“I am a sculptor who believes art is not merely a reflection of the world in which you live, but rather it is the sensitizer and the educator to the world. I see that as a responsibility of artists. But I think a lot of artists today don’t see it that way. There is too much emphasis, I believe, on decoration and not enough on meaning.”
- EA Chase, from an interview in Anvil Magazine, 1995
This site-specific sculpture consists of four shell forms or “seed boats” and a round form. These five elements are arranged around a stone arch gateway, aligned with the opening of the Monterey Bay to the greater Pacific Ocean. On the inside walls of the arch, a poem by the artist is inscribed in both English and Spanish. The work was begun in a quarry in Ireland and completed in the artist’s studio in Santa Cruz.
In typical trompe l’oeil fashion, this mural takes the viewer from the real (herringbone walkway) to the imagined. The bridge is inspired by Stoneman Bridge in Yosemite Valley. The landscape on the right is inspired by Moore Creek. Commissioned through the City Matching Grant Mural Program.
