A puzzling change

This may sound like a kindergartner's exercise but what's the difference in these two photos?

The top pic shows a public art piece erected in 1995 near Office Max on Foothill Boulevard. The bottom pic was taken this week showing the same art piece repainted.

Few would notice the new paint job, especially without the photo showing the original colors to compare it to. But at least one person noticed -- Don Wakefield, the artist himself.

"Basically, they destroyed the original," said Wakefield about his piece "The Never-ending Puzzle." Wakefield, whose name appears on the lower right puzzle piece, wasn't consulted about the paint job.

A close look at the art piece, one can see paint dripping from one color to another.

"It just feels insulting," Wakefield said.

It appears to be a simple mistake. The shopping center just east of the Terra Vista Town Center has changed ownership since the art piece was made. Diane Iversen of Glacier Peak Management Services, which manages the center, said she did not have Wakefield's information.

"It was not intentional," she said. "I wish we had all of his information."

Iversen said she welcomes a proposal from Wakefield to correct the situation and is waiting for his reply.