Pacifica
Constructed by renown artist and sculptor Ralph Stackpole, the mysterious Pacifica was an enigma to many. Where did her ethnic features come from? What nationality could she claim? Was she a goddess? And what did she stand for?
The answers, according to Stackpole, are left up to the “Pacific spirit” of the observer.
Construction of Pacifica
The statue itself took over 2 years to make, starting out as a 3 inch figure. Mr Stackpole eventually went through 50 renditions before coming to the final figure, a 10-foot working model. The model was then divided into cross sections. Each cross section was enlarged eight-fold though a process using a pantograph.
Scaffolding was set up and prepared for the precise assembly of the enlarged sections. Iron was used for supports, bent and shaped around the proper contours of the statue. Next, mesh wire was layered over the entire iron frame, and then covered in a final blanket of plaster
Such a construction was always meant for temporary placement. But Mr. Stackpole later proposed a more permanent statue by made – using steel, stone or concrete – and placed prominently at another Bay Area location. Unfortunately, no one took him up on that idea….until NOW!
