Sculpture Garden Near the Sea

 

I made a new discovery on this recent trip to California, the Newport Beach Sculpture Garden.  It's located directly across from the Newport Beach Civic Center and City Hall.  My friends and I took a walk through the garden to admire the sculptures scattered around.  Above is a sculpture called "Individuality" by artists Dominic Panziera and Daniela Garofalo.  They work under the business name of Arteclettica.  I looked at their site where I found this quote that I immediately fell in love with: "Always remember that you are absolutely unique just like everyone else."

The sculpture to the left is called "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" and it is by Patricia Vader, another creative artist who works a lot with wheels of all shapes and sizes.

The colorful sculpture above is called "Fractured Peace" by Nancy Mooslin. I love all those shapes and colors.

To the right is a sculpture called "Marble Shooter" by Ron Whitacre.  It makes you think of childhood games. 

Apparently, the circle of bunnies above is referred to as "bunnyhenge" by locals.  It is actually there as a whimsical place for children to play.  I read something that said that some people find this circle a bit menacing.  I don't see that at all.  I think it's kind of cute.

To the left is a sculpture called "Talking Heads".  Isn't that a great name?  It's by artist Oleg Lobykin.  He works in both metal and stone and creates some very large objects.

The sculpture to the right is called "Woodpeckers" by Michael McLaughlin.

My friend Julie is admiring Steven Rieman's sculpture called "Chairman of the Board.  

At the top of hill I found this sculpture of former president and California native, Ronald Reagan.  I read that this sculpture has been located in several places around Orange County before being moved to the sculpture garden.

Behind the very first photo in this series you get a glimpse of this blue bridge. This blue railed bridge spans a large arroyo in the wetland where this park is located.  This area is close to the beach so the ground is sandy and hilly.  There are paths to follow through the garden so that you can locate all the sculptures.

I'm glad I found this place.  I'll add it to my list of places to visit whenever I'm in California.