Urban Trees 6 Gallery

Tuesday, 08 September 2009

View the trees on our interactive map.

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1. "Arborescense"

John Dole

This 16½ foot tall aluminum sculpture is an abstract expression of arborescent life. It grows upward to a peak from a solid rounded foundation, balanced by suggestions of limbs and leaves that move in the breezes, alive with unbalanced horizontal vectors, repeating the endless variety in nature.

AP: $18,000

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2. "Autumn Fall"

Matt Devine

As leaves fall to the ground and the air turns crisp, we are reminded of the changing seasons that have passed and those that are to come. Two dozen curved rusted steel plates, which seemingly float in the air on this 14-foot tall sculpture, resemble leaves tinged by the seasons.

AP: $28,000

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3. "A Sea-Word Tree"

Ron Logan

A tree filled with sea-related words, all nautical terms for items that would appear on a ship, such as the Star of India, and would be fabricated from wood. The sculpture suggests how wood from a tree may live a new life as part of a ship on the ocean. The title is a play on the word "seaward."

AP: $18,000

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4. "Rolling Wilbur"

Linda Joanou

This interactive kinetic sculpture features multiple one-inch chrome ball bearings that are lifted to the top of a partially open stainless steel track by a hand-cranked chain conveyor. The balls travel several different routes hitting bells and chimes along their way back to the bottom.

AP: $35,000

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5. "Lost Signal"

Greg Brotherton

Somewhere in time, on the edge of a deserted ocean, a lone steel tower broadcasts a forgotten signal. Meant to have a historic and futuristic feel, a frozen signal seems to radiate from a glass lens perched atop industrial truss work. The lens and globe assembly are designed to rotate slowly in the wind.

AP: $19,500

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6. "Synthesis"

Todd Williams

This stainless steel sculpture is based on the concept of synthesis where often the greatest discoveries result from the pairing of what at first appear to be non-complementary elements. The composition combines elements of architecture and industry with those of free, flowing organic nature. It references the human condition and the synthesis of the temporal with the metaphysical or abstract.

AP: $17,000

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7. "Popcorn Chicken"

Bonn Liang

The artist’s sense of humor is evident in the title of this artwork. Representing a 10-foot tall, red and white striped box of popcorn filled with charming chickens, the artwork is sure to put a smile on all who pass by. Constructed of Plexiglas, foam and plastic, the sculpture is a bit of pop art on the waterfront.

AP: $12,000

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8. "In Tune with the Sea"

Dave Lawton

This steel and copper artwork is a stylized representation of a tree in the shape of a tuning fork with branches that evoke the idea of wave motion. Overall it suggests the concept of harmony with the sea.

AP: $9,500

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9. "The Constellation Tree"

Fritzie Urquhart

A sculptural tribute to the star-studded skies over San Diego Bay, this artwork features a cluster of ten solar-lighted globes that create the experience of viewing the heavens through a telescope and the illusion of bringing the stars closer to earth.

AP: $11,500

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10. "Continuum of Existence"

Joey Vaiasuso

This modern abstract tree features two steel vertical branches crossed with both short and long branches. The placement of the horizontal branches creates a gravity-defying appearance, which the artist compares to the gravitational forces that link humans together.

AP: $11,500

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11. "APollo del Sol"

Darya Doktorsky

Look carefully at this tree and you can see a firebird and its twin “ice bird.” The birds symbolize life and death, fire and ice, day and night and the sun and the moon. The birds carry an egg, representing new life and hope. The artist created the bird figures from wood panels that seem to float above the 11 foot high background panel.

AP: $15,000

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12. "On Board"

David Thēfeld

In this fun and entertaining artwork, three spotted whimsical reptiles frolic on a game board that swirls to the sky. The gray and ivory checker board starts out narrow and widens as it reaches the sculptures peak. Made from steel, foam and concrete, this 17-foot tall kinetic sculpture can be spun by turning the lavender wheel at its bottom, inside the base.

AP: $32,000

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13. "Thank You"

Cathy Ann Janes

US military dog tags are the feathers on the 7-foot wings of this American eagle, producing a symbolic vision of the ultimate cost of freedom. The artwork is a tribute and remembrance to those who’ve served, been wounded and fallen, and a “thank you” to soldiers returning home. The artwork is sculpted of foam and shot with simulated limestone cement.

AP: $45,000

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14. "Tropic Bird Tree"

Steven L. Rieman

The sculptured birds in this artwork appear to be in flight, while at the same time serving as a shade canopy. Activated by the wind, the birds sway with the breeze atop a vine-covered tree trunk. This 14-foot tall artwork is constructed of both stainless and weathered steel.

AP: $18,500

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15. "Bats in Your Bell Tree"

Jim Trask

The discovery of several baseball bats in a garage sale sparked the artist’s idea for a sculptural play on the old saying "bats in your belfry." The bell-shaped artwork features swinging recycled bats and bells, producing mild ringing sounds in the breezes of San Diego Bay.

AP: $7,850

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16. "OKTOscope"

Stove Riggs

The Hawaiian creation myth relates that our cosmos is only the last of a series, having arisen in stages from the wreck of a previous, alien universe from which the octopus is the lone survivor. View the artist’s current reality of the universe through the lenses of this animated kaleidoscope of the Hawaiian myth of origin.

