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willowcloudwavescape

Katy Stone

King County Correctional Facility

A single set of organic forms arranged in different configurations reveals three distinct natural landscapes.

Katy Stone. willowcloudwavescape, 2009. Oil on laser cut aluminum. King County Correctional Facility, Seattle, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: Lara Swimmer

An array of clouds, waves on the open water, and the cascading boughs of a willow tree take shape in the lobby of the King County Correctional Facility.

In willowcloudwavescape, artist Katy Stone uses a single set of linear designs to create three unique sculptural vignettes. Made of laser-cut, hand-painted aluminum, the elements transform from wall to wall as their colors and compositions change. Layered in shallow relief with directional lighting, shadows add volume and depth to the artwork, subtly hinting at the relationships between light and dark in the natural world.

Many of us experience the landscape as a space for reflection, restoration, and even a place of escape. I wanted to tap into that shared human experience and also introduce a sense of beauty and expansiveness into a site where one might not expect to encounter such qualities. Each wall becomes a vista that invites you to look upward and outward. –Katy Stone
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Based in Seattle, Stone creates installations that blur the boundaries between drawing, painting, and sculpture. Her artwork has been exhibited in galleries across the United States and her public commissions include pieces for the GSA's Art in Architecture Program, ArtsWA, City of Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture, Cleveland Clinic, Michigan State University, and Microsoft.
Katy Stone. willowcloudwavescape, 2009. Oil on laser cut aluminum. King County Correctional Facility, Seattle, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: Lara Swimmer
Katy Stone. willowcloudwavescape, 2009. Oil on laser cut aluminum. King County Correctional Facility, Seattle, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: Lara Swimmer
Katy Stone. willowcloudwavescape, 2009. Oil on laser cut aluminum. King County Correctional Facility, Seattle, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: Lara Swimmer

About the Location

King County Correctional Facility

Located on a busy corner in downtown Seattle, the Seattle Division of the King County Jail opened in 1986. Today four permanent public artworks are sited at the correctional facility. A year after the building became operational, landscape architect Martha Schwartz designed its colorful entry plaza and Benson Shaw created Torus Torum for the south…

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