Solstice

by David Landis 

Solstice was a finalist in the City's third annual Arts in the Open sculpture contest. In 2022, the Cornerstone Donors purchased Solstice and gifted it to the City in honor of the Sandy Springs Society's 35 years of service to the community.

From the artist:

My sculpture SOLSTICE was inspired by the grace and beauty of a single floret of a hydrangea bloom, where the individual petals roll and bend in beautiful harmony with subtle and alluring curves.  The perfect muse for a sculptor.

I find it interesting to take subjects out of their normal context and present them in an unexpected format that still honors the original. Which is why I’ve taken the floret and stood it up on one petal instead of the expected stem for support and blew up the design from 1” original to a monumental size.  Sitting upright on the base the work takes on a “majestic” feeling as if you are in the presence of royalty. I find great satisfaction in taking the temporal and making it permanent in metal where the mirror reflection of the polished stainless steel unites the surrounding world and the viewer and brings them into the work.

Having grown up in Sandy Springs and spend my formative years riding my bike through the parking lot that is now the heart of the new city, makes having SOLSTICE being permanently located outside the bustling and impressive City Springs is particularly special to me.  The friendships that were forged there and the trove of experiences that made me who I am forever tie me to the city, and I am humbled and endlessly grateful to all of the art supporters and the city.  Thank you, ART SS, and thank you Sandy Springs.

The Cornerstone Donors

Linda and Michael Bain
Nancy and John Bell
Ingrid and Gwynne Brunt
Gail Cohn and Dr. Harvey Danits
Jan Collins
Kate and Russ Dalba
Faye and John Donaldson
Bev and Dan Ellithorp
Jan and Hank Eubanks
Kerry and Andy Gill
Betsy and Bert Harrington
Peter and Jeannie Bartow-Hartman
Carol Anne and Richard Hendrix
Jill and Rodger Johnson
Gail and John Jokerst
Carole and Sid Kirschner
Beverly Langford and Charles Boyd
Tish and Willis Lanier
Marianne Lee
Esther and Mike Levine
Jeanine Hurt Lewis
Harriet Cotten Moran
Alice T. Nelson
Melissa and Billy Patterson
Joan and Don Plunkett
Beth and David Robertson
Jan and Lever Stewart
Susan and Meade Sutterfield
Patricia B. Terwilliger
Lib and Bob Thompson
Marsha P. and Gregory B. Webb
Sue and Dr. Jonathan Winner
Lorellee and Rick Wolters