Charles Young

1) What was/is the artist’s original intent?

The Intent was to ward off evil and identify the corners of the building.

2) What information can you tell us about the artist?

The artist is interested in growth forms that offer protection. The artist went to the University of Washington for his B.F.A. and Montana State for his B.A. in journalism. The artist taught at university level and ran and interior design store. Interested in boats and had five children.

3) What works is this artist known for?

Only really the worked in iron for the sculptures he made. There’s is one on a church in Seattle, steel screen, as well as on the IBM building, gold leaf steel stable. Amongst a few other public works.

4) What period was the sculpture made in and how did that influence its creation?

It was made during post modernism where the artist was trying to embody an emotion and here, the artist states he was trying to convey protection of the building and growth of, likely, the grass movements going on at the time.

5) What is the current research and/or data suggest about the sculpture?

Currently the piece is curated by Western Galleries and not much has be published on sculpture since it was installed in the early years of western.

Samantha Greystoke

Part 2: Research
1) What was/is the artist’s original intent? 2) What information can you tell us about the artist? 3) What other works is this artist known for? 4) What period was the sculpture made in and how did that influence its creation? 5) What is the current research and/or data suggest about the sculpture?

Norman Warsinske was a interior design store (Miller-Pollard) owner by day and metal based sculptor by night. He lived in Seattle Washington, and graduated from the University of Washington School of art. Many of his works are shown on WWU campus but two popular ones are showcased on the IBM building and the University Unitarian Church, the work on the church are large ironwork pieces incorporated into the sides. He also has some standing metal pieces showcased in museums and such. Norman Warsinke unfortunately passed in June of 2007.
My chosen artwork is a bronze abstract piece hung on the side of a building in north campus of Western Washington University. The artwork is comprised of metal circles rippling out from one another. It has a very “natural” and “spiritual” vibe from it. And Warsinske described it as, “Hex Sign, the spiral form, is not continuous other than as a growth form. It has nodes that connect the form. I guess it is just a very simple human design that the Africans would have painted on a wall or that anyone would do – just a simple, sculptural form combined with the richness of the bronze rather than a flat, painted hex.” (Walking tours with artists, Langager, 2006)
The sculpture gives me a naturey vibe because of the “growths” extending of the spirals, they remind me of plants, but also the whole sculpture reminds me of tree rings and that just adds to the feeling of “nature” I get. So when I read that Warsinske was going for a spiritual, “hex sign” vibe I could very much understand where he was coming from. And I could definitely visualize this work up on a cave wall somewhere in Africa.

Ref. Audio Recording by Artist, Pacific Coast Architecture Database, Walking Tour with Artists