Lorenz Sonneman
Lorenz Sonneman studied art in Berlin, Germany. Since 2016, he has been based in Palo Alto, working as an artist, illustrator, and muralist. Lorenz typically works with ink and paper, or acrylic and canvas.

“Somewhere in my life I was bound to art. As a kid, I was bored: no TV, no video games… only books and pencils kept me occupied on long, family trips traversing the California wilderness. This gap between earth and civilization has always inspired my work. For me, art reaches deep into the Unknown; where awe and beauty dismantle my own solicited ambitions. My cartoonish abstractions and figures layer upon one another to create discoverable symbolism. I draw references from ancient myths and popular culture in an attempt to reconcile the disparate aspects of our nature. Public works and murals are our chance to face history, to be remembered. My hope is to transform our concrete into color and to elicit in each of us the desire for the epiphytic in an already deciphered world.”

Affiliated Sustainability Program: We are honored to partner with the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. One of Palo Alto's most treasured historic properties, the Gamble Garden features demonstration beds and other gardens that promote sustainability in our suburban area. Of particular note is the Watershed Garden, designed to retain rainwater instead of allowing it to run off to storm drains. The rainwater filters through permeable materials, climate-appropriate plants, and good soil, replenishing the underground aquifers with pollutant-free water. The nearby Rainwater Garden receives captured rainwater from a 260-gallon storage tank, which is also used to water other nearby gardens. The Gamble Garden also features many drought-tolerant and water-wise native plants.