About this Sculpture

Walnut Creek’s natural setting inspired Brad Oldham and Christy Coltrin’s The Bee Effect. “The physical location is where we start and end our work,” they say. Here, they found the California poppy, the state flower, blooming over the hills. They imagine a poppy seed borne on the wind from the direction of Mt. Diablo. It takes root here and bursts forth into of vibrantly colored blooms nurtured by hard-working bees.

The sculpture includes both blooming flowers and seed pods. It is designed for visual intrigue and impact from a distance as well as close up. Pedestrians can interact with the piece by viewing the outsized bees pollinating the flowers and glimpsing sunlight and sky through the “sky tubes” (viewing holes) in the petals of the blossoms as they walk underneath. They can take selfies with the reflective surfaces.

Three poppy flowers (12-17 feet high) and two pods (8-10 feet high) rise from three 12-inch-high concrete platforms. They dwarf the viewer up close, and are large and bold enough to create a strong presence for those driving by. 

About the Artists

Nationally recognized sculptors Brad Oldham and Christy Coltrin, who are married, live and work in Dallas, Texas. They have collaborated at Brad Oldham Sculpture since 2007 and have completed over 30 commissions and public art projects in the United States and Canada. 

Location: On the southwest corner of California Blvd and Pringle Ave in Downtown Walnut Creek, CA

Image Credit: Brad Oldham and Cristy Coltrin, The Bee Effect, stainless steel, 2022. Photo courtesy of Shaun Roberts.