Client: Parallel Capital Partners

Overview

Parallel Capital Partners, located in San Diego, CA, recently moved into a newly renovated 8300 square foot space taking the entire building. Early in their design meetings, the importance of original artwork was agreed upon and part of their budget plans. As the art consultant on the project, my concept was to present original artwork for their primary areas staying within their 50K budget. Emphasis was on commissioning vibrant, balanced and orderly, yet uncomplicated artwork that blended with their earthy and open space design elements.

Goals

First impression artwork filling the 2 niches in the reception area called for colorful, sophisticated, simplistic, symmetrical design relating to the word "Parallel" in the company name, Parallel Capital Partners. The goal was to install 2 groupings of bespoke artwork comprised of 3 rows of 3, totaling 18 pieces ( 2 sets of 9 each) of 8" acrylic blocks each with minimal means of support. Acrylic block was the material selected for this commission, lending interplay with light and patterns while allowing transparency and opaqueness from rust patterns and acrylic paint embedded in the blocks. Since acrylic is light in weight, hanging the pieces on a cable system was easy. Each individual piece stands alone as a painting, but when hung as a grouping takes on a stronger identity as it relates to the other 8 pieces. The newly designed space for Parallel Capital Partners mixes many industrial materials, such as concrete floors, open ceilings with exposed ducting, wood beams and wood accent walls, and colorful painted walls. These abstract grouping complete the reception area adding stunning color and texture while smoothly integrating with the industrial and contemporary feel of the space.

Process

When first seeing the reception area niches, the artist I envisioned for the space was Carrie McGee. After meeting and visiting her studio in Nashville several years ago, I immediately became a huge fan of her work because of its originality and execution. My client initially oscillated between 2 areas of the space ultimately deciding to hang the pieces in the reception area niches. There were many details to determine such as the size of the acrylic pieces, the number of pieces per grouping, intensity of color, degree of opaqueness, distance to hang from top of the niche, etc. We communicated about these decisions and based on her expertise, McGee provided her recommendation for the positioning of the art. I met with the client to finalize the colors options showing previous images to help them visualize the concept. Having a sample with rust impressions was very helpful as well. Before sending the commission, McGee sent jpegs of the groupings for final approval; my client was very pleased and approved the commission immediately. Included with the commission were precise hanging instructions, making for a seamless installation.

Additional Information

While other fine art was installed throughout the space, for the submission I am showcasing Carrie McGee's pieces for their individuality and lovely addition to the client's art collection.