Client: Cortese Investment Comany
Location: Lafayette, CA, United States
Completion date: 2012
Artwork budget: $80,000
Project Team
Artist
Ellen Blakeley
Ellen Blakeley Studio
Client
Steve Cortese
Cortese Investment Company
Other
City of Lafayette
Overview
A three panel glass mural adorning the outside wall of La Fiesta shopping center in downtown Lafayette, California. This mural features tempered glass pieces together to create a scene. Each panel was 12' x 4', totally 144 square feet.
Goals
Using shattered, clear tempered glass catches the light and reflects it to show detail in a way that ceramic mosaic cannot achieve. The idea that we were given was very open in the early stages, and through samples and design boards and creating mock ups, this theme was chosen by the design team.
Process
The collaboration was between the artist, designer and the investment team. The scenes are cohesive and pop from a distance while at the same time have hundreds of small details under the glass for pedestrians to discover up close. While designing all three murals to flow together seamlessly, the mural designers also worked to have each mural be unique enough to stand alone.