AP: $16,000

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17. "Perpetual Motion"

David Boyer

Reaching 17 feet at its highest point, this artwork’s style is reminiscent of the “steam punk” era of the industrial revolution. During that time, large machines were built to look like art sculptures. Stainless steel paddle wheels, tubing and hollow steel hemispheres give the artwork its retro look and the strength to withstand winds up to 100 mph.

AP: $20,000

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18. "Paper Airplanes"

Cameron Vogel

The airplanes in this sculpture are created from polished stainless steel and aluminum. Soaring 10 feet above the ground they rotate with the wind. Conveying the artist’s tribute to aviators, this artwork portrays how creativity and perspective are gained when we use our imaginations.

AP: $22,000

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19. "Wind & Shadow"

Cathy Coverley

This urban tree sculpture’s brightly colored powder-coated canopy, bearing multiple dichroic colored glass disks, rotates lazily in the shifting sea-breezes of the bay, casting colored patterns and ever-changing shadows on the pavement below.

AP: $20,000

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20. "Chemis-Tree"

Catherine Carlton

With a nod to San Diego’s bio-tech community, this artwork makes us think of our high school chemistry classes. The Double Helix, the foundation of our individual uniqueness, is represented in a colorful aluminum sculpture that rotates in the wind. The artwork salutes our individuality and pays tribute to those in the field of bio-tech research.

AP: $25,000

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21. "SWEET MUSIC"

Amos Robinson

On bended knee, the musician serenades his graceful partner who responds with joyous dance. As love is said to make the world go ‘round, it’s the wind that sets this kinetic artwork in motion and the sun and sky that enliven its polished surfaces. The guitarist, the dancer and the parasol spin independently, creating an ever-changing, entertaining and inspiring sculpture.

AP: $30,000

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22. "Pieces of the Search"

Kyle Kjoller

Constructed of welded steel and glass, this abstract urban tree is comprised of nine individual elements, each of which is free to rotate around the axis of the artwork’s inner post. The overall height exceeds 13 feet and the branches have a span of 10 feet.

AP: $6,000

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23. "Quarrel Tree"

Michael David Johnson

This 16-foot tall urban tree is comprised of a clutch of seven 8-foot-long crossbow arrows, which are also known as quarrels. The artist was inspired by the medieval writer Skelton who wrote in his Bowge of Court, "First pick a quarrel then fall out with him."

AP: $9,000

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24. "Elysium"

Gretchen Mars & Brian Salmon

This sculpture’s design stems from Bonsai trees and lotus flowers and represents the contrasting coexistence of organic versus man-made materials. The twisted metal roots beautifully sprout into laser-cut wood leaves. The process and materials used to create the tree play upon the idea of the evolution between man and technology. "Elysium" is a place or state of perfect happiness.

Watch a video that shows the making of this Urban Tree.

AP: $17,000

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25. "SIC'Emore (doggie tree)"

Neal & Tiffany Bociek

This light-hearted, brightly colored kinetic sculpture plays with images of dog breeds. The dogs swivel on ball bearings in the wind, and the toy poodle that tops the tree functions as a weather vane. The root system of the doggie tree is a fire hydrant, favorite stopping spot for all dogs. The artwork is constructed of steel, aluminum and copper.

AP: $18,000

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26. "Metamorphosis"

Mike Tauber

This urban topiary tree is designed as a diptych mural with two separate panels. Hand-glazed ceramic tiles depict the magical transformation of fruit into humming birds on one panel and fruit into Garibaldi fish - the California state fish - on the other, reflecting the beauty of land, sea and sky.

AP: $9,500

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27. "Office Arbor"

Rachel Eva & Shawn Michael

This artwork speaks to those who live and work in city centers—spending time in hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, apartments, office buildings and high-rise condos—and reminds urban inhabitants that if they don’t slow down and step out of these glass boxes, their lives may be spent only looking through windows. Constructed of wood, Plexiglas, steel and a tree branch.

AP: $13,000

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28. "Keep Your Wheels Turning, Use the Wind"

Dale Bolton

Brightly painted in primary colors, used auto wheel rims comprise the trunk and canopy of this urban tree. Four additional rims hanging on rings have fan blades that will spin in the wind. This artist’s design highlights the need to recycle discarded materials and to use natural energy sources in fun and creative ways.

AP: $6,500

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29. "Formula 2 - Overturn 3"

Mitchell Gaul

This tall, sleek, aluminum and stainless steel sculpture mesmerizes the viewer with its three-dimensional construction. The shiny steel components appear to float in midair. The artist named it after a fabrication process used to manage three-dimensional complex objects. Standing 21-feet tall, the artwork will move with the motion of the wind.

AP: $16,500

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30: "My Ocean is Your Ocean, Mi Mar Es Tu Mar"

Avra Michelle Strauss & Brent Sumner

This whimsical sandcastle-style sculpture depicts two mother mermaids back to back, representing San Diego's and Tijuana's shared responsibility for preventing human pollution from closing our beaches. The world's oceans have one shared future. Brent Sumner welded the armature and instructed in use of the Darjit sculpting medium. Darjit is a recycled architectural compound invented in New Zealand by Mr. Sumner. On-site welding was provided by Dobson & Gores Welding.

AP: $12,000

View the trees on our interactive map.