Working World

Most Southern Californians are familiar with the sight of life-size whales, dolphins and other sea life depicted in the giant blue murals covering the outside of the old power plant in Redondo Beach and the entire circumference of the Long Beach Convention Center. At the time of its execution in 1992, the Long Beach mural was the world’s largest, at 10 stories tall and 1,224 feet in diameter.

These two murals are #31 and # 33, respectively, in a series of 100 “Whaling Walls” painted by artist Robert Wyland over the past three decades. Wyland, who goes by only his last name professionally, began the series on a parking garage wall in Laguna Beach in 1981 (since redone in tile). He finished #100 at the Beijing International Stadium as a lead-in to the Olympic Games in China in 2008.

Wyland, a commercial artist who specializes in whales and marine life, donated all of the Whaling Walls as part of his lifelong mission of raising awareness of the beauty of the ocean and its creatures and the need to preserve them.

Legend has it that the Detroit native first saw the ocean at age 14 on a family trip to Laguna Beach and was so inspired by the sight of migrating whales that he decided to devote his life to studying and creating marine art. He moved to Laguna Beach seven years later and began his career. “I’m trying to paint not only the great whales, but the great spirit they possess,” he has said. “By painting them life-sized in public places, I hope to raise people’s consciousness and get them involved in protecting the whales.    

Wyland donates his public art, but makes a very nice living from his commercial art. He is a SCUBA diver and photographer, as well as painter and sculptor, constantly studying his subjects in their natural environment. Wyland Galleries in Laguna Beach and Hawaii and his online store are sources of whale, dolphin and ocean paintings and photos, and bronze, acrylic and Lucite sculptures.

His brand has been extended into retail merchandising, art distributorships, publishing and apparel, and his business empire is worth millions. Whether it is “serious art” is contested by many critics. But as popular and public art it is accessible and effective: It is estimated that 1 billion people have seen his murals worldwide.

A portion of the profits from his businesses goes to support the Wyland Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting, protecting and preserving oceans, waterways and marine life. In addition to the Whaling Walls that promote awareness, the Foundation also provides educational programs through a marine science and conservation curriculum that reaches millions of students across the country.

Wyland’s images of a whale tail have also been seen on California specialty license plates since 1997, which have been used to fund coastal protection programs. But a recent dispute as to whether the artist had granted free use of these images on a permanent basis resulted in a breakdown of the agreement when the state refused to pay royalties to the Wyland Foundation. Wyland insists that he retains the rights to the art, so California will have to find alternate pictures to adorn their plates from now on.

Wyland had set himself a goal of painting 100 Whaling Walls in 30 years, and since he finished that three years ahead of schedule, he’s on to the next public art project:  100 bronze sea-life sculptures. The first one, in keeping with the Olympic theme “Faster, Higher, Stronger,” was dedicated last July at the Beijing International Sculpture Park.

“Art is a powerful medium,” he told the L.A. Times, “and public art can have a profound impact on educating and inspiring people.

Wyland currently lives in Hawaii.  

Suzanne Ridgway is a freelance writer and regular columnist for Working World and Working Nurse magazines. Suzanne also writes grant proposals for nonprofit organizations and can be reached at suzrdg@earthlink.net.