Kirkland Transit Center

As soon as the ribbon was cut at the new transit center in Kirkland, Washington in February, people began climbing on the public art—just as the artist intended. Yellow Mountain StoneWorks supplied the granite for the project, but that was just the start.

The stone had to be cut in complex shapes, the facets finished in a variety of textures, and the pieces had to fit together precisely.

“I knew what I was asking was really complex, with stones cut in this intricate fashion,” says artist Carolyn Law. “I was really lucky to find Yellow Mountain. I talked to them about ideas as much as I talked to them about logistics and details.”

Yellow Mountain StoneWorks’ granite selection met Law’s need for a range of hues—red, black, gray and white. To accentuate the many facets of the stone pieces, she used seven different finishes. “Yellow Mountain opened the door to all these finishes. They didn’t limit me,” the artist says.

There’s no room for expensive surprises in a public art budget. “Yellow Mountain was really straightforward to work with,” says Law. “They were very careful to let me know what they thought would work within my budget. Pricing was straight up and didn’t deviate. That was wonderful.”

Installation posed additional challenges. With such tight tolerances, there wasn’t enough room for strapping that is normally used to maneuver the stone into place. Sliding stone against stone would have damaged the finishes. So Garden Stone Masonry used thin slices of ice blocks as rollers to move the stones. As the ice melted, the stones were nudged into the exact position as they settled.

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