Public Art
Urban Trees Project
Contact Public Art
Administration Building
3165 Pacific Highway
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 686-6200
Map
Business Hours:
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
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Urban Trees 5 Gallery

1. "Ramble On"
Joey Vaiasuso
A pair of abstract legs strolling along the waterfront, keeping pace with pedestrian traffic. An eight-foot tall steel sculpture with bronze-like patina represents a leisurely walk or nature stroll.View map
AP: $19,500
2. "Tree Fairy"
Deana Mando
Inspired by the monarch butterflies that migrate to San Diego, the artist translates her joy of watching them into a brightly colored fairy ready to take flight. Constructed of welded steel and carved polyurethane foam coated with fiberglass and epoxy resin. View map
AP: $10,000
3. "Lean on Me"
Robert Verhees
This stainless steel artwork shows two partners and the shared comfort they enjoy. Lean on me, Ive got you, one says to another. The areas of colored blown glass represent windows into their souls. View map
AP: $45,000
4. "The Blessing Tree"
Melissa Ralston
Reminiscent of ancient Chinese architecture, this tree serves as an entrance. Music is created as the colored lanterns flow with the breeze. Constructed of steel, the two posts are inscribed with traditional Chinese characters representing blessings of love, happiness, peace, prosperity, strength, harmony, joy and friendship. View map
AP: $12,500
5. "HisTree of Surfboards"
Mike Thornton
San Diegos surf culture inspired the artist to create this whimsical palm tree out of surfboards. Its trunk is made from a longboard, bringing to mind days past. The palm leaves are constructed of shortboards, indicative of the modern surf scene. In a strong breeze the leaves gently sway. View map
AP: $5,000
6. "Sea and Sky"
Ken Smith
This abstract sculpture depicts wildlife commonly found along the California coast. A fun-loving sea otter plays with a ball in the surf as a graceful seagull soars overhead. The artworks highly polished stainless steel surfaces reflect the ever-changing environment. View map
AP: $23,000
7. "A Tree for all Seasons"
Pat Cranor
Nature and the seasons come alive in this artwork. A four-sided monolith with paintings represents the four seasons. Painted squares were arranged in a pattern similar to a chessboard. The squares were then varnished and mounted on treated wood panels to form the tree. View map
AP: $8,000
8. "Imagine"
Kent Kraber
This artwork captures the imagination in all of us. The artist depicts dragons as caretakers rather than fearsome or devious creatures. View map
AP: $45,000
9. "Prelude"
Jennifer Cannon
The treble clef shape is comprised of over 400 feet of aluminum rod and represents musical staffs. Interweaving and free of notes, it symbolizes the formative state of creating music. It is one of mankinds finer qualities to weave ideas, emotions and sounds into musical fabric. View map
AP: $12,500
10. "Stairway to Heaven"
Tom Roberts
A spiral staircase constructed from painted sheet metal plates, this artwork changes color according to the outside temperature. Colors range from yellow to green and blue to black. As you look up from the base of the sculpture, the steps give the illusion that it disappears into the sky. View map
AP: $12,000
11. "A Day in the Life"
Meilisa Lim
Standing before this seemingly restless squid brings the viewer closer to the inhabitants of the ocean. Its colors and swirls allow it to be seen as it would be in the water. Constructed of brightly colored fiberglass and resin, this imaginative creature stands ten feet tall. View map
AP: $12,000
12. "Tailwalking Suncatcher"
Stephen Fairfield
This glittering sailfish is a constant rainbow of colors as it tailwalks across the oceans surface. Its scales diffract the sunlight while its sail and fins glow a rich cobalt blue. Made of steel pipe, hardware cloth and plexiglass, the artwork also features a base with waves made from recycled automobile steel. View map
AP: $12,500
13. "The Seahorse"
David ''DJ'' Brelje
This artwork is a bronze sculpture with green patina that brings to life the artists love for his mother. The life-like representation of a seahorse depicts its anatomical structure with intricate details of delicate bones and tail rings. View map
AP: $12,600
14. "Trimming the Tree"
Christie Beniston
The leaves of this urban tree may look like glassy fish as they appear beneath the waters surface or as the points of a sail on a sailboats course. It also brings to mind the Americas Cup races that were held in San Diego. The artist was inspired by sailboats, windsurfing and kiteboarding. View map
AP: $10,000
15. "Two Tiers: Tears of Desire, Tiers of Understanding"
Lia Strell
The polished steel curves of this sculpture twist and turn gracefully with their teal and raspberry hues. The two ribbon-like forms represent levels of desire and understanding. They wrap together at the top of the artwork, lifting the viewers spirit. View map
AP: $42,000
16. "Californiascope"
Harmon Nelson, Vicki Leon and Steve Riggs
This interactive, giant kaleidoscope is a cornucopia of light, color, pattern and movement. Constructed of welded steel, carved glass and uniquely designed fixtures and surfaces. The sculpture also includes control knobs that allow the viewer to rotate three of the scopes lenses. View map
