We finished installation for my ArtPrize entry, Shades of Gray, with an hour to spare before the opening deadline. The fun kicked off at 12 noon yesterday as official exhibition centers opened their doors for people to register and start voting for art.

People here in Grand Rapids sure are friendly. The staff at the Amway Grand Hotel have been wonderful, responsive to our every need. From the minute we arrived on Sunday, the Front Office, Banquet Services, and Engineering staff have been terrific.

Massive relief when my shipping crate for ArtPrize arrived from Germany (photo: Donna O'Brien)

They effortlessly moved into place and opened my 200-pound shipping crate. And didn’t blink when we asked for lock cutters and two strong guys to do some last-minute adjustments to the metal armature for my sculpture.

Shades of Gray has been given a perfect location beneath a couple of nice spotlights. Like a dancer on stage, the piece practically glows as you catch a glimpse of it down the length of the Amway’s Pearl Street lobby.

People stopping by to see the work have been kind, expressing interest and asking lots of questions. Here are some my answers:

8,000 paper flower petals

2,000 paper flowers

1,000 paper feathers

600 hours of work

Thank you to WZZM reporter Stacia Kalikoski for including me in her ArtPrize story on last night’s news.