Public Art and Architecture from Around the World

Burls will be Burls

Posted by Cindy on October 20, 2014

Oct 202014

6th Avenue between Burnside and Ash Portland, OR According to the TriMet website: Burls Will be Burls, by Bruce Conkle, is a tribute to snowmen and to the forests of the Pacific Northwest. The cast bronze figures of Burls Will be Burls represent what might happen when a snowman melts and nourishes a living tree—water is absorbed by the roots and carries the spirit of the snowman up into the tree where it manifests itself as burls. According to Conkle’s own website: Bruce Conkle declares an affinity for mysterious natural phenomenon such as snow, crystals, volcanos, rainbows, fire, tree burls, Continue Reading

Lee Kelly Fountain

Posted by Cindy on October 20, 2014

Oct 202014

Southwest 6th Avenue and Pine Street Portland, OR Oregon artist Lee Kelly, often referred to as “Oregon’s Sculptor” won an international competition to design this sculpture “Untitled.” In this work, water flows over several 20-foot-tall steel structures. Born in rural McCall in central Idaho, Kelly was raised near Riggins, Idaho. In the 1950s he graduated from what is now Portland State University before joining the United States Air Force. During the late 1950s he attended Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon. He presently lives in Oregon City, Oregon.

Talos Number 2

Posted by Cindy on October 20, 2014

Oct 202014

Southwest 6th Avenue and Stark Portland, OR Titled Talos Number 2 this bronze sculpture is by James Lee Hanson. “Talos No. 2 is part of the Portland Transit Mall. It was completed during 1959–1977, and was funded by TriMet and the United States Department of Transportation. The abstract sculpture depicts Talos, the giant man of bronze in Greek mythology who protected Crete from invaders. The piece is 7 feet tall and is administered by the Regional Arts & Culture Council, which offers the following description of Talos and the sculpture he inspired: “He had one vain running from his neck Continue Reading

California Grizzly

Posted by Cindy on October 15, 2014

Oct 152014

San Francisco Zoo In Front of the California Grizzly Exhibit This Grizzly sculpture is by Scientific Art Studio. From their website: We are designers, sculptors, painters, welders, builders, crafters, fabricators, and – above all – dreamers. We live to see the world through new eyes, to laugh and play like children, and to explore boldly and fearlessly. We push boundaries and relish challenges. For the past 33 years Scientific Art Studio has been the design and fabrication studio pushing the envelope of the latest fabrication techniques and bringing beautiful to everything we do. Under Ron Holythuysen’s creative direction, our multi-talented Continue Reading

Bruton Sisters WPA Mural at the San Francisco Zoo

Posted by Cindy on October 4, 2014

Oct 042014

Bruton Sisters WPA Mural at the San Francisco Zoo

San Francisco Zoo Mother’s Building These murals, on the Mother’s Building at the San Francisco Zoo were WPA projects. They were done by three sisters: Esther Bruton, Helen Bruton and Margaret Bruton. Helen Bruton has murals in downtown San Francisco that you can read about here. Here is an excerpt explaining the sisters work on the Zoo murals in their own voices: This Oral history interview with Helen and Margaret Bruton, 1964 Dec. 4, is from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Interview with Helen and Margaret Bruton Conducted by Lewis Ferbrache In Monterey, California December 4, 1964 LF: All Continue Reading

The Carved Tree of San Francisco Zoo

Posted by Cindy on September 24, 2014

Sep 242014

San Francisco Zoo In Front of the Mother’s House Lakeside This carved seat, surrounded by animals was done by Sean Eagleton, well known for his huge wood carvings on long dead trees. He prefers to call them “healing poles”. Shane feels that the huge healing poles, once planted at various points all over this earth will bring solace to Mother Earth and those that inhabit it. Shane “Tonu” Eagleton is a Polynesian master wood carver, whose work can be found in Golden Gate National Park, the San Francisco Zoo, Presidio National Park, the California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, Continue Reading

