San Dimas Festival of Arts - Public Art Project

Catching Frogs by Vic Riesau was dedicated on December 19, 1998. Its path as the Festival’s 3^rd public art project was rather unusual. The piece was displayed in the Sculpture Garden at the 1996 San Dimas Festival of Arts National Western Art Exhibition and Sale. When the Board of Directors decided to embark on a second public art program, this piece was suggested with an inviting location in the San Dimas Civic Center Plaza pool.

However, the Festival Board chose the Tongva mural, Between the Sun and the Moon as the second San Dimas Festival of Arts Public Art project instead of Catching Frogs.

Naturally the story did end there, but lingered in the mind of one Festival Board Director who believed this piece belonged in the Civic Center Plaza - where it would be viewed by thousands of people attending civic events and private parties.

He sought and received approval from both the Festival Board and the San Dimas City Council, with the understanding that it would be a private commission and donated to the city. It is the only public art piece that did not have a public dedication. Only family members gathered and dedicated it to Lina R. “Moppy” Poff, a matriarch of a loving family.

And, this public art has one other distinction. It is the only public art piece that gets all dressed up once a year during the National Western Art Exhibition and Sale (see picture below). A mysterious person, in the dark of night, enters the water, and attaches articles of clothing to the two boys and the frog. A different theme is selected each year and because it is a committee of one, suggestions are not welcomed.

An accomplished painter and sculptor, Vic Riesau's art draws on

many subjects and themes and has been widely exhibited and collected. Dramatic interpretations of subject and elegant use of space are hallmarks of his work. An abiding interest and an artistic passion for the beauty of the natural world fuel the creative Instincts of Vic.

Vic has spent many summers packing in to the eastern High Sierras previously frequented by the early California painters such as Edgar Payne and others. His paintings portray the skillful use of light and shadow that are the trademark of work done in the plein-aire tradition.

After focusing primarily on a successful thirty year career as a sculptor of both limited edition and Monumental bronzes, Vic recently returned to the easel. An avid plein-aire painter as well as an accomplished studio painter he finds endless inspiration in the dramatic and varied landscapes of the Southwest, the Pacific coastline and the mountains of the High Sierras.

As a sculptor he enjoys a national reputation and has participated in many invitational sculpture exhibitions. His monumental bronzes are permanently installed in many public, corporate, and private collections including the California State Capitol, several counties, cities, Point Loma University in San Diego, and at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame. He was recently commissioned to sculpt sixteen portrait bronzes of Olympic Hail of Fame members and other sports dignitaries for Pasadena City College. His bronzes are included in the collections of the Autry Museum of Western Heritage, the California Emigrant Museum and the Camigie Art Museum.

Vic is a founding artist member and a participant in the highly successful Masters of the American West exhibition at the Autry National Center. He is a signature member as both a painter and sculptor with the prestigious California Art Club and serves on its Board of Directors.

Click the links below to:

Visit Vic Riesau's Website

Obtain a map to the artwork