Steps in the Sand
Crescent Bay Villas, Laguna Beach, CA
5.25' x 14.5' x 1' — stainless steel, concrete, acid stain
Commissioned by the City of Laguna Beach, Art in Public Places
Steps in the Sand is a sculptural timeline honoring the diverse individuals who have shaped Laguna Beach over centuries. Installed at the crown of the hill on Pacific Coast Highway, this nine-panel wall installation captures the spirit of place through changing silhouettes—figures rendered alternately in positive and negative space, unified by the continuous line of the North Laguna coastline.
Brushed stainless steel panels float within a stained concrete niche, creating a shifting play of shadow, light, and form. The narrative unfolds chronologically in three groups of three scenes:
A Gabrielino woman crafts shell necklaces while a fellow tribesman spears fish in Crescent Bay—footsteps soon to be erased by the tide.
A Spanish padre walks the shoreline between missions.
An early artist camps at the water’s edge, tent pitched just above the surf.
A gardener tends an arbor—a nod to domestic beauty and labor.
A 1950s surfer brings new rhythms to the beach.
A family appears: a child plays baseball while his sister dances nearby.
A shopkeeper assists a suited patron—representing both local commerce and commuters.
A builder in a tool belt raises the structures of community life.
An artist of the future sculpts a globe, pointing to Laguna Beach.
Each panel pairs historic resonance with human gesture, inviting viewers to reflect on their own path in this layered and evolving coastal community. As the light shifts across the brushed steel surface, so too do the voices of those who have walked these sands.
