A metal sculpture depicting oak leaves blowing in the wind could greet visitors entering Oak Harbor from the north along Highway 20 in the near future.

The Oak Harbor Arts Commission is recommending the city council approve the purchase of the sculpture, which is 42 feet long and 15 feet tall and features six 5-foot-tall oak leaves.

Cost would be $42,000.

The commission would like the piece, which would be created by the Bellingham architectural firm of Archetectual Elements, to be installed near 4th Avenue along Highway 20 near the entrance of the Oak Harbor Farmers Market. A chainlink fence might have to be moved to make way for the piece.

City engineers are trying to determine if the location rests in the state highway right of way and whether the artwork in that spot might pose an issue with sightlines, said Skip Pohtilla, chairman of the arts commission.

Pohtilla said he likes the spot because it allows the art to serve as sort of a gateway to the city.

“It’s a sculpture that does (justice to) Oak Harbor because it’s oak leaves,” Pohtilla said.

Oak Harbor’s public art collection is expected to grow by four new pieces over the next several months.

The “oak leaves” piece is one of three different projects the arts commission has in various stages of development.

The Barringtons, a sculpture of two of Oak Harbor’s early pioneers, is a piece being donated by Wayne Lewis that was endorsed by the City Council earlier this month and is awaiting bronzing before it can be installed on Pioneer Way.

The city agreed to match a $6,000 donation to cover bronzing and installation costs.

The main holdup is the warm weather, according to Pohtilla.

Lewis would like to wait for cooler weather to take the soft clay piece to an Oregon foundry for bronzing, he said.

“The clay may not make it down there intact,” Pohtilla said. “That’s what he’s worried about.”

Another art project, which hasn’t been presented to the city council yet, involves two kinetic art sculptures in a joint project with Skagit Valley College’s Oak Harbor campus. One of the pieces would stand on campus grounds while another would rest on city property. The college also is purchasing a third piece of the moving art.

The arts commission voted in June to recommend to the City Council the purchase of the two pieces, which will cost $13,400.

Art projects in Oak Harbor are funded through a 0.25 percent utility tax on water, sewer and garbage.

Pohtilla said the college is expected to install its artwork this summer. He said that if the city council agrees to the purchase of the two other pieces, it would take only weeks to get the artwork installed.