ART STUDIO SEVEN Floyd Anna Hattery
Barbara Brewer had a dream to have a wellness center to do massage work and have a
place for workshops. She began with a small building called the Heart Center. Soon her
dream outgrew that building and a bigger dream began. The seed for the next building
was planted.
We had worked with architect Mark Ritchlie on the first building and the decision was made
to work with him again on this next building. It was to be called the Discover Building.
Barbara had gone to Greece and had seen building structures with many towers
connecting different levels of buildings. With that, the thought of a tower became a part of
the new building. The seed for the tower was found in Greece and then planted in the
wonderful earth where Harmony Farm exists.
As the building began its evolution in thought and then on paper, it seemed as if Mark
Ritchlie allowed this new building to be born from the Heart Center…such a small building
birthing a giant! The tower would become the spine of the new building with rooms
dancing from the tower just waiting to gracefully embrace all who would enter.
Little could we know at the time just how the tower would connect everything.
Because I had been contracted to do all the design work in the building, Barbara asked me
to come up with a design for the tower. At that time I had no idea where to begin. I decided
to let it go and allow it to evolve as the building evolved around the tower.
I do love painting, sculpting and anything to do with art. I wanted to do the artwork on the
walls and in the tower and yet I was apprehensive that I would not have the time with all the
other work I was doing Inspite of my misgivings, I could not resist taking on the tower art
project also.
One morning, on waking up, I remembered a conversation with Barbara. We discussed
sculpting faces out of concrete of the family and placing them in the waterway going
toward the lake. With that in mind I suggested to Barbara that we could place the faces in
the tower since I had not made them for the waterway yet. This suggestion was fine with
Barbara and I proceeded to make the faces. At that time I had only planned on using the
faces in the tower. However, as I made the faces, the story grew and grew and by the time
I was ready to install the faces I had three helpers working with me to mix concrete and lay
it on the wall so I could sculpt. I thought I was veering too much from the plan , but
Barbara's only suggestion was that I should go ahead and do what I was inspired to do. I
did.
I loved working on the tower, all the while thinking of the stories of the buildings in Greece,
the beginning drawings, and my visit to the steel factory that fabricated the stairs. I
sculpted and then dressed in a paint suit with the painter to do primer painting in the tower
as a base for my painting the tower later. I felt like a midwife.
I had not worked with sculpting concrete like this before and was so grateful for the
helpers. I had to sculpt so fast that I did not have time to think about what I was doing…just
do and allow the story to evolve as we moved through the tower.
There are so many wonderful memories of constructing the tower and some scary ones
because I am afraid of heights. The sculpture on the top level was never totally completed
since there was scaffolding in the center of the stairwell. The space was so tight that I had
to climb on top of the scaffolding and hang over to work on the sculpture. There were no
railings on the stairs as yet. I finished the sculpture as much as I could while hanging over
the scaffolding …and then looked three floors down and froze on top of the rickety
scaffolding. As long as I was sculpting I concentrated so hard that I did not get into how
far it was down to the lower level. In my plight, my helpers teased about leaving me there.
Thankfully, compassion entered and one of them lifted me down.
The tower came alive during the process of the sculpting. The sculpted people seemed to
speak and create their own story, inviting me to join their lives as a witness that they had
entered this place and helped it into being. I soon realized that they would touch everyone
that entered.
I have been invited to the tower again to listen. What I hear tells me that I am ready now to
add the next layer to the tower. I trust I will know where and how to begin.
I now invite you on the continued journey of “The Tower of Harmony Farm” re-awakening.
Floydanna Hattery
place for workshops. She began with a small building called the Heart Center. Soon her
dream outgrew that building and a bigger dream began. The seed for the next building
was planted.
We had worked with architect Mark Ritchlie on the first building and the decision was made
to work with him again on this next building. It was to be called the Discover Building.
Barbara had gone to Greece and had seen building structures with many towers
connecting different levels of buildings. With that, the thought of a tower became a part of
the new building. The seed for the tower was found in Greece and then planted in the
wonderful earth where Harmony Farm exists.
As the building began its evolution in thought and then on paper, it seemed as if Mark
Ritchlie allowed this new building to be born from the Heart Center…such a small building
birthing a giant! The tower would become the spine of the new building with rooms
dancing from the tower just waiting to gracefully embrace all who would enter.
Little could we know at the time just how the tower would connect everything.
Because I had been contracted to do all the design work in the building, Barbara asked me
to come up with a design for the tower. At that time I had no idea where to begin. I decided
to let it go and allow it to evolve as the building evolved around the tower.
I do love painting, sculpting and anything to do with art. I wanted to do the artwork on the
walls and in the tower and yet I was apprehensive that I would not have the time with all the
other work I was doing Inspite of my misgivings, I could not resist taking on the tower art
project also.
One morning, on waking up, I remembered a conversation with Barbara. We discussed
sculpting faces out of concrete of the family and placing them in the waterway going
toward the lake. With that in mind I suggested to Barbara that we could place the faces in
the tower since I had not made them for the waterway yet. This suggestion was fine with
Barbara and I proceeded to make the faces. At that time I had only planned on using the
faces in the tower. However, as I made the faces, the story grew and grew and by the time
I was ready to install the faces I had three helpers working with me to mix concrete and lay
it on the wall so I could sculpt. I thought I was veering too much from the plan , but
Barbara's only suggestion was that I should go ahead and do what I was inspired to do. I
did.
I loved working on the tower, all the while thinking of the stories of the buildings in Greece,
the beginning drawings, and my visit to the steel factory that fabricated the stairs. I
sculpted and then dressed in a paint suit with the painter to do primer painting in the tower
as a base for my painting the tower later. I felt like a midwife.
I had not worked with sculpting concrete like this before and was so grateful for the
helpers. I had to sculpt so fast that I did not have time to think about what I was doing…just
do and allow the story to evolve as we moved through the tower.
There are so many wonderful memories of constructing the tower and some scary ones
because I am afraid of heights. The sculpture on the top level was never totally completed
since there was scaffolding in the center of the stairwell. The space was so tight that I had
to climb on top of the scaffolding and hang over to work on the sculpture. There were no
railings on the stairs as yet. I finished the sculpture as much as I could while hanging over
the scaffolding …and then looked three floors down and froze on top of the rickety
scaffolding. As long as I was sculpting I concentrated so hard that I did not get into how
far it was down to the lower level. In my plight, my helpers teased about leaving me there.
Thankfully, compassion entered and one of them lifted me down.
The tower came alive during the process of the sculpting. The sculpted people seemed to
speak and create their own story, inviting me to join their lives as a witness that they had
entered this place and helped it into being. I soon realized that they would touch everyone
that entered.
I have been invited to the tower again to listen. What I hear tells me that I am ready now to
add the next layer to the tower. I trust I will know where and how to begin.
I now invite you on the continued journey of “The Tower of Harmony Farm” re-awakening.
Floydanna Hattery
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The Tower Story