Artwork copyright Brian Tolle. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Artwork copyright Brian Tolle. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Artwork copyright Brian Tolle. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Artwork copyright Brian Tolle. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission (detail).

Artwork copyright Brian Tolle. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission (detail).

Artwork copyright Brian Tolle. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Artwork copyright Brian Tolle. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2008 (detail).

Artwork copyright Brian Tolle. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2008 (detail).

Stronghold, 2005

Brian Tolle
American (born 1964)

Location: University of Washington, Seattle

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Brian Tolle's Stronghold sculpture evokes the enormous old growth Western redcedar trees that once covered the University of Washington campus in Seattle. The artwork has roughly the same 20-foot diameter as the Quinault Lake Big Cedar tree in Olympic National Park – the largest Western redcedar in the world. Tolle's sculpture is also a viewing platform that provides an expansive view of Portage Bay and the city of Seattle. It references landscapes in several ways. Tolle built the sculpture from 2x6-inch Western redcedar planks that are vertically stacked in the round. He created the original tree stump out of hand-sculpted clay. The clay sculpture's measurements were scanned into a computer and translated into a CAD (computer-aided design) program. These measurements were then used to cut lumber into the stacked pieces we see in the final sculpture. They interweave the pixellated language of digital imagery with basic construction materials and methods.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with .

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Brian Tolle is a New York City-based artist. He creates sculptures and installations for public spaces. His work explores architectural, historical, and technological themes. Tolle earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Parsons School for Design in New York City. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale University in Connecticut.