Whew, A Sigh of Relief Upon Approval

Commissions put a lot of pressure on an artist and this piece was no different. It was important to me that I get it just right. The clients who commissioned the Tabernacle were pleased with the finished work. Whew! In the beginning, I wasn't sure what a Tabernacle was or really used for, but did some research and worked closely with the client, Sister Kathleen to have a better understanding of it's uses and symbolism. Rick, the fabricator and I worked hard on this piece and had to overcome a few design challenges. First, creating a symmetrical globe (not affected by the heat from welding!) is not very easy, especially one that features a lock and key. Ultimately Rick had to fabricate a custom rear pin hinge because the commercial hinge proved too weak and tweaked the lid of the globe when opened. In addition, we wanted to combine 3 different types of metals. The base is all hand formed stainless steel, the sphere is aluminum and the land mass details are plasma cut from black iron to hold the forming and heat treating for color.

Recently, a lovely new non-denominational Chapel was built at Horizon House and a Tabernacle was needed. The inspiration for the Tabernacle was the Cosmic Eucharist provided in writing to me by Sister Kathleen O'Hara of the Providence Horizon House, assisted living facility. "The Eucharist is always in some way celebrated on the alter of the world. It unites heaven and earth. It embraces and permeates all creation..." read in part the writing Sister Kathleen provided me, which was part of the Ecclesia de Eucharistia No. 8, Pope John Paul II. Though I am not a Catholic, the writings Sister Kathleen provided me helped to better understand and create her vision of a world or globe shaped Tabernacle. There are many artists who specialize in creating Liturgical Art but this was the first piece that I had created. From the begin

ning, it helped me to know that I had the faith and support of the Tabernacle committee to complete their vision and was honored to have been selected to produce the globe sculpture for such an important part of the new Chapel.