I'm so happy to announce that my first art installation will be displayed at The Landing (where Wildfin Grill used to be) in Renton, WA from November 22-January 2025! If you're local to the Greater Seattle Area, come check it out and take pictures!
Now, let's get into some background details about this project.
Applying for the spot
A month ago in October I applied for a spot in The Landing's Winter Wonderland Window Project. The idea was for artists to create a winter-themed art installation that would be on window display in one of their spaces for the holidays. Even though I've never created a large scale installation before, I figured it wouldn't hurt to throw my hat in the ring and see what happens. I mocked up a design, typed up a proposal outlining my vision for the project, and wrote my artist statement then sent it to the project organizer. A few weeks later I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email saying "I WAS SELECTED!" Now begins the fun part, turning my concept into reality.
My design concept
My vision for this art installation was an interactive snowglobe "selfie" mirror that would reflect a Seattle scene involving multiple iconic landmarks and the viewer becomes part of that scene through the mirror. I chose Leavenworth, Mt. Rainier, and the Space Needle because they come up when I think about spending the holidays in Washington. Leavenworth is a Bavarian-themed town northeast of Seattle and it's a popular destination for many people during the holidays, especially when it snows. Mt. Rainier is of course one of the most popular mountains in Washington and it's pretty iconic. It has inspired a lot of my artwork and it's one of my favorite places to hike. I included the Space Needle because well, it's the Space Needle. It's a quintessential part of Seattle and it's also iconic. My hope with this snowglobe magic mirror is for people passing by to interact with the art by taking pictures of themselves within the scene. To me, snowglobes and taking pictures share one similarity, capturing a moment in time.
Turning an idea into reality
Coming up with a design was the easy part. Executing it was a different ball game. It was fun and challenging for me as an artist who has since now, only worked primarily small scale. The mirror part of my installation was one element of my project that I thought would be the most expensive. Initially I was envisioning a 30 inch round mirror that I would then put on an easel or some sort of stable display structure. Well, mirrors are quite expensive and I didn't want to spend most of my budget on it. Additionally, easels are pretty expensive too especially ones that are meant to hold heavy things. I turned to Facebook Marketplace and found cheaper second hand mirrors but that didn't solve my problem with a supportive easel that would be potentially expensive. My husband suggested using OfferUp and we ended up finding a vanity mirror that was the perfect size and had a supportive base that supported its weight. On top of it all, it looked like a snowglobe and I spent a GRAND total of $15. I was so relieved....
I had to buy a few extra items for decorations but for the most part I had most of what I needed to complete this project already. Once I cleaned up the mirror I got to painting the edges of the mirror white to conceal the scratches and dirty spots. I used velvet flock paper to line the base of the snowglobe and it helped elevate it! Next, I started on my paintings that would go on top of the mirror. Initially, my plan was to paint on top of the mirror but I was too scared of making a mistake that would jeopardize other parts and I wanted to be able to reuse the mirror without completely wiping off all of my hard work. Therefore, I decided to paint on top of large sheets of paper, cut out the designs, and paste them to the mirror for easy removal after the display period. My design consisted of 3 separate layers that were painted in acrylic. I usually don't paint in acrylic unless it's on one of my hats so painting acrylic on paper was a little different for me.
After the paintings were done I attached the fairy lights to the mirror so that it could illuminate the mirror at night. The warm lights around the snowglobe really tied everything together. It was so heartwarming to see my snowglobe finally taking shape. The best part of my artistic process is taking a step back and admiring my work, feeling proud of everything I've achieved.
Displaying at The Landing
I'm writing this blog before I'm displaying my art installation so I won't be able to include pictures of it on display until a few days after this is released but I'm SOOOO excited to see it and I hope you'll have the chance to see it as well. The Snowglobe Magic Mirror will be on display starting November 22 and all throughout the holiday season until beginning January 2025. If you get a chance to come visit it, please take a picture and tag @modernmeliora on social media. I would love to see and share it!
I would like to thank The Landing team for providing me with this opportunity to showcase my work. It's been a great experience being a part of the Renton community and I hope to find more ways to spread the joy of art in this area.
Until next time, stay colorful.
Truc-Quan
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