PUBLIC ART – Bo Bridges ‘Midnight Blues’ mural unveiled on City Hall
by Mark McDermott
Photography has taken Bo Bridges to many of the world’s most beautiful places among some of the world’s most spectacular athletes. He has been in a 100 ft. wave with Garrett Mcnamara in Nazare, Portugal, alongside Kelly Slater in Teahupoo, on the sidelines with Tom Brady, and Rocky Mountains backcountry with Shaun White, Tommy Moe, and Lindsey Vonn.
But his work always brought him back to his adopted hometown of Manhattan Beach, where two decades ago the man once described by a national magazine as “the Indiana Jones of action sports photography” settled down and made a stand, marrying the love of his life, Susan, raising three kids, Kai, Tosh, and Shea, and eventually opening up his own gallery in the heart of town.
And so when the City of Manhattan Beach asked him to install a mural on the side of City Hall three years ago, it meant as much to Bridges as any assignment he’d ever taken on. That mural, a massively iconic photograph of the Manhattan Beach pier titled “Midnight Blues,” was unveiled last Tuesday at a ceremony led by Mayor Richard Montgomery.
“If anyone had asked me 25 years ago what I was going to do with my photography career — I’d never have described something like this,” Bridges said. “What a massive honor and I’m humbled by the entire support of the community that surrounds us and has supported us from Day 1….I couldn’t have picked a better and more supporting city to share my work with.”
‘Midnight Blues’ under construction. Photo by Mark Chopper
The mural, a photo Bridges took in the predawn hours on a morning in March 2010, was emblazoned across aluminum sheet panels.
“It was one of those rare days when the Pacific was calm and the full moon had just set but the sun was still below the horizon in the east,” Bridges said.
The project took longer than expected to complete. The mural, which spans 100 ft. by 22 ft. across the southern-facing wall of City Hall, was first conceived in 2018. The project was first delayed by the pandemic, and then last winter’s weather slowed its completion since Bridges needed five straight days with no wind and rain.
Bridges said the site was inherently challenging.
“The side of the City Hall building was a difficult wall to work with. It is very long and not that tall,” he said. “We needed to find a panoramic image that would fit the empty canvas provided. I loved the idea of putting a bright Blues image across that space that would reflect on the library windows across from it. I pulled about five images from my library and mocked them up to share with the city as options. Ultimately we landed on ‘Midnight Bluess’ for its striking color palette, The angle of the pier and the direction of the wall we were putting the image on along with the composition — they all just worked together.”
Montgomery said the wait was worth it. The mayor said that when he first saw the finished project, he was nearly speechless.
“Three words — wow, wow, wow!” Montgomery said. “Although it took three years to make it happen, thank god that Bo Bridges stuck with us. It was definitely worth the wait. We are truly blessed to have Bo’s talent In our backyard.”
Bridges said the timing ended up oddly perfect, because his gallery on Manhattan Avenue, which offers custom-sized and limited edition pieces intended for homes and offices, is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. It’s also the year his oldest boy will depart the nest, heading off for college. Bridges has been thinking about how he was inspired to follow his own passions back when he was a teenager, and the journey that led to this moment.
“I’d like to dedicate ‘Midnight Blues’ to all the families and mostly the kids that will question, modify, and learn to navigate this wild world we live in,” Bridges said. “Keep growing, learning, and being creative in everything you do in life. Work hard at what you love and you will be greatly rewarded.
But don’t take everything so seriously. Keep your priorities in line with what makes you happy.”
For more information see BoBridges.com. ER