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177--California: Urban Trees in San Diego @ CherieSpotting     Jan 21 2004 - 15:00 PST cherie writes: The wild regions of the earth intrigue me the most. Glaciers, deserts, and mountains are the places that claim my deepest affection. I’d rather be in a tropical forest, than a concrete jungle. But cities pose their own lure to my senses. Within them, lay the beauty of the arts that humans create. Every once and a while, a city sneaks up and surprises me with some pleasure. San Diego, California just did such a thing. Thirty original sculptural works now line the sidewalk of North Embarcadero. The free exhibit is called “Urban Trees” and was presented to the city by the Port of San Diego’s Public Art program. The promenade is now lined with “urban trees” from Broadway Pier to Hawthorn St. The trees are scheduled to be up for public viewing for the next year. Twenty-six (of the 29 artists) are based in California. At the end of the year, the trees will be up for sale. For more about “Urban Trees” see www.thebigbay.com/urbantrees/ Jean, Greg and I decided to spend the afternoon enjoying the funky trees and trying to choose our favorites. Click on each picture to see it full size. read comments (1) | write comment| views: 4703    | rated: 0.0    printer-friendly version   This tree composed of steel and hand blown glass was my favorite. It's called "Tree Frozen in Time." *Photo by Greg. I can't think of a better name for Ingrid Vigeant's art. She named it "Golden Tree". Artist Christopher Lee created "Tap Root and Growth." Greg liked "Evolution" by Jon Koehler, probably because it looks like a schooner. I snapped a shot of Jean photographing this art piece. It's about the size I like my surfboard to be. Coincidentally, the "urban tree" is called "Surfboard Cedar Survivor." Greg takes a rest on the tree-lined boardwalk. The leaves of this tree are coated with a chemical that changes color in the presence of ultraviolet light. *Photo by Jean. Jean and Greg by "Artree" by John Oleinik. The leaves change color depending on the light. "Free to Breathe" by Michael Hoffmann. I might have named it "Jabba the Hutt's Trumpet" *Photo by Jean. "The Happy Tree" created by Doug Snider and Linda Joanou is filled with "Doug's Bugs." A woman reads next to "The Puzzle Tree." This 23-piece jigsaw puzzle was created by John S. Stokes III and Bob Archer. This tree looks like it is going to blast off. It was just complicated enough to stimulate Greg's interest. Jean had fun with the interactive "Periscopic Tree for Homeland Security." Painted in battleship gray, this "urban tree" was designed by Larry and Debby Kline. Bikers stop to admire the new public art exhibits. The copper leaves on "Geolution" will eventually change color with corrosion from the salty air. I would call this "the diet tree", but artist Lauren Jackson named it "Soft Sculpture Carrot." "Mini the Mermaid" by Frank Mando. *Photo by Jean "Solar Illumination" by Nina Karavasiles can produce its own light source. *Photo by Jean "Urban Tree 2028" by Lester Wiese. *Photo by Jean Harbor Arbol? *Photo by Jean