Artist’s Whales Swim Again in Tile Mural

Artist Wyland on Wednesday unveiled a new version of his “Whaling Wall,” a mural made up of hundreds of hand-painted porcelain tiles to replace the landmark artwork that was painted over in September.

“It looks a lot better in tile than painted on a wall,” observed Jennifer Manco, 18, of Long Beach, who walked by with a friend and saw Wyland’s latest work at his new studio and gallery next to the Hotel Laguna on Coast Highway.

Wyland originally painted the whales--a mother and calf cruising the Pacific in a background of blue--on a retaining wall across from the Hotel Laguna in 1981. Since then, he has painted life-sized whales all over the globe.

Wyland tried to save the original, 130-foot-long mural after learning that the hotel’s owner wanted to whitewash it. The mural had deteriorated over the years, and the hotel owner considered it an eyesore.

In a desperate move to save the mural, Wyland paid $1 million for the property that he believed included the retaining wall. But he found out too late that the wall actually belonged to the hotel.

Standing next to the new mural, Wyland said, “What’s nice is, they will never be wiped off now.”

The new mural is 12 feet tall by 100 feet long and consists of hundreds of 12-inch, hand-painted tiles. The gray whale mother is 45 feet long and, swimming alongside her is a 14-foot calf. Bottle-nosed dolphins swim nearby in a seascape that includes sea lions and bright orange garibaldi. Six portholes add to the nautical theme and actually open to let light in and brighten the studio’s upstairs area.

Wyland also included a portion of Laguna Beach’s coastline in the new mural, and depicted the old mural on the retaining wall.

Wyland said he has received dozens of letters of support after the original was whitewashed. For the artist, who first saw whales migrating off Laguna Beach during a vacation when he was 14 years old, the wall’s completion had a deeper, emotional meaning.

“You know, my career started here,” he said. “The first whale I ever saw was in 1971. We came for a vacation from Michigan. I saw the ocean for the first time then too. It was in January and it made a big impression on me.”

Wyland’s gallery and studio also include a swimming pool and living quarters, where he stays when he is in Laguna.

Actor Lloyd Bridges was on hand to help dedicate the new mural and studio.