Dinosaurs and serpents come to Vista
Metal sculpture artist Ricardo Breceda’s eviction problems have become the city of Vista’s windfall.
Four of Breceda’s majestic horses will soon be placed on the city’s Creek Walk near the Wave Water Park, compliments of an anonymous donor. Seven more sculptures – of dinosaurs, giraffes and other things –are also now on display at the 14-acre Alta Vista Botanical Garden in Vista’s Brengle Terrace Park.
Breceda is the Temecula-area artist best known for his many metal sculptures spread out all over Borrego Springs on property known as Galleta Meadows, owned by the late philanthropist Dennis Avery.
For the past four years, Breceda has operated out of a Temecula studio near the entrance to Vail Lake off state Route 79, but the property went into foreclosure and last year was purchased by the Rancho California Water District.
Breceda was informed earlier this year that he had to relocate and, over the past few months, he has been trying to liquidate his inventory of metal horses, bighorn sheep, serpents and myriad other creations.
A story in The San Diego Union-Tribune about Breceda a couple months ago drew the attention of a Vista art lover and civic-minded resident, who said she has admired Breceda’s works for years.
The donor, who asked to remain anonymous, said she given many other pieces of art to the city over the years and recalled more than 20 years ago listening to a lecture at the Vista Historical Society presented by someone who had lived in the region for decades.
“She talked about seeing the wild horses on the plateau that’s now Camp Pendleton run to the ocean every spring,” she said. “That image just really stuck with me.
“I’ve been seeing Ricardo Breceda’s work out in the desert, and I have his book,” the donor said. “I really wanted to call and ask him about his prices but I have a modest amount of money annually that I can spend on things like that. I was a little afraid to call him. But when I saw the article in the paper I thought maybe, just maybe his prices will be something I could afford.”
She and Breceda had a wonderful meeting, she said, and the result was the purchase of the four horses for $8,000.
Bill Fortmueller, Vista’s director of recreation and community services, said the horses will be installed before Christmas, “probably in two or three weeks.”
Meanwhile, seven other Breceda pieces of art are now on display at the botanical garden. Four of those —two giraffes, a raptor and a 4-foot-tall metal agave plant, placed in a part of the garden that features real agave — are there on consignment. If purchased, the garden will keep a third of the selling price, said the garden’s director of children’s programs, Nancy B. Jones.
Three other sculptures — a triceratops, a T-Rex and a large scorpion — have been purchased by the garden’s board of directors, and Jones has purchased half of a huge serpent, a smaller-sized replica of what may be Breceda’s most famous work: a serpent/snake/dragon in the Borrego desert that appears to stretch hundreds of feet from head to tail.
Jones is trying to raise $5,000 to complete the purchase of the serpent.
Back in Temecula, Breceda says things are good. He has moved out of the Vail Lake studio, taking with him all of the sculptures once lined the entrance. He was able to sell a good deal of his inventory to people who had read about his plight, and the city of Coachella is considering commissioning several pieces to be placed in the city’s traffic medians.
This past weekend Breceda removed the stallions known to thousands of travelers along state Route 79 that appear to be jumping over the highway. He said he tried to sell the stallions to the water district but negotiations never went far.
Meanwhile, he has put a down payment on a piece of property seven miles to the east and moved what remains of his inventory to the land and to a store his daughter operates in Temecula.
He said it will take years to create a new studio and sculpture garden, but he intends to make a special place for all.
“I will show them I can do it by myself,” he said. “Everything is taken care of.”
Since the sculptures were installed at the botanical gardens, Jones has led several tours for children who she said adore the dinosaurs and scorpion.
“They absolutely love them. I called the triceratops the wrong name and they corrected me. They know more than I do about dinosaurs.”
For more information about the botanical garden on the web go to avbg.org.
For information about Breceda, go to ricardobreceda.com and galletameadows.com.
