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NOV. 29, 2013
RANCHO SANTA FE NEWS
Wowed by metal monsters and surprised by flowers E’LOUISE ONDASH Hit the Road You can always count on the Anza Borrego Desert to deliver surprises, and we weren’t disappointed on a recent visit. In late October, we drove over the mountains to see some of the 131 Sky Art sculptures that inhabit the acres around the town of Borrego Springs. We expected to be wowed by these metal monsters, but didn’t expect to find flowers. “The desert is blooming because they got a lot of rain a couple of weeks ago when it rained a bit in San Diego,” said Phil Pryde, professor emeritus at San Diego State University and expert on all local forms of life. Nevertheless, he was hard pressed to identify a few of the flowers in the photos I sent. Let’s just say that it was pure joy to discover the expanses of white-and-lavender Jimson Weed; the clumps of purple sand verbena; the carpets of tiny yellow mystery flowers; and a vine that produced what looked like mini-watermelons. But back to the sculptures … They were commissioned by millionaire philanthropist and amateur paleontologist Dennis Avery who owned acreage in and around Borrego Springs. A chance meeting with metal sculptor Ricardo Breceda in 2007 led to a collaboration that changed Breceda’s life. Formerly in construction, he sustained an injury about 14 years ago that changed his life. “I broke my back,” Breceda told me in 2009. “A couple of discs were smashed so no more heavy lifting.I start-
Fossils of these camels, as well as the giant bird Aiolornis, the elephantlike Gomphothere, the sabertooth cat and more have been found in the Anza Borrego Desert in some of the most extensive and well-preserved paleontology sites in all of North America, according to the Anza Borrego Desert Natural History Association.
This 350-foot dragon appears to be crossing the north end of Borrego Springs Road. Sculptor Ricardo Breceda, who was born in Durango, Mexico, took four months to create this behemoth in his Perris workshop. It took three months and a dozen workers to install it, and cost about $40,000. Photos by Jerry Ondash
Not all of sculptor Ricardo Breceda’s works depict prehistoric creatures. The people in this 1946 Willys Jeep look as if they are out for a joy ride in the desert. Breceda thought several times he was finished fulfilling the wishes of Dennis Avery, who commissioned the artworks, but each time, the philanthropist asked for more. The final sculptures were placed in Unexpected rain in October 2011. caused this Jimson Weed to bloom in the Anza Borrego Desert near A carpet of golden yellow blankets the desert floor near Borrego Springs the town of Borrego Springs. in October – an unusual time of year for blooms. Normally such displays aren’t seen until the spring months following the winter rains. A short but green and lush. effective October deluge gave life to these opportunistic bloomers.
ed doing little things in metal just to kill time, and I gave them to my friends.” Then Breceda’s daughter encouraged him to think big.
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The artist modeled his creatures after drawings in a book that Avery helped publish. The first sculptures were installed in 2008, and now the Borrego Springs area is populated with mammoths, sabertoothed tigers, camels, wild pigs and horses, sloths, sheep and llamas. Human figures are there, too –— Juan Bautista de Anza, who trekked today’s Anza Borrego Desert looking for a route to San Francisco for Spain; miners panning gold; and field workers picking grapes. My favorite pieces include a humongous grasshopper and scorpion, and
“She was 6 at the time and the ‘Jurassic Park’ movie had come out. She said, ‘Let’s make a big dinosaur.’ So I made a T. rex and a Spinosaurus.They were 20-by40 feet, and I put them (on my land in Perris) by the I-215 freeway. Then there was bumper-to-bumper traffic and the television cameras came and the rest is history.” Avery followed the commotion, met with Breceda, and commissioned him to create the first group of creatures — 65 prehistoric beasts that once roamed the Borrego Valley at a time when it was
Although most of the 131 Sky Art sculptures near Borrego Springs can be seen from the car, visitors should take the short hikes to the pieces to appreciate the detailed metal work of artist Ricardo Breceda. This is a claw of a giant sloth, located on Borrego Springs Road north of Christmas Circle. The sculptures will stand until Mother Nature says otherwise, he says.
Most of the sculptures are a gargantuan dragon that appears to have started diving within a few minutes’ drive of into the sand on one side of the Borrego Spring’s Christmas road and surfaces on the other. Circle. (This grassy oasis has been improved since my last visit — lots more shade provided by covered structures and trees, and even wi-fi.) Most of the sculptures can be seen from the car, but cursory glances don’t do justice to these treasures. Put on your hiking shoes and get up-closeand-personal with these behemoths. A careful look will reveal amazing and intricate metal work. Breceda used both recycled and new metal to construct the sculptures, and built the largest ones in sections, then assembled them on location. The process often took several weeks or months, and most creations cost thousands. The last sculpture was placed in 2012, the year Avery died.
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E’Louise Ondash is a freelance writer living in North County. Tell her about your travels at eondash@coastnewsgroup.com.