Gwynn Murrill at the San Francisco Zoo

Posted by Cindy on September 15, 2014

Sep 152014

San Francisco Zoo Sloat and The Great Highway Lakeside Cougar III by Gwynn Murrill Gwynn Murrill is a Los Angeles based artist who received her MFA from UCLA in 1972. Murrill has three sculptures at the San Francisco Zoo. Cougar III and Tiger 2 are at the front entryway and Hawk V is located at the Koret Animal Resource Center. Tiger 2 Gwynn Murrill has always worked with animals as her subject matter. Stripped of surface detail the sculptures are almost abstract in form. Hawk V The Arts Commission purchased Hawk V for $29,000. Tiger 2 was purchased for $85,000, Continue Reading

Maternite

Posted by Cindy on September 8, 2014

Sep 082014

Jewish Senior Living Group Orignally known as Jewish Home of the Aged 120 Silver Avenue Excelsior District Ursula Malbin was born on April 12, 1917, in Berlin to Jewish parents, both doctors of medicine. While in Germany she worked as a cabinet-maker. In 1939, a few weeks before World War II, but after her family had already left the country, she fled Nazi Germany, alone, penniless and without a passport. She found herself in Geneva when the war broke out, and there she met the sculptor Henri Paquet, whom she married in 1941. Since 1967, Ursula Malbin has divided her creative Continue Reading

Native Sons of the Golden West

Posted by Cindy on September 2, 2014

Sep 022014

414 Mason Street Union Square The Native Sons of the Golden West Building on Mason street is an eight story, steel frame structure, with a highly ornamented façade of granite, terra cotta and brick. Around the two main entrances to the building are placed medallions of men associated with the discovery and settlement of California. They are (starting at the bottom and moving up and to the right): Cabrillo, General John A. Sutter, Admiral John Drake Sloat, Peter Burnett, General A. M. Winn, James W. Marshall, John C. Fremont and Father Junipero Serra. These were sculpted by Jo Mora, who has Continue Reading

Hans Shiller Plaza

Posted by Cindy on August 27, 2014

Aug 272014

Corner of Peabody and Leland Visitation Valley Opening in March 2001, Hans Schiller Plaza was the first Visitacion Valley Greenway site to be completed. Construction was supervised by the Trust for Public Land with funding from the Columbia Foundation founded by the late Madeleine Haas Russell. The gift was made in memory of her friend Hans J. Schiller. Hans J. Schiller was a Bay Area architect and environmental activist. Mr. Schiller’ s career spanned more than 50 years. Schiller settled in the Bay Area in the 1940s and established the firm, Hans J. Schiller Associates, in Mill Valley. Schiller’s passion Continue Reading

Tying One on for Big Game

Posted by Cindy on August 21, 2014

Aug 212014

Michael sculpted this for his father-in-law Cecil Mark, a big Bear Backer. Cecil was a natty dresser who always dressed to the nines for football games. Though the photograph does not show it well, there are little Cal bears on the tie. Michael was also proud of the fact that he caught the very small stomach of thin and fit Cecil. The sculpture was painted by one of Michael’s dearest friends, Dennis King, a phenomenal painter. Yes the title is a double entendre, as tail gate parties were a big part of every game. Michael once commented to Cecil that he had Continue Reading

The Apple of My Eye

Posted by Cindy on August 21, 2014

Aug 212014

Michael H. Casey often did sculptures just for fun. They also would show his personality, as you can see by the half eaten apple. In this photograph is “Breezehead” one of his favorite cats. Michael was a cat person, and Breezehead, while not the brightest bulb, as you can tell by her name, gave him years and years of enjoyment and great stories to tell. This was another sculpture he did for fun, he titled it On the Outside Looking In. Neither of these sculptures are around today, in fact, most likely, they never left the clay stage, they were just Continue Reading

Decorator’s Showcase

Posted by Cindy on August 21, 2014

Aug 212014

Palmer Weiss commissioned Michael H. Casey to design the base for the breakfast nook table she used in the 2010 Decorator’s Showcase. Palmer was a true professional and delight to work with, sadly many designers looking for a bargain on the table afterwards were not as professional. The table was originally sculpted in clay by Michael, then Michael H. Casey Designs created a mold and cast the final piece in plaster.

