Installing Ericano Bulbs for Yakima Maker Space Sculpture Show

the bulbs shortly after installation at YMS

The first part of this week was spring break, so after returning from the NCECA conference in Portland, I broke up the monotony of writing my online class by installing a set of works for Sculpting the Valley at Yakima Maker Space. 

 

my "canvas" on the floor after the hooks were in, and a bright orange bulb on its own

Yakima Maker Space is hosting this sculpture show, curated by Andy Behrle and Carolyn Nelson, in association with International Sculpture Day on April 24. That day there will be special events including a sculpture tour and artist talks by some of the exhibiting artists. See the Yakima Maker Space Gallery page for more information. 

the installation at YMS

The work I installed for the show is a different iteration of my Ericano bulb installation that was on display for Windows Alive last year. Yakima Maker Space didn't want me to put 100 holes in the wall as I have done for previous installations, so Andy Behrle made a nice long board (with a French cleat) for me to put the holes into. 

a detail view with my favorite in the middle

I liked working with the board off the wall, because I was able to set up the grid very quickly. The last time I had a tight time frame in which to install this work, I made a paper template for quick set up. This time I wasn't able to make a template ahead of time and the old template wouldn't work for the new shape of the installation.

spacing the bulbs before beginning to drill

Since I knew I would be installing on two boards end to end, I didn't want to have funny gaps at the middle or at either end, so I laid out the bulbs once I got to the gallery. After I had the bulbs spaced out in a way that seemed to work visually, I measured the space between them and adjusted the bulbs so that they were evenly spaced. 

the four tape measure system works better on the ground than on the wall

The best thing about having the boards on the floor was that I was able to use a system of four tape measures to measure and plan the spacing of the screw hooks. I lined up the long tape measures at 4", 11" and 18" from the top of the board, then lined up the shorter tape measure at 9.25" increments along the width of the board from the center. I marked the intersection of two tape measures and drilled holes at those marks. 

another detail view of the installation at YMS

Including planning time, I was done with the installation in about an hour. I had to come back to put the bulbs on the hooks after Andy finished with the backside of the board, but that set up was very fast. It would have been faster if I hadn't stopped to chat about 3D clay printers for a while on my way out.

there are lots of bulbs, so there are lots of pictures

You can see the show, featuring sculpture by an eclectic mix of Yakima sculptors in various media, on Saturday, April 1, 2017 from 6:00PM to 9:00PM. My work will be for sale individually, so come get your bulbs. The YMS gallery is only open on Saturdays, so if you'd like to see the work, the opening is a good time to go. If I don't see you then, hopefully you will join us for the International Sculpture Day festivities on April 24.