Spinning Our Wheels - Linda Beaumont

Where is it?

Offsite Rental Car Facility

The Rental Car Facility is located just north of Sea-Tac Airport. As passengers return cars and wait for a bus back to the airport, they are mesmerized by an array of brilliant colors and dazzling designs.

About the Art

Beaumont’s composition is a series of discs that span the distance of the fence at the Rental Car Facility, framing the landscape beyond with an optically engaging range of mysteriously deep blues to warm sunset tones. Each of the 91 total wheels features an individual, playful design rendered in brilliant, jewel-like automobile paint. Twenty-four wheels rotate at variable speeds to suggest rhythmic breathing, as if the piece has come alive. Linda created a “narrative for the travelers caught in between worlds and spinning their wheels while they await a shuttle bus to a flight into the skies or a rental car for their visit to the Pacific Northwest.”

The Details

Artist

Linda Beaumont

Date

2012

Medium

Kinetic sculpture (steel, aluminum, automobile paint)

Dimensions

91 wheels, each 5' 6" in diameter, span a fence 600' in length

Did you know?

Each wheel is unique in design and color and an artwork in and of itself.

About the Artist

Defying the expectations of public art, Linda Beaumont combines traditional architectural materials with her personal flair to create emotive and evocative places. She stays involved with all phases of the project, from the initial design to the final installation, insisting that the collaborative efforts of the commission are vital to the final statement of a piece.

"The arc of my works, from intimate drawings and paintings to large scale installations of public artworks, share many of the same sources of inspiration.” – Linda Beaumont

Short Bio

Inventing in both the technical and aesthetic realms, Linda creates work that is site-specific while simultaneously iconic and visually intimate, creating a private space within the public space. Linda Beaumont’s public commissions can be found in Bellevue City Hall, Mukilteo’s Sound Transit Station, and Safeco Field.

Similar Artwork

Work by Linda Beaumont

- The Tempest, Compass Rose, and Portal Gates: a suspended sculpture, a terrazzo floor, and decorative gates are exhibited at Safeco Field in Seattle.

- Dreamboats of Eastlake: a series of three upside-down kayaks provide shelter to metro travelers.

At the Airport

Follow the STQRY links below to learn more about Beaumont's other local artworks and find out about her other piece at Sea-Tac called Traveling Light.

Spinning Our Wheels - Linda Beaumont

Mesmerizing optical patterns vibrate with jewel-like colors.