Where the Golden Things Grow
A diptych of permanent public street murals commissioned by the City of Mountain View's public art program.
Street shot of the first mural, depicting California golden poppies. Located on Castro Street in downtown Mountain View.
Key details
Client/commissioning organization
City of Mountain View Visual Arts Committee
Dates
Completed May 2026
Location
Castro Street, Mountain View, California
Dimensions
Two spherical bollards, each approximately 4 ft in diameter (4 x 4 x 4 ft)
Medium and materials
Exterior paint on primed concrete bollards with an anti-graffiti protective coating
Role
Responsible for concept and design, proposal and presentation, painting, first layer of protective coating, project coordination, and installation.
Where the Golden Things Grow is a diptych of permanent murals displayed on street safety bollards, commissioned by the City of Mountain View's public art program. The murals transform two functional concrete bollards into small visual landmarks, bringing California’s ecology into downtown Mountain View through bright colors and approachable illustration.
The two compositions function as a pair while giving each bollard its own identity. One depicts golden poppies, California’s state flower, and the other follows a school of golden trout, California’s state freshwater fish. Painted directional signs point toward several of my favorite places in Mountain View, so the bollards also provide playful wayfinding. Their dimensional, street-level format encourages children and other pedestrians to look at the art from multiple sides and interact with the work—when I was painting, dozens of kids stopped to watch, sometimes for upwards of 30 minutes! I also chose durable painting materials and sealer, so that the bollards can last through stormy weather and children climbing on top.
By bringing native plants and animals into the artwork, I wanted these murals to encourage viewers to notice the natural life connected to their local neighborhood.
Street shot of the second mural, depicting golden trout—California's state freshwater fish. Located on Castro Street in downtown Mountain View.
My very first concept sketches for the two murals. Later, I decided to move away from this more detailed rendering style and opt for bolder, cleaner outlines that would be easier to read from afar, but I still love the feel of these!
Final round of sketches. The "feel" of the concept is much closer to the final mural, and I pinned down which paint colors to use.
Once the site was ready in spring 2026, I had a two-week window to complete both bollards. I finished within that window while working around alternating rain and a heat wave, and traveling from a weekday job in San Francisco to paint on weekends!