OAK HARBOR — From the moment it was unloaded from a flatbed truck, the city’s newest piece of public art drew stares.
In the days since, more and more people have stopped to get an up-close look.
“This will be a real imagination-grabber,” said Wayne Lewis, of Oak Harbor, who drove into town, parked his vehicle and checked out the sculpture.
This was the sort of reaction supporters of the 8-foot-tall sculpture of a sea monster attacking a Nautilus submarine, were hoping for.
The copper-and-steel artwork, created by Oregon sculptor Bill Hunt, stands on a sidewalk near the intersection of Southeast Pioneer Way and City Beach Street, greeting visitors as they enter historic downtown Oak Harbor.
“We wanted to … make it the Fremont Troll of Oak Harbor,” said Skip Pohtilla, chairman of the city Arts Commission.
Not all talk is positive. The piece has drawn criticism from the city’s mayor and even members of the Arts Commission, which couldn’t unanimously agree on the concept.
The kraken depicts a giant octopus made famous in Jules Verne’s 1870 novel, “Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.” The sculpture shows an octopus swallowing the Nautilus, a depiction that leaves Mayor Scott Dudley scratching his head in light of Oak Harbor’s close relationship with Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.
Dudley also is critical of how public art projects are funded in Oak Harbor. Art projects in Oak Harbor are funded by a 0.25 percent utility tax on water, sewer and garbage. The Arts Commission of seven community members recommends projects for City Council approval. The kraken cost $33,000.
“What we have in Oak Harbor is that anybody who receives a utility bill gets taxed” for art projects, “whether they like it or not,” he said.
“And I don’t think anybody likes it.”
“I wish we didn’t create a situation where the Arts Commission felt compelled to throw money at art on an ongoing basis because they have to,” Dudley said.
Made of bronze and other metal, work on the kraken sculpture started about nine months ago, Hunt said.
It’s a sentimental piece for him, representing the last project he and his wife of 35 years collaborated on. Rebecca Hunt, a graphic designer and stained-glass artist, died in July.
“Rebecca was the one who drew the conceptual drawing for this,” Bill Hunt said. “If I signed it, I would sign it Bill and Rebecca.”
The giant octopus is made of hammered copper and the Nautilus submarine is made of steel treated with a chemical that will turn the rust into dark-colored iron phosphate, creating an industrial look.
Hunt hopes the project would be completed by early next week. He and his brother-in-law Jeff Baggett still needed to complete the final pieces of the project, which mostly involved building and painting a colorful concrete base that will resemble ocean waves.
The artwork also features tentacles that climb up a nearby pole, giving the allusion that they travel underneath the pavement.
“I love it,” said Lewis, a fellow sculptor who has two pieces on display in the city. “It’s certainly ambitious.”
“All in all, (the reception) has been positive,” Baggett said. “A couple people said they thought the city should be doing different things. That’s just the way it is.”
Hunt’s rendering is of a giant Pacific octopus, which are found in Pacific Coast waters, tying the artwork to Puget Sound.
With this project nearly wrapped up, the Arts commission is targeting other sites around the city for future pieces.
Ron Newberry: 360-675-6611; rnewberry@whidbeynewsgroup.com.
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