The Century Plant Process and Opening Reception Pictures

Above are some photos from the install/opening reception of The Century Plant, all taken within the last week or so. For the show I built my own 9.5 foot version of The Century Plant, complete with watering can in the top to dispense my "Honey Water" Tequila mixture. For readers that might be unaware, The Century Plant is an agave plant common to the South West United States and Mexico that can grow up to 30 feet high. At the top of the plant is a large flower bud which produces a nectar that is rich in vitamins and nutrients, this nectar is also one of the main ingredients in Mezcal (a kind of Mexican tequila). My reasoning behind basing the installation on this plant was two-fold: 1) The Century Plant takes as much time for its flower to bloom, as it took me to grow up into the person that I am today, and create this body of work (25 years). 2) The most interesting aspect of the space at Gallery is the 10.5 foot ceilings, so I figured I would build something tall to utilize that.

Pictures from top to bottom:

1 - the final east wall of the gallery

2 - the final west wall of the gallery

3 - the trusty watering can, suspended within the plant structure

4 - the century plant on the first day of installation

5 - my friends kate and andrew helping me paint underneath the plant (thanks guys! and also thanks to my friend Brian for painting as well)

6 - the gutters just after they were mounted

7 - the painting on the west wall begins

8 - east wall painting in progress

9 - some friends checking out the work at the beginning of the opening

** also, there are two more receptions that will feature a new set of hand-painted cups available for purchase as well as live music, and a raffle. those dates are:

Friday October 8th 5-10 pm

and

Friday October 22nd 5-10 pm