Preview
Creation Date
1-2014
Disciplines
Art and Design | Sculpture
Description
This sculpture was created as part of the Linfield College course Introduction to Studio, taught by Totem Shriver. In honor of Linfield professor and artist Nils Lou, who passed away in December 2013, this year's sculptures respond to the prompt of "a dream house for Nils."
Artist's Statement
The original idea for our "dream house for Nils" was to create a womb, a symbol of safety, warmth and fertility. We expanded on that idea and created the female figure from the bottom of the torso to the neck. Not only is the female figure symbolic of the fertility of ideas we hope Nils will have in the afterlife, it also reflects Nils's passions and the inspiration for some of his artwork, which included ceramic torsos. To make the sculpture look more like a home, we added windows, a door and several pieces of furniture. The midsection of the figure is Nils's workshop, complete with workbench and a vase-in-progress. At the center of the chest is a brightly colored anatomical heart that represents the love Nils poured into his artwork as well as the ideas his ideas will continue to have at Linfield. The last piece we added to this sculpture was the stairway leading up to the door. We hope this home will be a true heaven for Nils, where he can relax and continue to create wonderful things.
Related Resource
Related Resource
Related Resource
Recommended Citation
Barrett, Peggy; Foong, Eureka; Morgan, Kyle; and Wenrich, Joel, "Stairway to Heaven (View 2)" (2014). Introduction to Studio Toothpick Sculptures. Image. Submission 36.
https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/avcstud_toothpick/36
Keywords
toothpicks, sculpture
Comments
Photograph courtesy of Kathleen Spring.