Installations
Keel of the Sun fuses layer after layer of thin wood into an arc reflecting the path of the sun. A gently curving band of wood, 18-feet long, is topped with a skin of 23-carat gold leaf to capture and spread the light of the sun as it moves through the day. The keel of a boat is its spine, keeping it upright and moving forward even in rough waters; this keel reminds us of the certainty of celestial rhythms even when our daily lives seem chaotic. The laminating process — slowly adding fragile pieces of wood to build up something solid — is a mediation on how we build our lives, day by day.
“ Passing butterfly bush’s purple spokes, rhododendrons, and black-eyed Susans, there
is Andrea Thompson’s Keel of the Sun, 20-foot-long layered and laminated wood,
topped with 23 carat gilding, made to reflect the path of the sun, a spectacular piece
in its archaic, almost Mayan, yet modern, simplicity.”
— Lee Roscoe, Artscope, July/August 2022