Portal Of Poppies

La Quinta Art in Public Places
Old Town La Quinta Calle Tampico Center
Portal of Poppies is an Art in Public Places Project made of poly chromed welded steel. It is a motif of California Poppies and covers an arched entry into a pedestrian area with a water feature. It was inspired by our famous California Poppies and was intended to celebrate our La Quinta lifestyle and to provide an uplifting visual statement. The Developers of the Calle Tampico Center wanted to enhance awareness of their commercial location. I came up with the Poppy concept and they liked it. During the design process their CEO William C Powell passed and they ask if we could dedicate the art piece to him. Nancy and I made several visits to the Wild Poppies in the spring and produced a final design which was approved by the community services committee. We completed the poppies during the summer but delayed installation until late September for cooler weather. We did an unveiling at the dedication which added some drama and fun. We are now working on doing a series of flowers on a larger scale for a future show. They will be bold and celebratory.