Portfolio > Hidden and Not So Hidden Gems of Berkeley

Spruce Street Bear and Cubs
Spruce Street Bear and Cubs
Digital Print
Sizes vary
2011

Sarah Palin may be surprised to learn it, but Berkeley, too, has it Mama Grizzlies. This bear and her cubs are what started me on this project. Fashioned right where an old cedar tree once stood on Spruce Street, just above Los Angeles, they are a fine example of the underappreciated art of chain-saw carving. From the street itself, it is difficult to see the full piece—I had my neighbor’s permission to step into her walkway to shoot the family grouping—but the head of Mama Bear is visible from the street and, coming down Spruce, the back of the sculpture can be seen.