Decorative Concrete Murals
Cast-in-place decorative concrete murals along the San Tomas Aquino/Saratoga Creek Trail in Santa Clara County, California.

Watch the podcast about this concrete mural by Linda Patterson.

Artist and designer Linda Patterson of Newark, Calif., created 15 cast-in-place relief murals — 2, 136 linear feet in all — to adorn underpasses along the 12.8-mile San Tomas Aquino/Saratoga Creek Trail in Santa Clara County, Calif. The $22 million recreational trail passes beneath state highways, rail corridors, expressways and city streets.

The murals are 12 feet wide and vary in height from 2 feet to 6 ½ feet. Patterson first sculpted each mural in clay with 1 ½-inch relief.

When the artwork was complete, form liner-manufacturer Scott System, Denver, Colo., used liquid urethane to create elastomeric form liners from the sculpted clay. The form liners were then attached to boards and shipped back to Santa Clara, where contractor J.J. Albanese Construction poured the concrete in place for the retaining walls.

The murals are representative of the flora and fauna found in the area, and all the animals and birds are full size.