27 Foot Mosaic Mural Helps with Healing at Cottage Hospital
At Santa Barbara’s Cottage Hospital, art is part of the healing process. In the new buildings that recently opened up, 600 locally created art pieces have been hung on the walls and added to the landscaping. 45 of them were specially commissioned.
They include a unique 27 foot long, seven foot high ceramic mosaic tile image of Santa Barbara. Artist Deanna Pini says she chose not only classic landmark sites in Santa Barbara, but also some of the animals, and scenic landscaping that are only found here.
On one edge is a grove of Eucalyptus trees with the “Coronado butterflies that migrate and the monarchs that come in,” said Pini. Nearby is the Santa Barbara Mission, and its rose garden crafted with colorful clay. The mosaic also has lemon groves, the dolphin fountain, the harbor, and the courthouse. In some of the trees and flowers, are lizards, frogs, squirrels, and lady bugs. There’s even a spot for Daniel, a popular giraffe from the zoo who recently passed away, to pop his head out.
The hospital says kind of art is comforting to the patients, their families and especially children who come through the hallways. Pini said she created the mosaic artwork in nine panels, and did not see it all together until it was hung.
