maquettes include a version painted red for the stone shell and teal for the glass core, and a taller unpainted version. For the finalist round I submitted a more detailed design proposal and a model. I proposed a shell of cast and carved stone, polished by hand and attached to a steel structure at the center, with the seams placed so the stone would read as one solid piece. Final materials were still open, and I planned to work with a local architect, builder and stone fabricators.

I wanted cut glass for the core because the randomness of the cut surface gives it a water-like quality. It would look wet, like a fountain with no water. Like the footprint, the glass would appear almost circular but would actually be an ellipse.

The rear of the pillar would have a deeper cutaway with an enclosed living wall of exotic plants growing on a vertical plane. The stacked glass core would cast a glow onto the wall, and the plants would change with the seasons. For the ground I proposed low-water succulents with no cactus, planted to pass for an extraterrestrial landscape. A thin ring of plants around the base would be close enough for people to touch.

The Town of Castle Rock called for large-scale welcome art at the northern entrance to downtown, on a vacant former gas-station lot at the northeast corner of I-25 and Wilcox Street. The work needed lighting for night viewing and had to be visible from cars in both directions on Wilcox without blocking the view of the Castle Rock from the road. It also had to be durable and low-maintenance, ideally maintenance-free for up to 15 years.

• ClientTown of Castle Rock Public Art Commission
• Budget$200,000, all-inclusive
• StandingFinalist, 2024

Mockups of the sculpture on the site at I-25 and Wilcox Street.

Animation of the sculpture on the site, with the Castle Rock behind it.

Night views of the lighting, with color settings for different seasons.

Sun and shadow studies of the site from above, following a full day in late June: the shadows across the site, and the sculpture modeled in place.

Elevation drawings, and the installation plan: a crane truck setting the finished sections onto the base.

The City of Pompano Beach called for a mosaic mural at the Herb Skolnick Community Center. The call was open to artists nationally with no entry fee, and 97 artists applied.

• ClientCity of Pompano Beach
• StandingOne of 97 applicants, 2024

The community center, and the mural shown on the building.

An angled view of the relief, and studies for the inlaid bands.