Tag: sculpture

Vital Parts discovered under dark freeway bridge.

A human heart is juxtaposed with San Diego's old Presidio in some very unique ceramic artwork.
A human heart hovers above the Serra Museum atop nearby Presidio Hill in this extremely unique ceramic artwork.

There’s some fascinating public art in Mission Valley that few people see. It’s located in the deep shadows beneath Interstate 8 where the freeway passes over Hotel Circle. Eyes are adjusting to darkness as motorists, turning a corner, quickly pass five ceramic panels high on drab concrete pillars. The one sidewalk is located on the opposite side of the street. To really appreciate the artwork, you have to cross traffic dangerously and stand in a narrow band of dirt right up close.

Today I walked to work past the darkly obscured art and decided to finally get a closer look.

Vital Parts, installed in 1999, was created by local San Diego artist Joanne Hayakawa. The pieces seem to be stratified, crumbling and sculpted by time and memory. They seem to blend with the dirt beneath the bare bridge.

The very dark Interstate 8 underpass at Hotel Circle features seldom appreciated public art.
The very dark Interstate 8 underpass at Hotel Circle features seldom appreciated public art.
Vital Parts, by artist Joanne Hayakawa, was installed on five pillars of a Mission Valley freeway bridge in 1999.
Vital Parts, by artist Joanne Hayakawa, was installed on five pillars of a Mission Valley freeway bridge in 1999.
Mysterious fossil-like hand hovers above San Diego River and what I believe are Native American structures.
Mysterious fossil-like hand hovers above nearby San Diego River and what I believe are Native American structures.
Human brain, made golden by underpass light, crowns image of Mission San Diego de Alcalá and the ever-present river.
Human brain, made golden by underpass light, crowns image of old Mission San Diego and the ever-present blue river.
Spine rises over what I believe is Qualcomm Stadium. This earthy art is unusual and evocative.
Spine rises over what I believe is modern Qualcomm Stadium. This earthy art is very unusual and evocative.
Chin and silent mouth seem like a clay mask from the past over the eternally flowing river.
Chin and silent mouth seem like a timeless clay mask beside the eternally flowing river.

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Early morning sights in downtown San Diego.

Scooter with fringed canopy zooms past as I swing my camera to capture a sudden morning photo.
Scooter with fringed canopy zooms past as I swing my camera to capture a sudden morning photo.

Here are a few interesting photos from another meandering walk downtown. I took these yesterday morning as I headed down from Cortez Hill to catch the trolley at the Santa Fe Depot.  I know, there are closer trolley stations, but I was itching to venture outside into the world and got an early start…

Wednesday is trash pick up day in front of the House of Blues in downtown San Diego.
Wednesday is trash pick up day in front of the House of Blues in downtown San Diego.
Cool mural on a downtown building's upper patio which, according to a security guard, is inaccessible to the general public.
Cool mural on a downtown building’s upper patio which, according to a security guard, is inaccessible to the general public.

From a distance that mural looks really awesome. The security guard said perhaps he’d let me onto the patio if I were swing by in the middle of a work day. According to some research on the internet, it was painted fairly recently by Maxx Moses, the same artist who created that super fantastic Ancestors street mural in Barrio Logan.

Mysterious elevated box on the sidewalk is colorfully painted with leaves.
Mysterious elevated box on the sidewalk is colorfully painted with leaves.
Vertically moving words on Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego don't seem to make sense.
Vertically moving words on Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego don’t seem to make sense.
Seward Johnson's 'That A Way' sculpture at entrance of The Sofia Hotel.
Seward Johnson’s ‘That A Way’ sculpture at entrance of The Sofia Hotel.

Yep, that’s the same Seward Johnson who created the huge Unconditional Surrender sculpture by the USS Midway Museum. He’s best known for making life-size pieces like this one, which stands by a doorway on Broadway.

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Shining Freedom sculpture catches fire!

During my recent walk around Coronado, I came upon a dull, lifeless metal sculpture standing at the center of a small park. But then a rising sea breeze moved the nearby trees. The sculpture began to slowly turn. I stood in one place, snapping a few pics…

Freedom sculpture at Glorietta Bay Yacht Club Promenade appears dull and utterly lifeless.
Freedom sculpture at Glorietta Bay Yacht Club Promenade appears dull and utterly lifeless.
Freedom turns in the wind and surfaces begin to reflect the bright sunshine.
Freedom turns in the wind and surfaces begin to reflect the bright sunshine.
Shining Freedom sculpture catches fire! The kinetic sculpture was created by Jon Koehler.
Shining Freedom sculpture catches fire! The kinetic sculpture was created by Jon Koehler.

