Daddy Long Legs, Aluminum sculpture in downtown Portland, United States.
Daddy Long Legs is a 2006 painted aluminum sculpture by Mel Katz on the Portland Transit Mall at Southwest 6th Avenue and Stark Street. The work is flat, but its painted interior shapes make it appear three-dimensional. Katz named it for the elongated black shapes and welded base plates that recall pant legs.
The piece was created in 2006 through a collaboration between three local firms: BBC Steel handled the laser cutting, Aztec Sign managed the masking, and Dura Industries completed the painting. It became part of the downtown transit art collection and has remained in its location since completion.
Mel Katz named the work for its elongated black shapes and welded base plates, which he likened to pant legs. The painted aluminum piece has been described as "colorful and modern" and appears in at least one published walking tour of Portland.
The sculpture sits at a street corner in downtown and is easily accessible to pedestrians and transit riders. View it from different positions to appreciate how the flat design creates different visual impressions as you walk around it.
The artwork tricks the eye by presenting a completely flat exterior while its interior features painted shapes that create a sense of depth. This play between surface and hidden pattern rewards viewers who take time to walk around and observe it from multiple angles.
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