Inside the Studio
Rays for KCI
Commission Project
Kansas City International Airport
2023
Inspired for many years by the landscape surrounding Kansas City, and its dynamic relationship to the sky and earth, “Rays” depicts an imagined landscape across a vast distance. The shapes within this work refer to the interconnection of the rays of the sun and the growth of uniquely tall grasses in this region of the world.
Originally begun as a tiny doodle, these grass-like images were scanned, enlarged, and repeated throughout the piece as various-sized printing plates. Each image in the work was inked with a unique color and placed by hand in its own space within the overall composition. Overall, the triptych contains 20 different hand-mixed colors and hundreds of printing plates, printed together in five runs through a large intaglio press.
This work was created at Pele Prints in St. Louis, Missouri, a studio I have collaborated with since 2009. Amanda Verbeck at Pele Prints brought her printmaking know-how to help envision the scale of this work and create its precise execution with the large, custom-designed intaglio presses at the Pele Prints studio.
It is easy to overlook a landscape that seems “empty” on first view, such as the Flint Hills region of Kansas. Taking the time to look more closely enables a deeper understanding of what the essentials actually are. A landscape which contains only the earth and sky is a place of timeless beauty and universal connection.
