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Sandy Litchfield, whose solo show, Mountains and Lakes, is now on view at Bernay Fine Art in Great Barrington has done ambitious public art projects in New York.
One such project, The Tree Inside Me, is a mural installed in the lobby of PS14X, an elementary school in the Bronx. Measuring over 28 feet tall, the design combines images of snowflakes, leaves, trees, birds, buildings, butterflies and flowers to celebrate growth and regeneration in the urban landscape. The materials include a mix of hand cut glass and hand cut and painted porcelain tiles. Commissioned by Public Art for Public Schools, a division of New York City School Construction Authority, this project incorporates the colors of the seasons as it represents an urban garden oasis – a sheltering haven for children to learn and grow. The large open wall is integrated into the design along with the existing blue and white tiles, signifying winter. As the image moves up the wall the colors of spring, summer and fall reinforce the architectural design motif of the new addition for PS14X.
The title of the work is taken from a poem written by Rainer Maria Rilke: "Silently the birds Fly through us. O, I who long to grow, I look outside myself, and the tree inside me grows".
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