Artwork copyright Jean Whitesavage. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Jean Whitesavage. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Vanilla Leaf Gate, 2002

Jean Whitesavage
American (born 1960)

Location: Lake Washington Institute of Technology, Kirkland

About the Artwork

Jean Whitesavage's "Vanilla Leaf Gate" uses the shapes of humble Pacific Northwest native plants. The artist is fascinated with plants in general. The leaf forms in this gate are from the Vanilla Leaf (also known by its scientific name Achlys Tripylla), a Pacific Northwest native plant found on forest floors. The spiky pods in the gate are the flowers of simple-stemmed bur-reed (also known by its scientific name Sparganium Simplex), a grass found on Northwest riverbanks. The combination of these two very different forms from common plants creates a beautiful and interesting arrangement of shapes: wavy and bulbous, curvy and spiky.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Lake Washington Institute of Technology.

About the Artist

Jean Whitesavage creates metal sculptures and installations for public and private spaces. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting from Tyler School of Art and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University.