Carved Plaster

Posted by Cindy on August 21, 2014

Aug 212014

Michael H. Casey worked to build this “Giacometti” lamp by building up wet plaster. After the shape was to his liking he spent hours and hours sanding the lamp to its final state. Michael had always been a big fan of the Gicometti brothers, and in fact, had the opportunity to repair an original, so creating this was a very fun project for him. Another project, done in the same way was this plaster tissue box. The third sculpted plaster project that he did were these curtains. Michael got an exceptional kick out of this job because the curtains are Continue Reading

Hell Mouths

Posted by Cindy on August 21, 2014

Aug 212014

Various Locations I am not sure exactly when the hell mouth craze took off, but Michael H. Casey had four large projects that incorporated these commissioned sculptures. Bijan incorporated many of them in his Rodeo Drive store in 1999. They were used as shelving, and then there was one that served as a fireplace in his office. If you go to the Bijan website you will see that the fireplace is still there and the design has been incorporated in the glass within the store. Then there was the one that served as an outdoor fireplace Another that served Continue Reading

Vivande

Posted by Cindy on August 19, 2014

Aug 192014

670 Golden Gate San Francisco In 1993 Vivande Restaurant opened a second, larger and moral formal restaurant at 670 Golden Gate Avenue. They wanted to recreate the front door of the famous house designed by Federico Zuccaro in 1591 just of the Spanish Steps in Rome. Michael H. Casey, of course, put his own spin on the entryway, especially in the use of his own wild eyebrows. The statement in the back behind Michael says “Quanto Basta” which means “enough”. Michael was studying Italian at the time and was proud of his command of the language. He is shown here in Continue Reading

Selling the Sizzle not the Steak

Posted by Cindy on August 19, 2014

Aug 192014

Palace Court Subdivision Las Vegas Nevada Around 1996 Robert Symons hired Michael H. Casey Designs to manufacture 2 guard houses for Queensridge. This was a potential housing development in the Las Vegas Desert. Michael always said they were to sell the sizzle, not the steak, as there was nothing there at the time. The guard houses were made in pieces out of GFRC so that they could be trucked to Las Vegas and put together at the job sites.

Hotel Pacific

Posted by Cindy on August 19, 2014

Aug 192014

300 Pacific Street Monterey, California Michael H. Casey sculpted these fountains for the Hotel Pacific in 1986. The joy of working on a beautiful hotel such as this is that you get to stay there while installing the fountains. It became the go to place to stay whenever we were in the Monterey area. Including when Michael H. Casey and Cecil Mark sailed the “Question Mark” a 36′ sail boat to Monterey and back.

Parget

Posted by Cindy on August 17, 2014

Aug 172014

California State Capitol Parget was common throughout the California State Capitol, but like much work throughout the ages it was lost due to remodeling for new amenities such as electricity and air-conditioning, as well as adding desks and finding more space for an ever growing government. A painted fragment was found when workers removed a duct and the decision to replace much of the parget was made. The problem was, how? There were many theories tossed about, but eventually, Michael H. Casey, a chef at the Black Pearl in Newport, Rhode Island, prior to becoming the Artist-in-Residence at the California Continue Reading

Chimney Rock Winery

Posted by Cindy on August 17, 2014

Aug 172014

Chimney Rock Winery 5350 Silverado Trail Napa Valley, California 1989 This was our first big job as Michael H. Casey Designs. The winery, at the time was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Hack Wilson. The Wilson’s had been the Coca-Cola distributors in South Africa and they wanted to bring the Dutch-Cape style architecture of Mrs. Wilson’s homeland to the Napa Valley. The design was given to Michael H. Casey. The Wilson’s wanted to replicate the oldest winery in Cape Town, Groot Constantia. The tympanum sculpture was originally done on the Cloete Wine Cellar by Anton Anreth. It is titled the Continue Reading

St. Mark and St. Matthew of Grace Cathedral

Posted by Cindy on August 17, 2014

Aug 172014

St. Mark and St. Matthew of Grace Cathedral

Grace Cathedral 1100 California Street San Francisco, California Michael H. Casey was honored to have been chosen to sculpt both Saint Mark and Saint Matthew for Grace Cathedral in 2001 – 2002. He always felt he was chosen due to the fact that he mentioned seismic stability during his interview. The sculptures were life sized, originally sculpted in clay with the final product in cast stone. Michael’s Proposal for Saint Mark: Saint Mark has been described as a rebel. His gospel is terse and direct. Much has been made of the ordering of the events in his gospel, almost as if Continue Reading