Photo Series Day Seven: New Public Sculptures Coming to Downtown

The City's Public Sculpture Committee, led by chairperson Suzanne Moshier, recently approved seven new sculptures to be installed downtown, that are being loaned to the City by local artists. The estimated value of the seven sculptures is around $70,000--that's $70,000 worth of free art, generously being donated to the City by local artists.

Public art is not new to Los Altos; the City has had a sculpture loan program in place for the past 20 years or so. Currently, there are 18 sculptures already in place around town, and with these new seven, Los Altos' count will increase by nearly 40 percent.

The sculptures are expected to be installed soon, in August or September. Six of the seven pieces will be placed in downtown intersections, and a seventh is slated for the corner of West Edith Avenue and Los Altos Avenue.

Today is the final day of our seven-part series offering readers a sneak peek at the new sculptures that will soon be gracing downtown, along with background information on the local artists who created them.

Sculpture #7: "Redwood Prayer" by Rick Waltonsmith

Rick Waltonsmith's creations can be seen at several galleries around the greater Bay Area. His works have been shown at the Aegis Gallery in Saratoga, and he currently has pieces on display at both the Museums of Los Gatos and the Sierra Azul Gardens in Watsonville.

In addition to for the downtown project, entitled "African Tree - Madagascar," the artist is loaning the City the phone pictured above, which he calls "Redwood Prayer."

"Redwood Prayer" measures 59 inches by 24 inches by 24 inches and is crafted from bronze, brass and stainless steel with incralac coating.

"Redwood Prayer" is slated for installation at the intersection of Main and Third streets.