Artwork Detail

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Wild L.A. Flowers

Artist: Waugh, Michael

Object Date: 2021

Medium: Ink on aluminum

Imperial Dims: Overall: 48 x 71 1/4 in.

County Department: Mental Health

Address Name: Olive View Mental Health Wellness Center

Supervisorial District: 3

About the Artwork:

Upon entry into the lobby of the Wellness Center, a visitor will see a triptych of large, delicately colored prints. The three artworks showcase everyday wildflowers found in and around Sylmar. From left to right, each drawing depicts a floral still life of the delicate Blue-eyed Grass, the exotic pink Hummingbird Sage, and the vibrant orange California Poppy. On closer inspection, the viewer will notice the linework is made of meticulously handwritten text in black ink. Artist Michael Waugh created the flowers using a technique called micrography, a scribal art that originated around the late 7th to the beginning of the 8th century CE in Hebrew Bible manuscripts. The text transcribed was taken from the introduction of the book Wild LA. Published by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Wild LA describes how nature thrives within our urban environment and we how we experience it up close no matter where we live. The artist graciously placed copies of the Wild LA book in the Wellness Center Lobby for visitors to continue to reference, explore, and revel in their natural environment.

About the Artist:

Michael Waugh is known for his large-scale, meticulously rendered drawings, composed entirely out of tiny calligraphic text, which he creates by copying, by hand, historically significant books and government documents. He has received awards from the Pollock- Krasner Foundation and the New York Foundation for the Arts, among others. His work is available through Von Lintel Gallery, Los Angeles, and is part of numerous collections, including that of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Waugh lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. To learn more visit: http://michaelwaugh.com/art/michael_waugh.html