Over the past year, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know the wonderful people and places of Redwood City. I’ve lived in the Bay Area for decades, and never experienced a town that promoted so much community spirit and enthusiasm for events and cultural offerings for its residents. Virtually every week from spring through autumn there is music or a fun family event on Courthouse Plaza. I spent months getting acclimated with the rich personality of this town that indeed has the “best climate.”

In my own art, I’ve always had a love for handmade books and texture mixed with photography. This public art project generously sponsored by the Redwood City Parks and Arts Foundation, afforded me the chance to create my largest, most ambitious artwork to date. There are 20 “pages” forming 10 open diptychs in this sculptural project, so each pair of images serves as an iconography for a pervasive quality of the city. I began with a diptych of open space before civilization arrived, with actual arrowheads attached to the foreground to hint that earlier people settled here even before Mexico and later White culture arrived. I also want to represent other important facets of Redwood City, such as the train that played such an important part in the city’s growth, along with redwood trees and even today’s development of modern buildings often taking the place of older, small businesses. This creative process was a period of growth for me, fostered by periodic meetings with a diverse committee of city representatives. It was a pleasure to hear the thoughts of long-time residents and often incorporate their insights into this project. I’m thankful for this opportunity and will always hold fond memories of my explorations in this wonderful town. The residents of Redwood City are fortunate indeed.

Brian Taylor, January 2018