‘Spirits of the Sun at the Center’

‘Spirits of the Sun at the Center’ – that is the title of the Wine Barrel Art that I created for the 2011 the Sun Valley Center for the Arts fund-raising event for their education in the arts programs. They combined it with their annual Wine Auction event that funds those programs. They supplied several artists with an oak wine barrel to decorate, all of which were then auctioned in the Gala Wine Auction. 

The title of the piece, ‘Spirits of the Sun at the Center’, is a play on words derived from the images in the center ‘portal’ on the top, as well as a tip of the hat to the logo of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, as it is known as ‘The Center’.

 In the middle of the 31 inch diameter Oak wood table top is an image of the Sun, with a ‘portal’ to blue sky and flying birds. The edge is decorated with samples of all the wild flowers on the barrel. It was then edged with metal, and covered with 1/4 inch glass for a finished table top.

Encircling the entire girth of the barrel, I painted scenes with oil paints, including the Sun Valley Resort ski mountain, called ‘Baldy’ and surrounding vistas with wild Lupines, Penstemons, Paint Brush and Sun Flowers. Now have a spin around scenes on the barrel below. This is what our valley looks like in Spring! - G.P.L