Laguna Beach : Painted Whales Soon to Head Back Out to Sea
Like real whales at the end of their annual migration, a life-size gray whale and her calf, painted on a wall of the Hotel Laguna’s parking lot, will do a turnabout this month.
The artist, John Wyland, who prefers to be known only by his last name, will paint over the 114-by-14-foot mural that has graced the wall since 1981. In the future, the two great mammals will face toward the nearby ocean instead of seeming to head inland.
Wyland said that the original painting was showing signs of deteriorating and that the “Whaling Wall” would need some refurbishing anyway.
Instead of working alone, as he did before, this time Wyland will have help from seven Laguna Beach High School students under an arrangement with the city’s Arts Commission and the school.
The student interns, Melia Alabaster, Bernadette Arellano, Sam Dike, Kelly Kelleway, Chris Kukta, Eddie Plass and Jim Stanaland, were recommended by their instructor, Hal Akins, and will receive course credits for the project.
Wyland, who has done numerous marine murals and paintings, also serves as resident artist for Marineland in Rancho Palos Verdes.
Work on reversing and restoring the Laguna Beach mural is expected to start within a few days.
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