Installing "Via Regia"in Napa

Stephen Fitz-Gerald - Thursday, July 1, 2010 - 8:32pm

I took my piece over to Napa for the install in the first ArtWalk show put on by the City of
Napa. There are 10 other artists works in the show and all locations for the works are good. the city has made permanent pedestals in concrete of varying sizes. the works will be on display for a year.
I made a matching bolting ring to be cast in the pedestal block with the bolts arranged in an exact equilateral triangle. That way i would know no matter what ,my base plate would mate and provide at least three positions for the sculpture to go. This meant when i arrived with the work i could simply lift it onto the bolts and cinch them down. In addition,to make it harder to steal I welded convex cover plates onto each of the nuts . The covers have two holes drilled in them that receive a special WRENCH I made. This means the nuts that secure the work to the block cannot be removed without this special tool. After the piece was secured i gave it a final coat with a spray-on stainless wax polish that will help shed rain and keep finger prints to a minimum.Via regia ,installed: The completed work"Via Regia" installed in downtown Napa,Ca. "Via Regia"installing in Napa#1: Giving the work a final polish in scenic downtown Napa.Ca."Via Regia"installing in Napa#1: Giving the work a final polish in scenic downtown Napa,Ca."Via Regia"installing in Napa#2: the final polish...

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uploading

Stephen Fitz-Gerald - Thursday, July 1, 2010 - 8:38pm

Stephen Fitz-Gerald
Its not uploading my other pictures...

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Great Work Stephen, the

eligius1427 - Friday, July 2, 2010 - 7:47am

Great Work Stephen, the sculpture is beautiful. The shape kind of makes you want to just stare at it. I'm interested to hear more about this spray on wax for stainless, it sounds like a nifty little product. I like how wide and low the pedestals are. They really make your sculpture approachable. I just installed a sculpture in SD on pedestals, but they are tall and narrow. They are solid, but visually it doesn't work as well as something like this.

Nice work.

Jake

Jake Balcom
Mettle Design
Lincoln, NE

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pedestals

Stephen Fitz-Gerald - Friday, July 2, 2010 - 1:17pm

Stephen Fitz-Gerald
I was very impressed with the quality of the castings for these pedestals in Napa. The contractor actually KNEW what he was doing. I had them cast a matching bolt ring in the pedestal so the install took about five minutes...
The spray wax polish is called Stainless Magic and it cleans as well as polishes so you can use it frequently. It leaves a thin wax film which sheds water and keeps finger prints to a minimum. I'll get you the manufactures name soon...
Oh,and the best thing about the product is it smells like fresh baked bread. No shit...

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mmmm... does it taste like

feorge - Sunday, July 4, 2010 - 12:13am

mmmm...
does it taste like fresh baked bread?

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thickness

Stephen Fitz-Gerald - Sunday, July 4, 2010 - 2:17am

Stephen Fitz-Gerald
It's 11 gauge.
Just a smidge thicker than 1/8th inch.
These spiral shapes were two flites made for a helical food auger that I cut and welded together in a way that seems seamless. I found a company that used to make them but went out of business so I got a truckload for cheap. They're all ss304 Via Regia,side view: Here's the side view,showing the inside of the shape. It was a challenge to make the two helical spirals meet correctly so they would reveal symmetry. 11 gauge ss304so they're quite ductile and malleable.

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beautiful and clever

topps35 - Sunday, July 11, 2010 - 1:07am

This is stunning from all angles, spent a long time looking and wondering. Beautiful finish and shape, stunning setting. Not just a wow but a how?
Andy and Michelle

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How?

Stephen Fitz-Gerald - Sunday, July 11, 2010 - 4:02am

Stephen Fitz-Gerald
Andy and Michelle,
This sculpture is made from recycled scrap.
The two helical shapes (spirals) are the parts that are stacked on a shaft of a food auger.It turns slowly like a giant screw and keeps food moving (like corn chips as their baking in a huge bin).I found a company that went out of business and sold me 2 truck load of these spirals(called flites) in stainless and I've been making sculptures out of them for 30 years...

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Stephen Fitz-GeraldVia Regia

Stephen Fitz-Gerald - Sunday, July 4, 2010 - 2:43am

Stephen Fitz-GeraldVia Regia in downtown Napa: Here's the view toward the center of downtown. The sculpture is installed next to Celadon a well known landmark(restaurant). The owner came out while I was installing and introduced himself and a crowd gathered. I think they are genuinely happy to have this piece there. The opening is on July 14th and each of the 10 artists will be at their piece to answer questions and relate their process.The riverfront development association will be present in full force as well as the Napa Arts Council explaining their collaboration and long term goals(for the media). I was part of a similar show up in Lake Oswego,Oregon outside Portland a few years ago,ironically with the same piece. In these difficult financial times when sculpture isn't selling as often as it does when the economy is stable,these shows are the next best thing. The stipend for the Napa show is $1000 and the stipend for the Lake Oswego show was $750.