Marine art

Camp Ocean Pines here in Cambria hosts a lot of interesting events, http://www.campoceanpines.org/symposium. This past weekend was the 8th Annual California Sculptors Symposium. The group shown at left is a permanent installation at the camp. There's a small sea turtle directly in the center, swimming near the large one. Above the small turtle is a sea otter. On the right is a column of kelp.














Not all the art reflects the ocean and coastal themes, but, given the setting, many of the sculptures do have a marine theme.

These dolphins, carved of Borrego Alabaster by Kim Sentinella, are titled California Surfing.

New England Baby Octopus is also carved of Alabaster, by Steve Mathews, priced at $2,500.

Nicholas Corneos' Sea Eye took first place. It's for sale for $6,000.

This limestone column comes from Kansas, where the stone was carved up and used as fenceposts, sculptor Fred Whitman explained to us. He has several, and is contracting for another load of limestone columns. This one has a mermaid with wild hair, Oceana #1, $4,000.

I liked Betty Clemons' alabaster fish mounted on a redwood burl, $395, and her Sunrise Horse, of Utah Special Alabaster.

I couldn't help but notice that none of the sculptors was inspired to use the elephant seal as a subject. Perhaps next year the symposium will feature majestic bulls, mother-pup pairs, chunky weaners, to honor our local colony.