First and foremost, it was interesting to see what the state of the art in hospital technology looks like. And I have no doubt that this is state of the art. The part that has been completed holds 204 beds, and the price tag is 900 million dollars. It had better be top of the line. This is not a poster child for health care cost containment!
But secondly, this hospital is the home of a magnificent art collection - about 1000 pieces. Most of these are prints of about 20x25 inches donated by 123 local artists selected after about 400 artists competed for the privilege of giving. About 45 major pieces comprise the "landmark collection" which was sponsored by local charitable foundations. One of these caught my eye:
This painting, titled "Peace", shows dusk falling over the city of Santa Barbara, with the coastal mountain range in the background. The 3 panels are about 7.5 feet tall, and the whole piece is 23 feet wide. But where it hangs, high in the entrance lobby, it does not look out of scale. The artist is Karen Fedderson, and I had never heard of her before, but I was intrigued, and looked her up on the web. She has painted lots of California landscapes, so I promised myself I would visit her gallery.
Today was the day I got the chance. Imagine my surprise to find in the gallery a smaller version of this piece (each panel is 20"x20" for a total width of just over 5 feet) that she had originally entered in the competition to win the commission. At a price I could (barely) afford. I need it to be re-framed to match my other paintings, so I won't get it for another week, but I am all giddy with excitement that I managed to buy this piece which I have no doubt will soon be famous in this town.
