Queen Califia's Garden, Totem/Sculpture. Ink, color pencils and markers. 2009

Recently I had the chance to revisit one of my favorite places in Southern California, Queen Califia’s Magical Garden by Niki St. Phalle, which is located in the Kit Carson Park in Escondido.

The sculptures and the garden are breathtaking and the setting -within Escondido’s botanical park- makes finding the garden a bit of a treasure hunt. And what a treasure it is.

Niki, who recently passed away, was a French American artist famous for her Nanas, voluptuous, gigantic female figures reminiscent of earth goddesses. Her application of mortar and tiles in organic mosaic patterns reminds me of Antoni Gaudi, and his benches in Park de Guell.  Few of Niki’s works can be found in San Diego: nanas in Balboa Park and a monumental piece by the Convention Center.  Niki came to La Jolla to recover her health, which was poor due to years of exposition to toxic art materials. Rejuvenated by the balmy ocean breezes, she fell in love with California, her oceans and her deserts. She dedicated Queen Califia’s Garden to California and to children. The garden is a place where the public is encouraged to interact with the art, and the inspiration -and craftmanship- are incredible.  Niki did not live to see the Garden completed.

During this visit I was able to do a rendering of one of the sculptures, part of a series of marker and pencils exploration.  I would like to eventually draw each ‘totem’ and put them together in a poster, postcard, or stationery set:)

Below are some photographs – part of a shoot from a previous visit. The ones in the gallery can be clicked and enlarged. You will see that some of these photos are by Amina Alkandari…Thanks go to her for letting me borrow some of her beautiful work.

Queen Califia. Detail. Photograph. August 2009.

Queen Califia. Detail. Photograph. August 2009.