Roadside Attraction – Sky Art Metal Sculptures at Galleta Meadows Estate – Borrego Valley and Borrego Springs, California

Deep in the heart of the Anza-Borrego Desert of Southern California lies a valley where towering metal sculptures of extinct or fanciful creatures appear to roam, stalk, and do battle. The sculptures are set amidst stark desert beauty, against a stunning backdrop of low rugged mountains.

About 130 life-sized metal sculptures are installed throughout Borrego Valley and Borrego Springs, California. The sculptures are unfenced and accessible to the public in this open-air desert sculpture garden, year-round.

The metal sculptures are the work of talented Southern Californian artist, Ricardo Breceda, of Sky Art Gallery. Most of the sculptures were commissioned and installed on the Galleta Meadows Estate conservatory lands owned by the late Dennis Avery.

The Sky Art sculptures roughly fall into themes, including: art inspired by the history and nature of the Anza-Borrego Desert; art inspired by Fossil Treasures of the Anza Borrego Desert; and art inspired by whimsy and fantasy.

Notable sculptures include a 350-foot long Serpent (Chinese sea serpent with rattlesnake tail); Scorpion and Grasshopper; Spanish Padre and Dog; Migrant Farm Workers; Off-roading Jeep; Colombian Mammoths; Elephants; Gracile Sabertooth Tigers and Extinct Horses; Giant Wind God Bird; Ground Sloths; Tortoises; Big Horn Sheep; Dinosaurs; and many more.

We first visited the Galleta Meadows sculptures in mid-February, 2019, while camping in nearby Shelter Valley. We very much enjoyed our visit and would love to return. This open-air art gallery is a photographer’s dream with seemingly limitless photo opportunities.

Night Photography

Here are a few photos of the sculptures taken at night and illuminated by moonlight and low-level lighting.

Black & White Photos

Here are more photos taken during daytime and converted to black and white, a treatment I think works particularly well for these subjects.

Snapshots

Here are more snapshots from our visit to the sculptures.

Map

Finally, here is a rough map to concentrations of the sculptures in Borrego Springs and around Borrego Valley. Detailed maps and guide books to the Sky Art sculptures are available from various sources online, as well at local visitor centers and establishments around Borrego Springs.