In the private home of Jaina A. Davis, located somewhere within San Francisco's Potrero Hill neighborhood, there is a three-story 980-square-foot stairwell artfully decorated with 185,252 pencils. It's called "Pencil Vania."
Mosaic artist Jason Mecier spent five years (1997–2002) working on "Pencil Vania." He designed and installed the entire thing, all on his own.
Before this week, when my friend Emily Duffy visited Granny's Cottage (where "Pencil Vania" lives), I had never heard of it. This is somewhat amazing considering I have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 20 years AND I'm a big fan of Jason Mecier's art.
The stairwell's FAQ page is a must read.
What's it like living within walls of pencils? What does it smell like?
It's like the first day of school every day! Mmmmm!
By the way, that portrait in pencils? That's "Granny," which is described as "a futuristic portrait of Jaina when she's 88."
Emily took a bunch of photos of the stairwell, go check them out. (Don't miss the pictures of the bathroom. It's not covered in pencils, but it's also stunning!)
photo 1 by Alicia J. Rose, photos 2 & 3 by Emily Duffy