VISTA: Kite sculptures to soar over city

Artists working on projects that will make up huge exhibit

By GIG CONAUGHTON - Staff Writer | Friday, April 18, 2008 8:15 PM PDT ∞

NORTH COUNTY ---- With hammers clanging, drills whining and a welding torch spraying sparks, artist-fabricator Robert Rochin smiled Friday as he watched workers tack together a quarter-scale mock up of his "Big Blue Kite" sculpture.

"I really want this to be a nice piece for the city of Vista," Rochin said of his metal design that features three children hanging from a huge kite. "I'm excited about it."

A month from now, a full-sized version of Rochin's work ---- as well as "kite" creations from seven other artists ---- will be displayed around Vista on 12-foot poles sunk in concrete planters.

The sculptures will make up what Vista officials say is the city's most ambitious public art project.

People can see small-scale versions of the work, and meet the artists, from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Rancho Buena Vista Adobe's gallery at 640 Alta Vista Drive.

The city's kite project will be "along the same lines as (the Port of) San Diego's 'Urban Trees' " said Vista parks director Bill Fortmueller, referring to the popular exhibit of sculpted interpretations of trees along Harbor Drive.

In Vista, the city will pay each artist a small honorarium to display the work for a year, Fortmueller said.

"Next year at this time we'll probably have another call for eight new sculptures," he added.

The eight kite sculptures were chosen from 15 artists from as far away as New Mexico who submitted miniature models of their visions to the Vista Arts Commission last year.

Five of the eight sculptures will feature moving parts, Fortmueller said.

One will be a mosaic tile kite with a rope tail supporting a school of fish, created by Vista artist Lori Escalera, who was recently chosen to travel to China with other artists to work on a murals exhibit.

Other sculptures will include an oversized "paper" airplane soaring with tiny figures holding tight and a wavy arrow with stained glass tail feathers.

At his warehouse-workshop in San Marcos on Friday, Rochin said he got involved in the project by accident. A friend, Buddy Smith, asked Rochin to help build his piece ---- the arrow with stained-glass tail feathers ---- and suggested that Rochin submit his own design.

"I've never considered myself an artist," Rochin said with a smile. "If it looks like a kite, it's a kite. If it doesn't, it's art."

Rochin is a "design-fabricator" by trade, using his workshop to build other artists' designs.

But his work is artistic. A photo album includes pictures of an Australian restaurant called Bondai in San Diego's Gaslamp quarter that features Rochin's huge stainless steel "coral trees" that each contain dining tables.

While he works to finish his Vista kite, Rochin is also working on huge burnished metal columns slated to decorate a restaurant in Glendale.

Rochin said he has had fun working on his kite sculpture. He said that by the time he's finished, he'll have spent about $3,000 to build it, far outpacing the $750 honorarium the city paid each artist.

The final version, he said, will be 17 feet tall and 14 feet across.

"The money isn't a big deal," he said. "I wanted to do something nice for Vista."

Contact staff writer Gig Conaughton at (760) 901-4067 or gconaughton@nctimes.com.