Stainless steel, aluminum and concrete; 11’7” tall x 5’ x 28” wide

Location: Perennial Garden

​​

Artist's description:

The kinetic pieces I’ve built are meant to move somewhat unpredictably. Patterns emerge after watching them for a while. A friend & fellow artist told me this design reminded her of a butterfly. Indeed, me too. 

That’s when it acquired color and the “eyes” of a butterfly. I’m prone to calling them flutterbys rather than the prevalent name.

Ceramic with enamel paint; 22" tall x 35" wide

Location: Succulent Garden

​​

Artist's description:

My work is inspired by the forms, lines, and colors I find both in my garden and the natural world around me.  This sculpture was created after I spent time examining and handling the citrus fruit Buddha’s hand.  I was dazzled by its unique structure and hues as it ripens from green to yellow.  These observations guided my own interpretation of the fruit’s form, texture and colors reflected in this sculpture.    
 

Mendocino cypress; 3’ tall x 3' wide

Location: North Forest

Ceramic; 16" tall x 48" wide x 16"deep

Location: Fuchsia Dell

​

About the Artist:

Sonya Popow drew inspiration from the natural world—skeletal remains, seed pods, diatoms, plankton, fruits, pollen, and flowers. Some of her works are nearly representational, while others use these natural forms as a springboard for abstraction. Sonya worked in clay for more than fifty years, leaving a rich legacy before her passing in March 2025.

Various woods; 74" tall x 10" wide x 2" deep

Location: Narrows

​​

Artist's description:

A little side hustle I have is making kindling from scrap wood that collects from my many art and other projects. While chopping to size the knots that don't split into proper kindling, I save some in a box. I have always liked knots. While wondering what I could make with them, I came up with this sculpture. 

Corten steel sheeting welded over an internal structure of steel rebar; 8’ 2” tall x 6’ 11” wide x 3’ 5” deep

Location: Dahlia Garden

​

Artist's description:

River Guardian is a large corten steel sculpture with an internal structure of steel rebar.  It is an abstract sculpture, but it is somewhat plant-like in its design. I took inspiration for it from shapes and designs of the natural world. I also like to blend these more natural elements with the more hard-edged and mechanical designs of modern industry. There are two opposing shapes at the top of the sculpture. The spiral has many manifestations in nature as well as in the universe as a whole. It is the building block of life. The other is a more serpent or vine-like branch, but can also be seen as water flowing in a river. Although the spiral is the larger shape out of the two, they are very balanced because the serpentine branch is so dynamic and leads the eye up, whereas the spiral causes you to look more toward the center.  It has such a strong stance that I thought it almost looked as though it was standing guard.  I tried to think what it would be guarding and then decided that, since it had such a water-like feel to me, it would be fitting to call it River Guardian.

​

My sculpture is completely seam-welded.  It’s very strong and safe.  It has had all of its edges sanded smooth.  There is an internal structure of steel rebar.  Since it is made of corten steel, it will develop a fine rust patina that will help to preserve it for many years to come.  It can be either bolted down in four locations or it can be welded down at any point along its base.  It can fit on a square plinth of at least 4x4 ft.

Upcycled metal, including gears, wrenches, lamp base, ornamental iron, automotive paint, and clear lacquer; 36" x 27" x 48"

Location: Perennial Garden

​​

Artist's description:

Jackrabbit captures the energy and agility of its namesake in mid-leap—an elongated form bounding through the grass with lightness and speed. Crafted entirely from upcycled metal, the sculpture blends motion and material, transforming discarded fragments into a symbol of vitality, wildness, and the beauty of reclaimed life.

Italian marble; 35" tall x 10" wide x 10" deep

Location: Mediterranean Garden 

​

Artist's description:

Peas de Resistance is a whimsical twist on quiet defiance—a marble sculpture that turns something as simple as a pea pod into a symbol of resilience. The smooth forms curl upward like arms in protest, cradling their tiny spheres with purpose. In uncertain times, it’s a reminder that strength doesn’t always shout—sometimes it grows quietly, tucked in small, insubordinate places. As Rilke wrote, “everything is gestation and then bringing forth”—even a pea holds the potential to split stone. Playful in form, Peas de Resistance whispers that gentleness, too, is a force.

Ceramic, glaze; 45" x 18" x 18"

Location: Meadow Lawn

​​

Artist's description:

My work as a ceramic artist is deeply rooted in a fascination with the natural world and its cycles of growth and decay. My material practice is centered around large-scale sculptures, that push boundaries of size, form, and traditions of making in clay. I use a press mold to create textured slabs which are attached together to construct forms that evoke both the foreign and the familiar. The textures I create resemble snow-capped mountains, snow build-up on trees, and a deep network of mycelium that is leading the front line of exploration. These ceramic sculptures stand as totems, honoring and attempting to make concrete the beauty, complexity, and subliminality of the natural world that connects all life. The ritual of bringing together elemental materials like clay, wood, and fire, activated through the collaboration of many hours, labor, and artists, is a vital component of my work, speaking not only to the final work, but to a significant artistic process where people come together.

Ceramic; 56" tall x 18" wide x 17" deep sold with pedestal

Location: Fort Bragg Rhododendron Collection

​

About the Artist: 

Born in St Charles, Missouri in 1956, Clayton Thiel received his BA in sculpture from Maryville University in 1979, then came to California to study with Peter Voulkos and Joan Brown at UC Berkeley. At San Jose State he studied with David Middlebrook and Stan Welsh receiving an MFA in 1985 (suma cum laude). He was a full-time professor of Sculpture (clay, stone, and bronze), Art History, and Design at Chabot College in Hayward, CA from 1990 to his retirement in 2025. Thiel’s work has been shown widely in exhibits and galleries, and he has received numerous commissions from private collectors.

Fiberglass reinforced concrete, structural foam, stainless steel wire; 50" tall x 26" wide x 18" deep

 

Location: Brooding Hawk Trail leading to the Vegetable Garden

​​

Artist's description:

A sock puppet can be a simple object that can be fashioned in minutes with minimal effort. Once made, it can create a world of its own in the imagination of the puppeteer.

​

Armin is made from fiber-reinforced cast concrete and took around two years to make. The sock texture comes from a hand-knitted sock, which I commissioned for this project.

Cast bronze head, steel structure, stamped ornamental iron leaves, forged steel branches, scorched oak barrel staves, bronze coating with patina, clear lacquer; 10' tall, 5' 6" wide, 3' deep

 

Location: South Trail between the Event Lawn and the Bluffs

​​

Artist's description:

Inspired by the enigmatic stone carvings found in medieval Gothic cathedrals, Green Man embodies the spirit of the forest. This 10-foot-tall figure, crafted from metal and wood, appears hunched forward in a posture of reverence or emergence. Its outstretched arms, shaped like branching limbs, reach skyward—evoking growth, transformation, and the enduring connection between humanity and nature.