I love this mural!
It’s painted on a wall outside the North Coastal Art Gallery in Carlsbad. Find it tucked away inside the Village Faire mall. The mural is called The Colors of Carlsbad.
Was the super colorful artwork painted by an octopus? No! This mural that celebrates Carlsbad was created by North Coastal Art Gallery artists.
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This exceptional bronze sculpture is titled Contemplation.
The public art stands in a park-like space in front of the Georgina Cole Library in Carlsbad. It’s not far from this bench.
The artist is T.J. Dixon, creator of so many similarly beautiful sculptures in and around San Diego.
Contemplation was dedicated in 2001 as part of the Art in Public Places Program supported by the Carlsbad Arts Commission.
I took these photographs during my visit to the library a couple days ago.
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Two local artists were setting up a new exhibition called Shadows and Petals today. I saw them at work hanging selected pieces in Gallery 21 of Balboa Park’s Spanish Village Art Center.
Both Katarina Keane (@collagebykat) and Kimberly Brunetto (@brunettokim) were very nice, answering a few questions and allowing me to take photographs. They work in collage and mixed media. All of their pieces on display are for sale.
Kimberly describes her mixed media work as abstract expressionism. To me, her pieces convey subtle emotion. Shifts in form and color on certain canvases are like movement through time, through life. Contrasts on canvases can tug at curious eyes and suggest deeper things–an inner life.
She has written: “For me, a shadow is an unrealized part of ourselves that calls to us with longing . . . The petals represent what happens when we finally listen…”
Katarina told me her colorful works have a narrative quality. I noticed many of her collages include written words, almost like poetry. The images and words seem to tell a visual story about a life or a life experience.
Many of her pieces show flowers and vessels. They suggest an inner beauty, or potential beauty, that we all possess.
That’s the way I saw it.
Why don’t you swing by Spanish Village in Balboa Park and experience all this beautiful, subtle art for yourself?
Shadows and Petals will be exhibited in Gallery 21 through October 5, 2026.
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I visited the amazing Buena Vista Audubon Nature Center today in Oceanside and learned they’ll have an art auction on Saturday, October 17 that will raise funds for the local Audubon Society.
Artistic birdhouses and other works of nature-themed art will be auctioned or for sale at the annual fundraiser.
There will be live music, food and drinks at this special event, too.
Very cool! Get some beautiful art while helping efforts to protect the environment!
To learn more, visit the Buena Vista Audubon Society website by clicking here!
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Okay, what’s this all about? A coffee bean smuggler mural in Carlsbad?
Yes! It’s painted on the side of Baba Coffee. As their website explains: Our name was inspired by the 16th-century mystic Baba Budan who heroically introduced the coffee plant to India by smuggling seven raw beans in his beard from Yemen.
The artists who created this unique mural in 2026 are Taylor Gallegos and Kole Trent.
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This amazing mural is a bit hidden in Encinitas. I happened to glimpse it while walking past 687 South Coast Highway.
You can find the colorful artwork near the entrance of Dudek inside the Pacific Station mixed-use development.
The mural was painted by a great local artist, Skye Walker!
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These two shipping containers in Encinitas were painted years ago. For a long time, visitors to Charlie’s Electric Bikes could observe them in the parking lot, behind a bunch of bicycles. That eBike business no longer exists–the building is now home to Charlie’s Electric Studio. The two old containers remain.
The artwork was painted by Encinitas artist Kevin Anderson. Yes, you’ve possibly seen his work all around coastal San Diego North County. Find many of his very beautiful murals by clicking here.
During my recent walk in downtown Encinitas, I crossed the Charlie’s Electric Studio parking lot from South Coast Highway 101 to take these photographs.
You can see how the art has faded over the years, especially on the second shipping container I photographed, which was the first to be painted.
This next shipping container was the first to be painted. It’s the most faded:
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Día de Muertos is coming up at the start of November. Many in San Diego are getting ready.
Fiesta de Reyes in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park has already set up their many different, very colorful Catrinas. But one in particular is pretty spectacular!
This large Catrina has been erected at the Fiesta de Reyes stage. I saw her today during a walk around Old Town.
She seems to stand in an arbor made of marigolds, with giant red roses on either side…
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Yōkai are supernatural beings and spirits from Japanese folklore, and they’ve gathered in San Diego’s Balboa Park!
Yōkai: Stories and Imagination is a community art exhibit now showing at the Japanese Friendship Garden and Museum.
Artists were invited to submit their interpretation of Japanese yokai for this exhibition. These original works can be viewed in both the Upper Garden Gallery and the Lower Garden’s Inamori Pavilion.
Yōkai include shapeshifters, ghosts, demons, and tricksters. They can be mischievous, helpful, or malevolent, often appearing as animal-like figures, possessed objects, or humanoids. They embody the mysterious and uncanny aspects of nature and human emotions.
Check out a few examples that I photographed.
I’ve always enjoyed this type of artwork. It can be wild, weird, fierce and unsettling. Mysterious forces in our world are often portrayed in human or animal form–familiar figures that we emotionally understand.
It would be interesting to compare yokai to deities and characters from the mythologies of other cultures.
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At old Naval Training Center San Diego, you might not expect to see pigs, a duck and a hamburger placed on a fountain. Well, that’s what you’ll find at Liberty Station in Point Loma!
The old Navy base is now home to many artist studios and tons of public art. I found this rather unusual public art while walking around the other day!
The fountain is titled Fuente Fantasma. It was created last year by Ensenada artist Beliz Iristay.
According to a nearby sign, the fantastic fountain showcases the complex layering of the region that is Tijuana and San Diego with the juxtaposition of the traditional border craft industry in rich layering along with an architectural element, the fountain, a fitting symbol for San Diego’s Spanish heritage.
Well, that may be, but I simply like the fun, whimsical quality of the thing!
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