In early 2024, I was commissioned by Michelle and Nils Henriksen to create a statement piece for the entryway of their home. They wanted a custom artwork to evoke conversation about the history of their family as well as the location of their home that is situated on North Table Mountain in Golden, Colorado.
Storytelling Through Deep Listening
Specific motifs that emerged from a series of conversations included a mirrored childhood experience of wonderment; a shared love of music and trains; the power of deep personal growth through facing adversity; and a wish to honor the native Ute people who originally inhabited North Table Mountain. Michelle and Nils provided me with imagery from their family archives and I acquired historic images from the Golden History Museum and the Smithsonian Institution including illustrations of Ute dance patterns and a visualization of a recording of Northern Ute Music.
“What a treat that we will have a unique, commissioned, installed-by-the-artist installation made and installed by friends in our family home.” ~Michelle Henriksen
From Photographs to Contemporary Visual Art
We decided on an arrangement of three illuminated art panels, one panel to represent each member of their immediate family, with the colors blue, purple, and red to differentiate and weave the three together. My approach towards working with the source material involved both hand and digital collage treatments, adding texture by physically rubbing the photographs with different tools and chemicals. Elements from the Ute dance patterns became repeated marks throughout the three panels, giving a sense of history and time passage by layering imagery.
Custom Fabricated Rear-Lit Art Panels
Drew Biordi and I fabricated the illuminated art panels by hand, customizing the shape and color to spec. Each oak panel was stained with a different color to match the blue, purple, and red hues of the art. Once built, the panels were fitted with energy efficient LED light strips, brass eyelet covers, and color cords. The art was printed on Silicone Edge Graphic material, a machine washable, semi-translucent material that is easily installed in the wooden art panels.
Drew and I will install the work at the end of the and update this post photos of the art panels on location.
ABOUT LISA MARIE PATZER STUDIO, LLC
Lisa Marie Patzer Studio LLC is a woman-owned small business located in the greater Philadelphia region. Founded in 2024, Lisa Marie Patzer creates custom illuminated art panels for boutique businesses and individual private clients. Lisa Marie’s artistic practice celebrates memory and history by reimagining archival materials in new visual forms. Using cutting-edge digital techniques, her work transforms archival content into luminous arrangements for contemporary audiences. Lisa Marie’s design process is a form of visual dialogue involving historical research, collaboration with users of the space, and deep listening.
