Crystal Mountain Art Project
Circle of Life Tower
In collaboration with Muckleshoot carver Keith Stevenson, Tieton Mosaics, Dillon Works, and the installation crew at Crystal Mountain.
Materials: Chairlift tower segment from the original Chair 1, skis donated by my brothers and the Crystal Mountain ski patrol, red cedar thunderbird and resin animals carved by Keith (orca, salmon, eagle and wolf), glass mosaic, steel.
Design Process
My design began with the idea of repurposing an old chairlift tower. From there I added artistic elements to portray the ways we experience the mountain and the beauty of the area. Then, I invited some amazingly talented people to help me bring my vision to life, including Muckleshoot Carver Keith Stevenson, Tieton Mosaics, and Dillon Works.
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Design Drawings (my original drawing on the left, Dillon Works on the right)
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Old Chairlift Towers in the “bone yard” at Crystal
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Working on the painting for the mosaic design
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Sculpting Process with Keith (scroll down to see more about his contributions)
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Sketching
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One of my early ideas from the brainstorming process
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Pulling tape off the finished painting
Acknowledgement
Crystal Mountain ski resort was built on traditional land of the Muckleshoot tribe. The only way I felt comfortable building this tower was to have a First Nations artist on my team to tell the story of the land. Thank you Keith Stevenson for creating the beautiful animal carvings and sharing your art with us.
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Eagle, by Keith Stevenson (resin cast from original wood carving)
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Salmon, by Keith Stevenson
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Orca, by Keith Stevenson
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Wolf and Salmon, by Keith Stevenson
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Keith’s Salmon Carving before resin casting
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At Keith’s studio, choosing resin colors
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Keith’s Thunderbird carving in process
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Delivering finished carvings
Process: Fabrication and Installation
Tieton Mosaic translated my original painting into a beautiful kaleidoscope of colorful glass. The pattern was assembled onto mosaic tape, then applied in sections to the pole using epoxy thinset, followed by adding custom grout colors. Dillon works assembled the steel structure in their workshop, then the crew at Crystal put the tower into place.
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Thousands of pieces of glass, held together on mosaic tape and ready to install
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Mosaic section of the trees.
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Great teamwork!
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Greg putting finishing touches on the grout lines
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It was really fun to work with the crew from Tieton Mosaics, Serena and Greg.
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Serena applying epoxy thinset to the steel column
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The foundation
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The main tower section arrived on a trailer
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Lowering the tower onto the foundation
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Unwrapping the beautiful mosaic was a perfect moment!
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Lowering the ski windmill onto the top of the tower
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Adding Keith’s red cedar thunderbird to the top of the tower
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Attaching Keith’s cast resin animals
Dedication
This tower stands for the beauty of nature and the joy we experience on this mountain. Encircled by the phases of the moon, the power of the wind, the four directions, the fleeting beauty of wildflowers, and the magical presence of animals, this pole illustrates our cyclical path through time.
In loving memory of Iver Iverson, who taught his 6 kids to ski, and Lu Iverson, who shared her love of wildflowers with us. Your joy shines through every generation of our family and friends.