How do you hang a piece of art that is not square to the wall or floor. This was my challenge in hanging a recent commission for Michigan State’s new addition to the Superconducting Laboratory. My challenge was to hang the piece consisting of 36 separate panels hung as three rectangles at three different angles and keep a consistent space of 1 inch between all the panels.

My solution was to use a template that spaced the cleats attached to the wall and allowed me to move it and use the cleat positions as guides.

Here we are at the 25 ft wall with the template finding the center point of the wall and the template. I marked the center point in my studio, so I had a vertical and horizontal measurement. We used the level to make it precise.

We have the center cleats up and are checking to see if the lower right panel installed is the correct height. Some of the cleats are short to accommodate the smaller skewed squares.

Here we have the center 12 squares installed. We are checking to see we have 1 inch between each panel.

This photo shows how we turned the template to mount the next 12 at a different angle. We had to mount from the bottom up in order to reach the security screw behind the panel which is hidden by the standoff frame.

The last set of cleats is being installed. The yellow tape is holding the template in place to position the last set of cleats.

Finished!

January started out on a fast pace. This week I installed two pieces at the Adena Cancer Hospital in Chillicothe, Ohio. For the entrance of the lobby, I made a large ribbon out of white wire.  This is for friends, family and patients to tie a small cloth ribbon on for good wishes and prayers of healing. You can see some small ribbons that have started collecting. At some point the ribbon will be full of colors. The ribbon is 7 feet wide and 5 ½ feet tall.

For the chapel down the hall I designed and fabricated a cross. Here is a detail and view.  It is made from laser cut wood painted and assembled in multiple layers and colors.  The dimension is 50 inches high by 40 inches wide.

Here is a detail to show the dimension of the cross.

.

This past weekend I entered a beard contest. There was a category for women that I entered called “Most Creative Beard.”  View photos of the contest and my competition.

Living in the woods is great. It brings me closer to nature. Nature isn’t always so nice and sometimes it surprises me.

This cardinal flew into my studio and hung out in the rafters.

My husband is holding up a frame from the hive of bees. I found 2 queens which is unusual. Several weeks later all the bees died. I sent 100 bees to the USDA to analyze the bees to see what killed them. Insecticide from a neighbor’s yard? Collapse syndrome? Two of my trees were hit by lightning. They were also ravaged by the Ash Borer. So in came the tree experts to take them down. I didn’t need another tree falling on the studio next to my house.

I just returned from Chicago where they held an artwalk for the new Fountaindale Library in Bolingbrook, IL.  Here is the piece I completed for the 2nd floor of the library.

This piece is from the “Patterns of Nature” series.

I have finished the large painting on copper for Michigan State’s National Superconducting Laboratory. Here is the finished piece shot in my studio.

 The next image is a picture of the mockup for presentation. It is pretty cool to see how it translates to the larger painted image.

I am moving along on the piece.

This week I am exposing the copper so that the idea of each “Window” actually has a frame. Here is the edge before finishing.

The process involves spraying lacquer over the oil painting and then removing the tape on the edges. I need to sand the copper then spray it again with lacquer after cleaning it with lacquer thinner. I decided to make the copper edge thicker so I have to scrape off some of the painting to increase the edge. Pretty labor intensive. Here I am completing the edges on each of 36 panels.

I am a tool nut.

Want to talk drills? Specialty blades for the table saw?  I can get lost in a hardware store. A new sanding pad for my rotary sander with its own vacuum can be a high point of my week.

Linda Leviton using one of her favorite tools.

For me, being an artist means more than just brushes, paint and canvas.

My “brushes” are etching acid, laser cutting tools, metal shears, an airbrush and the computer.

Linda Leviton "painting" pieces of a wall sculpture

My “canvas” is metal and wood, plastic, cloth, glass, wire.  My “paint” is… well paint, patina, chemicals, heat, angle grinder, oil sticks, colored pencils, colored wire.

My art is very materials focused. Finding new material at the junk yard, the hardware store, a flea market gives me a lot of joy.

