Sherman gardens hosts sculptures for the summer
Sculptor Mary Tarango wanted to create a statue representing a diva-like woman.
So she flipped through her art books and stumbled upon French Post-Impressionist painter, Georges Seurat’s famous work, “Sunday Afternoon in la Grande Jatte.”
On the right side of the painting is a fashionable couple, a woman with a sunshade and a man in his top hat, taking a stroll.
“She was interesting to me,” Tarango said, calling from her 1,600 foot studio in Manhattan Beach. “I look at how artists have treated the woman figure and I wanted to transform something delicate into something strong.”
After using a mix of oxygen, acetylene, welding and plasma cutting, Tarango, whose passion for metal sculpture began when she was studying fine arts at Cal State Long Beach, hand-crafted a metal figure of the woman carrying a parasol.
The piece is part of her latest series, which Tarango said was to create a dialogue about strength, transformation and endurance in a woman.
“It’s lovely to transform something tough into something delicate,” she said.
Today, the 10-foot tall woman stands in the center of Sherman Library & Gardens where she is encircled by dahlias and carnations.
The signature piece is one of seven statues featured at Sherman Library’s “Metaling in the Garden” inaugural sculpture exhibit on display until Aug. 2.
“The gardens here make for a wonderful location to display sculptures,” said Scott LaFleur, Sherman Library & Gardens director. “The exhibit will come in full glory throughout the changing seasons.”
The sculptures, which are owned by Ruben Flores of Laguna Nursery and were first on exhibit at the Laguna Beach garden shop, are now interspersed on the Sherman Gardens’ acres to enhance the property’s designs. LaFleur said Flores allowed Sherman Gardens to display the pieces and receive 10% of the proceeds from any sculpture sales to support its museum of living plants.
LaFleur and Sherman Library landscape designers placed Tarango’s sculptures throughout various parts of the grounds to showcase the artistic balance between statues and gardens.
The design team decided to implement Seurat’s pointillism technique, which is small and distinct dots of color applied in patterns to form an image, in the garden by utilizing plants that were round.
Also on display is Champagne Flute ($2,400) created by an unknown artist, that was placed in the rose garden. The combination of Champagne and roses, LaFleur said, was to symbolize indulgence for the finer things in life.
Within the succulent garden, designed to look like an underwater seascape, is Tarango’s “Daphne”, a female nymph in Greek mythology associated with fountains and rivers. The sculpture ($2,500) showcases Daphne’s transformation into a vine. According to the Greek myth, Daphne was chased down by Apollo, desperate for her love. She pleaded with the river god to end the pursuit and he turned her into a laurel tree.
Tarango also created “Amaranth” a plant sculpture designed after rock musical “Little Shop of Horrors.” The plant was thought to have healing properties in holistic Chinese medicine.
And in the sun garden are two sculptures demonstrating women dancers. The pieces, specifically placed in a meadow filled with colorful flowers like scabiosa, verbena and guara, make reference to a healthy and vigorous lifestyle.
Tarango said she was excited when she learned her pieces were on display at the Corona del Mar coastal garden. She toured the botanical collections and appreciated the garden staff’s special placement.
“I was just so honored,” Tarango, 75, said. “I thought it was a special place. It’s not easy to find a home for your pieces. If somebody wants it, it’s such a joy for me.”
If You Go
What: Metaling in the Garden
When: Through Aug. 2; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
Where: Sherman Library & Gardens, 2647 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Corona del Mar
Cost: $3 to $5
Information: (949) 673-2261 or visit slgardens.org