Mourning Hope: A Commission Story
By Jennah Litecky Yost
We love opportunities to place our work into public spaces, and we love to create work for a great cause. This commission for the Mourning Hope Grief Center gave us an opportunity to do both.
Receiving a Commission from Mourning Hope
While attending a children’s grief conference in Utah, the executive director of Morning Hope Grief Center visited the Utah Arts Festival in June of 2019. There, she came across our booth and knew that a FireSmith Copper piece would be the perfect addition for the new center. “Our central theme—and logo—is a sun, and thus we loved FireSmith Copper’s artwork and thought it would look stunning over the fireplace,” explained Carly Woythaler-Runestad. “We wanted to feature it in our central visual location.” That December, she contacted FireSmith Copper while the center was under construction for a commission quote.
As the executive director reviewed our quote along with those of several other artists, we looked at the logo for the center for inspiration. Although our client had given us full artistic freedom, we wanted to make something that represented their center, not just a showcase piece for FireSmith Copper. Their logo was slightly different from the sun design she’d seen in our booth, but I thought we could make this commission look more like their logo to create continuity within their center. Furthermore, we felt that the changing colors in our copperwork and the visual interest in the copper would bring joy and a sense of calm to the center’s visitors.
After careful consideration, the director decided to work with FireSmith Copper.
…Then COVID hit.
Changing with the Times
The pandemic changed many things, among them the new center’s completion and opening dates. However, rather than let these shifts deter us, we used the extra time to design a commission piece that the Mourning Hope Grief Center would love. We wanted our design to be ready whenever the center opened, so that our light could help visitors as soon as possible. COVID meant that the center needed to adjust their budget and time frame, and we worked with them to ensure the final piece would meet their needs without causing unnecessary financial strain.
Creating the Copperwork
We love creating new work when a client asks us to do something different than our original ideas. It helps us grow as artists and forces us to use our creativity. Since this commission meant experimenting with new styles and themes, we knew it would take a few tries to create the work.
The final piece would hang over the fireplace in the main lobby. The process of creating a design for this installation was challenging, but very exciting. The test pieces turned out better than expected, and this new design is one we’ve used to inspire pieces in the future.
The first test piece (pictured above) was a smaller piece (8” x 32” x 2”), but close to the aspect ratio that we planned to make for the center. This first trial turned out very well, but we wanted the design to better represent their logo.
The second test piece (pictured above) was a medium sized copperwork (14” x 32” x 2”). I added some color to the center of the sun but I liked the look of the first trial piece better.
The final piece (pictured above) was one of our larger sizes (20” x 58” x 2”) but as I worked on it, I realized the design looked different than the second trial due to this one’s larger size. It just didn’t look how I wanted it to look. So in the middle of working on the piece, I stopped.
I was distraught. Since I wanted to change my idea and had to work around what I had already put on the copper, it was quite the puzzle to solve. After some contemplation and a bit of rearranging, I completed the piece and was thrilled with the results. It was not my first idea, or my second, or even my third! But the final piece was everything I’d hoped it would be. We showed the director images of our work and she loved the commission. She said it was so thoughtful that we used their logo and took the time to incorporate it into our creative process.
When Tragedy Strikes
We shipped the piece to Mourning Hope with our usual carrier and although it was securely packaged… to our dismay the packaging and artwork was damaged in transit! We were heartbroken. We have had one damaged piece in our 7 years of shipping and this was completely unexpected. The damage was limited—it was dented—but we are committed to our work and that is not the work we wanted to display above their beautiful fireplace. The director of the center was also heartbroken, and she was very understanding when it came to remaking the piece.
Although we had to remake the piece, the result was as perfect as the original, maybe even more perfect. I was able to use the same composition, same design, and even keep the same color distribution in the new work. For Paul the framing process was smooth because we already had a jig built for this large custom size. The artwork arrived with no issues and the grieving center was delighted with the final piece!
Happily Ever After
Regardless of the hurdles we faced for this commission, it was one of the most satisfying pieces we’ve ever created. Not only did we get to try a new design, but it was for such a good cause. There’s nothing quite like bringing light and joy to people that we have never met across the country.