The public art, titled Freedom, was sculpted by artist Jon Koehler and installed in the Glorietta Bay Yacht Club Promenade in 2009.

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Sea Passage sculpture and fountain in Coronado.

Sea Passage sculpture and fountain between Coronado City Hall and Community Center.
Sea Passage sculpture and fountain between Coronado City Hall and Community Center.

Whenever I walk around Coronado, or bike down the Silver Strand, I like to pass by this graceful work of art. Sea Passage, created by James T. Hubbell, adds gentle sound and sparkling color to a long park which stretches beside Glorietta Bay.  The popular linear park can be found between the Hotel del Coronado’s old boathouse and Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.

The fountain contains a sinuous mosaic of many small tiles.  They appear to me like silvery blue scales, glittering and swimming in the flowing water.  The organic form artistically connects two somewhat ordinary-looking buildings:  Coronado City Hall and the Community Center.

James T. Hubbell also designed two striking works of public art on Shelter Island, which is located just north of Coronado across San Diego Bay. I’ve already blogged about Pacific Portal. One of these days I’ll write about Pearl of the Pacific.

Sea Passage was created by noted sculptor James T. Hubbell.
Sea Passage was created in 2005 by sculptor James T. Hubbell.
Artwork adds beauty to Coronado's linear park beside Glorietta Bay.
Artwork adds gentle beauty to Coronado’s park along Glorietta Bay.
Seagulls like getting a drink of sparkling water from top of colorful fountain!
Seagulls like getting a drink of water from the top of this colorful fountain!

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Iconic downtown sculpture changes color again!

Fountain of Two Oceans sculpture in front of Wells Fargo building in downtown San Diego.
Fountain of Two Oceans sculpture in front of Wells Fargo building in downtown San Diego.

Perhaps you recall my blog post from early in the summer, where I was astonished at how the Fountain of Two Oceans sculpture in front of downtown’s Wells Fargo building had suddenly turned white! Well, yesterday I saw it has changed colors once again!

I’m guessing a number of people found the weird, mottled white color unattractive.  (Personally, I thought it was ghastly.)  Today, the human figures appear bronze again, but much darker than before, without the heavily tarnished surface. In my opinion, this is a big improvement.  What do you think?

Before the figures were painted white:

Bronze nudes of Sergio Benvenuti’s Fountain of Two Oceans.
Bronze nudes of Sergio Benvenuti’s Fountain of Two Oceans.

Painted white, possibly to resemble marble:

Fountain of Two Oceans sculpture suddenly becomes white!
Fountain of Two Oceans sculpture suddenly becomes white!

Now much darker, matching the fountain’s base:

The reclining human figures today have a very dark bronze appearance!
The reclining human figures today have a dark, new bronze appearance!

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Sculpture of Mark Twain reading book on bench.

Sculpture of Mark Twain sitting on a bench at Fenton Marketplace in Mission Valley.
Bronze sculpture of Mark Twain sitting on a bench at Fenton Marketplace in Mission Valley.

A very famous author is known to hang out in San Diego.  He’s usually seen just off Friars Road in Mission Valley. He likes to sit on a bench at Fenton Marketplace in front of the International House of Pancakes!

Who is this celebrated writer of American literature? That prolific master of humor and satire, Mark Twain!

According to my research on the internet, Mr. Samuel Clemens seems to get around. He’s been seen in the same pose in numerous cities. That’s because the bronze sculpture, by artist Gary Lee Price, is practically mass-produced!

Samuel Clemens gazes up from his book.
Samuel Clemens gazes up dreamily from his book.
Mark Twain is reading his own classic American novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Mark Twain is reading his own classic American novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Famous author sits on bench by fountain in front of IHOP.
Famous author with biting wit sits on bench by fountain in front of IHOP.

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Fountain of Two Oceans sculpture turns white!

Bronze nudes of Sergio Benvenuti's Fountain of Two Oceans.
Bronze nudes of Sergio Benvenuti’s Fountain of Two Oceans.

This blog post is long overdue. The interesting pics you see here have been sitting idle on my computer’s hard drive, accidentally forgotten.

I was astonished several months ago to see that the Fountain of Two Oceans sculpture in front of downtown’s Wells Fargo building had completely changed. For the last 30 years, the two bronze figures reclining in the fountain’s basin have looked exactly like…bronze. Then–poof–one day I noticed they’d turned white!

