PLAZA ART DEBATE GOES ON; RESIDENT'S MURAL PROPOSALS COULD REVISE COPPER CURTAIN PLAN.

Byline: Sonia Giordani Daily News Staff Writer

When the city voted last month to add an abstract rendition of an oak tree to the Copper Curtain, locals prayed that the long-running debate over the public artwork would finally be resolved - for better or worse.

But computer software consultant Glen Sievertson wants the discussion to continue long enough for residents to consider his ideas for making the Civic Arts Plaza sculpture more appealing. The 14-year resident recently scanned a photograph of the local tree-studded hills into his computer, fooled around with the image, and came up with four designs that he wants the public to judge.

``These are the first designs that I've seen that would help make that towering building fade a little bit into the natural landscape,'' said Councilwoman Elois Zeanah, who tonight will propose that the City Council hold another vote on the Copper Curtain modification - and that Sievertson's designs be included.

Earlier this year, a panel of local artists appointed to recommend how to enhance the original design presented three options prepared by Westlake Village architect Francisco Behr. Each option featured a different silhouette of an oak tree branch.

More than 1,300 residents recorded their preference in a two-week phone poll, with a majority showing support for an upward-thrusting branch.

But tonight, Zeanah hopes to convince her council colleagues that residents should have a chance to vote again - this time with Sievertson's design offering a less abstract depiction that could be painted as a mural.

For Councilwoman Judy Lazar, however, the proposal would cancel out the work done by the artists' panel - a serious decision for council members to make. For months, the group considered various possibilities and arrived at Behr's three designs.

``The other, more traditional designs were not necessarily compatible in style to the Civic Arts Plaza,'' said Lazar. Behr's designs appeared to offer a fair compromise incorporating the traditional image of an oak tree into a more abstract rendition to match the building's architecture.

Still, Sievertson said he hopes his designs are not disqualified simply for their tardiness.

``The three options (already considered) for one thing were not really options. All three were very similar. It was like offering citizens rutabaga, rutabaga or rutabaga,'' he said.

He said his options offer designs for a mural on the Civic Arts Plaza's eastern wall that would appear to blend in with the area's rolling hillsides.

Behr said he would not be averse to another vote if better artistic renderings came along, although he does not consider Sievertson's work to be art.

``If something was proposed that was unique or spectacular artwork, then it would be worth another vote. But this is the kind of thing that can be done with a software program,'' said Behr.

``If people actually feel these proposals warrant another vote, I will be worried - but not about the piece. I'll be worried about the community and how it selects art,'' he said.

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PHOTO (1-4--Color) Glen Sievertson has crafted four mural proposals, posted on a Web site, he wants considered as options for the Copper Curtain revision project.