Sol Flowers

by Jennalee Whiting

My inspiration for Sol Flowers literally came out of thin air. As I was reaching for my drawing tools to sketch out some ideas, three sun prints I had recently created fell to my feet in a perfect layout. I’m pretty sure a beacon of light was shining somewhere. I immediately imagined the facade of this building covered in botanical images on a vivid cyan background. The images are inspired by native grasses and flowers growing throughout our city - which are just as captivating to see on the ground as they are five stories up.

After giddily accepting this very cool opportunity, I took a stroll down to the parking ramp and realized the… ahem, height? With that, this undertaking could not have been possible without my dad, Grant Grassle, my sister and co-painter, Jamie Quamme, and a 4:17 YouTube video on boom lift operation. 

Location: Civic Center Parking Ramp on the corner of First Avenue & First Street SE.

About the Artist: 

Jenna Whiting was born and raised in Rochester, MN. As a self-taught artist, she specializes in mural work, digital design, children’s book illustrations, and acrylic painting. Her designs reflect a sense of whimsy and childlike wonder, but are also balanced with simplistic and sophisticated methods – good, clean, fun is her motto. When Jenna is not creating, she and her family enjoy travel, home improvement projects, and kitchen dance parties.

Find more of Jenna’s work:

instagram.com/madeby_jenna

Acknowledgements:

Presented in partnership by the City of Rochester, Destination Medical Center, and Threshold Arts.

Photos by Choochoo-ca-chew


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