Artwork copyright Thomas Lindsey. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2019.

Artwork copyright Thomas Lindsey. Original 1980 installation. Photo courtesy of the artist (black and white photo).

Artwork copyright Thomas Lindsey. Original 1980 installation. Photo courtesy of the artist (black and white photo).

Prayer Wheel Series, 1979

Thomas Lindsey
(American, born 1941, died 2017)

Location: Spokane Falls Community College, Spokane

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Thomas Lindsey's Prayer Wheel Series sculptures focus on the symbolism of cycles. He notes, "I feel that it is increasingly important for human beings to recognize that we are all bound together within the fabric of the universe, and that one common denominator to all things is the cycle."

This is a maquette of the large-scale sculpture created by Lindsey for Spokane Falls Community College in Eastern Washington. A maquette is a small model used by the artist to test ideas and plan the composition.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with University Place School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Northwest artist Thomas Lindsey (1941-2017) was a sculptor, architect, and musician. His work is heavily influenced by childhood memories of the huge steel mills and the many bridges around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he grew up. He lived and worked on Guemes Island in North Puget Sound, Western Washington, for over forty years.

Lindsey studied architecture at the University of Kentucky and the University of Oklahoma, before receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1967. He worked a variety of jobs including in construction and as a welder, teacher, and architectural draftsman.