Tribune/Cortney Maddock - Artists Naomi Ferrall and Katie Packham hold the sketch they submitted to the city of Reno. The artists were picked to paint a Windspire wind turbine that will be unveiled Thursday on top the parking gallery located on the corner of First and Sierra streets in downtown Reno.
Tribune/Debra Reid - Air blown by a wind goddess becomes energy and light in a mural by Naomi Ferrall, above, and Katie Packham. The artists completed their Reno parking garage mural on Tuesday.
Tribune/Debra Reid - Muralists Katie Packham, above, and Naomi Ferrall, finished their wind goddess mural on a Reno parking garage on Tuesday.
Combining the talents of artists Katie Packham and Naomi Ferrall, the city picked the pair to paint a mural on the turbine and the parking gallery’s wall. The artists have worked on the permanent art, and energy, installation as part of the Artown festivities.
“I found out about it and then I was thinking about how to approach it,” Packham said. “The artwork I wanted to do, I instantly thought of Naomi. Her painting is very vibrant and whimsical.”
The pair submitted a sketch Ferrall penned of their idea: a wind goddess blowing gust of air that swirls in a way that moves the eye toward the illuminated light bulbs.
The idea, Packham said, kept the art fun and mystic but also incorporated the idea of renewable energy.
“We both had different ideas for different parts of it,” Ferrall said.
“When I thought of the wind goddess, I thought of Naomi because her people have very expressive faces,” Packham said. “As far as actually painting it, Naomi took the lead.”
On Monday the artists began painting the mural on the parking garage, which will be of the wind goddess. They have already completed work on the turbine.
“It’s exciting to be a part of something permanent in the community,” Ferrall said of the art installation.
“It is very exciting because from what Windspire told us, a community usually rallies to get clean energy and cleaner energy practices, but in Reno the city has been proactive in doing it on their own,” Packham said, adding that the wind turbine art and installation is also exciting because it is a part of Artown.
“I think that having us do this art is a good way to promote that we’re doing this (using clean energy),” Packham said. “We’re happy to be involved.”
The 1.2-kilowatt turbine is made by a Reno-based company, Windspire, and is installed with funds from the city’s $19 million Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Initiative. Funding for the initiative is completed through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act from rebates, federal grants and bonds paid with energy savings.
Reno has also installed turbines at Mira Loma park and on City Hall.
The mural and turbine artwork will be unveiled at 4 p.m. Thursday at West Street Market in downtown Reno. Following the unveiling will be a reception for Art Slaves Show and Sale also at West Street Market.
For more information, visit www.renoisartown.com, www.reno.gov and http://artslaves.wordpress.com.
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