I’m not sure if that’s white paint, or what exactly. It seems the intent was to make the figures stand out more, and appear like marble. To my eye, however, the white coating makes them garish, black-eyed, and almost ghostly. At a distance they look bland and formless.

According to an internet search, The Fountain of Two Oceans was placed in downtown San Diego in 1984. The art, now a familiar San Diego landmark, was created by Sergio Benvenuti, a sculptor from Florence, Italy.

Fountain of Two Oceans sculpture is now white.
Fountain of Two Oceans sculpture is now white.
White coating makes bronze sculpture seem ghostly.
White coating makes bronze sculpture seem ghostly.

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Shedding the Cloak sculpture inspired by MLK.

Shedding the Cloak sculpture in San Diego.
Shedding the Cloak sculpture in San Diego.

A meaningful work of art stands in a small park among trees in downtown San Diego. The park includes a hedge maze and a few benches for sitting, and can be found at the west end of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Promenade, a beautiful walkway that runs along Harbor Drive. At the center of the maze, a shining sculpture awaits like a revelation.

Shedding the Cloak is a work of public art that glows bright gold from within, both day and night. Created in 2001 by Jerry Dumlao, Mary Lynn Dominguez and Tama Dumlao, the sculpture represents a turning point in a person’s view of others. MLK hoped that all people would shed the cloak of hatred and suspicion, and don the cloak of compassion.

A plaque explains: This beacon of light honors the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that with perseverance and hope the human spirit can break the web of ignorance, hatred and injustice.

The shady park is a quiet place to read a book, relax, or reflect upon life and human potential in a turbulent, often unthoughtful world. The golden radiance from within the sculpture shifts beneath swaying green branches as the sun arcs through the sky. A touch of gold is felt by any who pass by.

Artwork inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Beautiful artwork inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rough exterior of fear and malice is peeled aside.
Rough exterior of fear and malice is peeled aside.
Trees through sculpture on Martin Luther King, Jr. Promenade.
Trees and sky seen through sculpture on Martin Luther King, Jr. Promenade.
Shining golden interior of cloak represents human compassion.
Shining golden interior of cloak represents human compassion.
Trolley passes behind Shedding the Cloak.
Trolley passes behind Shedding the Cloak.
This park honors an American hero who stood for human dignity.
Park honors an American hero who stood for human dignity.

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A shining Flame of Friendship from Mexico.

Flame of Friendship sculpture at Convention Center.
Flame of Friendship sculpture at Convention Center.

The Flame of Friendship burns near the heart of the city. You’ll find it on a prominent stair landing of the San Diego Convention Center, overlooking the Marriott Marina and San Diego Bay. The flame is a silvery stainless steel sculpture presented to San Diego by Mexico. In Spanish it is Flama De La Amistad.

Many eyes have been dazzled by this sunlit symbol of friendship. The artist who created the interesting abstract form is Leonardo Nierman, of Mexico City.

I walked around it and took several pics from different angles!

Light reflects from shining sculpture.
Light reflects from shining sculpture.
Flame of Friendship from another angle.
Flame of Friendship from another angle.
Cool sight at the San Diego Convention Center.
Cool sight at the San Diego Convention Center.
Friendship between San Diego and Mexico.
Friendship between San Diego and Mexico.
Sunlight glow behind silvery work of art.
Sunlight glow behind silvery work of art.
Tangled arcs of light in the San Diego sky.
Tangled arcs of light in the San Diego sky.
Flame of Friendship with hotels in background.
Flame of Friendship with hotels in background.

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The iconic Guardian of Water sculpture.

Guardian of Water sculpture faces San Diego Bay.
Guardian of Water sculpture faces San Diego Bay.

Two of San Diego’s most iconic sights can be found in close proximity. The Star of India, the world’s oldest active sailing ship, attracts tourists just a few steps down the Embarcadero from Donal Hord’s classic Guardian of Water sculpture.

Postcards and brochures promoting San Diego are often graced with this elegant granite sculpture. Since 1939 it has stood facing San Diego Bay at the foot of the County Administration Building.

In part funded by the Works Progress Administration, the famous sculpture depicts a simple pioneer woman holding a jug of water. Pictured in the mosaic tiles and basin are cloudlike water-bearing nudes, a dam, an orchard of citrus fruit trees, dolphins, fish and sea snails!

Donal Hord sculpture debuted in 1939.
Donal Hord’s sculpture debuted in 1939.
Side view of the iconic Guardian of Water.
Side view of the iconic Guardian of Water.
County Administration Building in background.
County Administration Building stands in background.
Sea snail on basin of the Guardian of Water.
Sea snail on basin of the Guardian of Water.

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