In Tune With Nature

In Tune With Nature was commissioned to honor the work and energy that Irene Hegedus, The Underline project manager for Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works, brings to the project.  Irene is a dynamic, passionate and talented leader and her favorite color, appropriately, is bright orange, the base color for the piano.  One of her dear friends, Iris Escarra collaborated with Friends of The Underline to surprise Irene with a gift to honor her work on The Underline.  In Tune With Nature will provide random moments of music as people see the piano in front of the Brickell Metrorail and play it for unscheduled joy.

Jamieson Thomas, the artist, hand-painted native pollinator plants that are in The Underline’s plant palette onto the piano’s surfaces. Each plant attracts specific butterflies. Milkweed attracts Monarchs, the Coontie attracts the endangered Atala, and the Senna Tree attracts the yellow Sulphur butterfly.  Meticulously represented in the piano mural, the artist shows the connection of nature, music and beauty.

Jamieson Thomas

b. 1958, Boston, MA

Jamieson Thomson Thomas holds a Masters of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York City and a Bachelor of Science in Fine Art and Business from Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York.  Raised in Coral Gables, Florida, she now lives in Orlando and is a professor of Art and Design at the Creative Village Campus of UCF and Valencia College.  Jamieson is an interdisciplinary artist, and selects the medium according to the subject she is focusing on. Her work explores the delicate intersection of humanity in natural environments. She is a de-constructor of experiences, observations and thoughts.  By using a broad spectrum of media to create visual experiences for herself and others who struggle with internal conflicts and dualities, she forces them to slow down, process and reflect from their own personal perspective.