Tom’s Song

Public and Private Art Commission for RACC (Regional Arts & Culture Council) and FORE Development , located at Waterline apartments public courtyards.
– Size: A series of three sculptures : Tom’s Owl; 22’h x 8’w x 4’d , Lyric Tree; 14’h x 10’w x 8’d , Nurse Column; 12’hx 16’w x 4’d.
– Materials: concrete, painted and galvanized steel, glass bead sand blasted and clear coated aluminum, LED lighting.

Like trees planted to prevent erosion, Tom’s Song anchors two public courtyards at the southern edge of Portland’s Northwest Industrial Sanctuary. Three sculptures celebrate the work of master penman and rail-yard watchman Tom Stefopoulos, who worked in the network of railroad yards that preceded Portland’s Pearl District. The new work adapts elements of the imagery, poetics, and craft of Tom’s unsanctioned public art – the painted columns of the Lovejoy Ramp. Once adorning a grid of pillars beneath a concrete automobile viaduct, Tom’s paintings turned sooty infrastructure into a mysterious, temple-like space. Although the ramp was demolished and the paintings have largely disintegrated, the Sculpture Series seeks to carry Tom’s story into the future.. For more on history of this project see – Stefopoulos Square