Ever wonder who sculpted that giant naked
woman sleeping at the foot of the Bon Air
Shopping Center and Sir Francis Drake in
Greenbrae? His name is Dennis Patton and
he's been creating large-scale pieces of art in
Marin for about 30 years. You may be familiar
with some of his other work including the giant
Don Quixote of the Seventies, the Buckaloo
Flats in Greenbrae, and Sir Francis Drake near
Larkspur Landing. I sat down to talk with him a
little about his memories of Marin during the
Sixties:
JASON: So, what's changed the most about
Marin since the Sixties?
DENNIS: Back in the Sixties, we were all
adamant about saving West Marin. But 30
years later, we can see that West Marin has a
few more expensive houses here and a few
more over there. Little by little, its dairy and
rancher-oriented beauty is being pock-marked
with HUGE expensive homes. For me, I look at
huge homes and I say "You don't need them, I
don't care who you are." It's all just ego to build
a 70 story rambling edifice to show the world
how wealthy you are."
JASON: What brought you to Marin and when?
DENNIS: One of the magical parts of my Marin
experience was that I was only going to be here
for two weeks in 1964 to visit my parents who
had moved from Orange County and opened a
picture framing store in Larkspur. When I got to
Marin, I was knocked out at how many
wonderful things were happening all in one
place.
One of the great things about Marin was that it
helped my parents grow as people. They were
from Iowa. Within three years they had
ascended so much into the realm of what Marin
can give you -- they had black friends, gay
friends...they had to let go of all of their hatreds.
My father HATED bankers but after a few years
in Marin his best friend was a Banker. I
watched my parents grow so much in this place
which I recognized as a Free Zone for
intellectual and spiritual advancement.
The thing I like about Marin as opposed to the
Midwest is that in the Midwest, they think
regionally. In Marin, we think Internationally.
And even beyond that, there are a lot of people
in Marin who are thinking Cosmically.
JASON: So then was your artistic career actually inspired by the county?
DENNIS: No. I was young and I made that sculpture (Trojan Horse made of
driftwood) because there was nothing else to do that day.
To learn more about Dennis Patton, visit his website HERE.