AP: $30,000
17. "School of Blue Bottle Noses"
David Boyer
This sculpture features six abstract kinetic fish with cobalt blue bottle heads that are perched on an unusual undersea plant. As the wind interacts with the fish, their stainless steel tailfins allow them to swim, spin and dance unpredictably. View map
AP: $16,000
18. "Birds in a Tree"
Mark Meier
This fanciful sculpture is reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland or Dr. Seuss, with its zany colored birds created with a delightfully puzzling, inside-outside line drawing design. The 14-foot tall tree is made of galvanized tubular and welded steel. View map
AP: $15,000
19. "Pinion"
Jon Koehler and Neil Shigley
Silhouetted against the bay and sky, this kinetic sculpture alludes to the wings of seabirds. Pinion is the flight feather of a birds wing. From one side the sculpture has transparent color that contrasts the sky. The other side is stainless steel, which reflects the bay, the clouds and the sea birds. View map
AP: $90,000
20. "Pele, Goddess of Fire"
Frank Mando
The artist was inspired by stories of the mythological fire goddess Pele, while traveling in Hawaii. This sculpture represents the danger, beauty and power of fire. Made of steel and aluminum, the sculpture pays tribute to those who were affected by the firestorms in San Diego County. View map
AP: $10,000
21. "Spiral Voyage"
Chris Brown
Nautical elements take shape in this artwork. The artist created visual imagery of sailboats into the forms of masts, stays and natural wood hulls. The sculptures spiral form is representative of the shapes often seen in seashells. View map
AP: $12,500
22. "Tree Hugger"
Steven L. Rieman
This wind-activated kinetic sculpture features a stainless steel figure standing on top of a balancing beam and ball. The figure sways and jiggles in the wind, bringing a smile to the faces of those who pass by. View map
AP: $16,500
23. "Geometree"
Josh Bowman
This artwork is loosely defined without rigid borders. Is it coming together or falling apart? A tree as an object in motion as it is here but not really here in its abstract form. This speaks to the transient nature of matter in the world and makes us think, What really matters, whats real, and what is just created from our imagination? View map
AP: $25,000
24. "Air Filter"
Viviana Lombrozo
Blending organic forms with industrial materials, this sculpture was inspired by the downtown skyline and the role that trees play in decreasing pollution. Welded and perforated steel filter-like leaves allow the air to pass through, encouraging the viewer to consider how human and environmental needs converge. View map
AP: $18,000
25. "Fire Blossom Tree"
Greg Eng
The artist personifies the forces and processes that shaped his life and helped encouraged his creativity with this 12-foot tall sculpture. The branches and flames of this tree were created of steel which was heated, forged, twisted, cut and welded into flowing organic shapes. View map
AP: $57,000
26. "My Bike"
Amos Robinson
This kinetic sculpture captures the iconic image of a carefree bicyclist cruising along the beach. As the wind blows, the wheels of the bicycle spin and the bike appears to be changing direction. The polished steel surfaces reflect the sky, sea and the flow of life along the Embarcadero. View map
AP: $31,000
27. "2+2 Makes 3"
Mitchell Gaul
The title of this curvilinear and triangulated sculpture refers to techniques in orthographic projection and applied geometry that are used to manage three-dimensional objects, a process of working in multiples of two dimensions twice. This aluminum artwork is mounted with a bearing at the top to allow it to gently move with the wind. View map
AP: $12,500
28. "T is for Tree and Lots of Other Things"
Cecilia Stanford
This artwork is intended to entertain and amuse. Entertainment lies in the opportunity to find and identify objects that begin with the letter T. Some are easy for young viewers and others, such as Thoth, the Egyptian god of scribes and learning, are more challenging. View map
AP: $22,500
29. "Flambay"
Ted Sitting Crow Garner
This expanded steel and metal mesh sculpture is a song of sorrow to the many trees lost in recent years to Southern California wild fires, expressed in a three-dimensional abstraction of the classic car-culture flame job. The title is borrowed from a Frank Zappa composition that appeared on the album Sleep Dirt. View map
AP: $15,000
30. "Riskworks: Break-Dancers"
Michael L. Barrows
Inspired by the theme Urban Tree City Life, this artwork is designed to show how our environment and others change our perspective: a tree from two sides, a B-Boy from the other four. The color and overlapping design represent the yin and yang quality of life. It combines strength, balance, and unity to convey that anything is possible because risk works. View map
AP: $12,500
31. "It's A Sign"
Jennifer Anderson, Sara Beam, Justean Giger, Audrey Kenyon, Bianca Saad and Gabriela Salas
Whether we are deaf or hearing, language transforms experience and connects us with one another. Its A Sign is a metaphor for underrepresented communities. In a grove of trees, no tree should be given less opportunity or room for growth because it is different, just as each tree on the bay is unique. View map

