Queen Califa's Magical Garden

Kids Examine Fantastic Egg in Garden. (Tomasito photo, 2009)

There is a breathtaking piece of walk-in sculpture here in Escondido, California: "Queen Califa's Magical Garden", realized by an international sculptress, Niki de Saint Phalle.

It is absolutely unique--a new kind of art for the new world, for sure.

The entire sculpture covers on area of perhaps half an acre--and the whole thing is a vivid melange of mirrors, tiles and gaudy wonderful mosaics--and not just your usual mosaics--but polished stones and glass of all sorts and colors.

Then there are huge undulating snakes and weird "totem poles" of the most outlandish and impossible creatures.

It takes the mosaics of the Spaniard Gaudi and the Watts Towers of Los Angeles and the children s fountain in the Turtle Bay Arboretum in Redding--and just moves off from them into a whole new and elaborate artistic concept.

Visiting it is a fantastic experience.

By golly, I don't often get this enthusiastic about a work of art, but this one is absolutely splendid in my book!

Tomasito, 2009


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