A new tool means a new technique.  And that means an ability to incorporate things into my designs that I’ve not done before.

A new tool means something new to play with.  What will it allow me to do that I couldn’t do until now?

My magnabend allows me to make crazy angles in sheet metal.

A  “y” connector on my acetylene torch allows me to use two torches at a time to color metal in patterns or solder a longer seam.

A pneumatic riveter lets me rivet hundreds of copper connections on a metal quilt and not cripple my hand.

Would I have even proposed doing so many rivets in this wall sculpture without one?

Nope.

Designing a Wall Sculpture for a Donor Wall is Complicated

Over the past few years, I’ve designed and fabricated many donor wall sculptures for hospitals, corporations, universities and Fortune 500 clients.

Usually when a client asks for a donor wall, they think it should be simple: just some names on the wall, right?  How difficult could that be?

If the specifications aren’t clear, the project will be a giant headache for the person responsible.

There are lots of questions that consultants should ask that may not occur to them when they want a donor wall proposal.

Here is a list of the things I consider when talking to a client or a consultant.

1. What is the purpose of the donor wall?  For example, is it to honor people who have already donated?  Is it for existing and future donors?  Is there a special group or person that needs more prominent recognition than other donors?
2. What’s the anticipated size of the wall?
3. What is the life of the wall?  For example, how long do you want to keep adding names.
4. What are the categories of donors  and how are they divided?  Most donor walls categorize by the dollar amount of the donations.
5. What is the smallest and largest amount of names in each donor group?  For example, will you have 100 donors in one group ($100-$250)and 3 donors in another group ($500,000 – $1,000,000)?
6. Who will update the wall, the client organization or me?
7. Is this the only time the client will address the donor wall, or is there a budget for future name or category additions?
8. What is the theme of the wall? Does the client want it to be more of an art piece or a donor wall?
9. How does the client want to list names?  For example, should they be listed in order of when they made the donation? Alphabetical?  Other?
10. Is the donor wall to be placed near a high traffic area?  Is there a possibility of physical damage from people touching it?
11. Will the sculpture be moved eventually?  For example, is the wall for a building campaign?
12. What else is near the wall?  For example, are there donor walls nearby?  What is the architecture, building materials, and color of the surrounding area?

As you can see, I have given donor walls a lot of thought.  These questions are critical because donors want their names to look good and be readable.

When I’m designing a wall sculpture for donors, I take all of this into consideration.

I’m working on a piece that represents a real challenge for me.  What makes it a challenge?

Linda Levinton figuring out the angles for a large wall sculpture

It’s BIG! 6 feet x 22 feet, and there are lots of complex angles and overlaps.

I created the initial design on paper and it looked great!

Once the client gave me the OK to go ahead with the project, I thought, “Oh #$%%^!!”

How do I fabricate it? How do I hang it?  What is the simplest way to install it?  How can I expand the gestural flow of paint that I applied to the paper design?

Sometimes the pieces that look simple on paper are actually the hardest to produce. (get image of the paper design) Now that I’m working the dimensions of this wall sculpture out in the studio, it’s a challenge, but a challenge that I love.

Photo of Linda working out the logistics of a large wall sculpture

Sometimes clients don’t realize how much work goes into designing a piece when they ask for a “quick bid” or price.

All of the above questions have to be worked out while I am designing a piece to determine a price for a bid.  (How will I hang the sculpture? How will the art be fabricated? etc!)

The first few times I designed new pieces, I was scared when the clients accepted them and then asked me for a price because of the huge financial risk.

Over time I’ve become confident in my ability to design something new and then to figure out an accurate bid. Often, I require a fee for the design of a large piece because it’s extremely time intensive and complicated. This works out great for the client and me because then there are no surprises as the project goes into production. There are clear expectations as to the implementation and the installation.

People have told me that they’re sometimes surprised by the immense size of many of my projects, given that I’m a petite person. And they’re right!

Some of my pieces are massive and heavy, and I love creating them all!