LEGENDS mural in downtown San Diego. Don’t kill Sean Bean!
A couple blocks from downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter, a huge painted mural on the side of a building depicts actor Sean Bean holding a gun and the Twitter hashtag #DontKillSeanBean. This eye-catching public artwork was created during the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con to promote the upcoming TNT television spy thriller LEGENDS.
Poor Sean Bean never seems to survive his roles. Many of his fans are hoping he makes it through this series. He has died over twenty times onscreen.
Some of his more notable deaths?
Shot through with Uruk-hai orc arrows as Boromir in Lord of the Rings.
Falling from and then crushed by a huge antenna structure as Agent 006 in Goldeneye.
Impaled by an anchor and then blown up during a boat chase in Patriot Games.
Chased off a cliff by a rampaging herd of cows in The Field.
Shot through the neck by a grappling hook and then hung in The Island.
Beheaded as Eddard Stark in the first season of Game of Thrones.
Better luck this time around, Mr. Bean!
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L. Frank Baum wrote many fantastic, very popular children’s books.
The Coronado Public Library is featuring a world-class exhibit of Oz art and artifacts this month! Two huge glass cases full of books and collectibles and a large wall display of original graphic art are alive with the beloved characters that populate author L. Frank Baum’s fantasy land of Oz. The artwork, toys, figures and other cool stuff have been assembled from several important Oz collections, and made available to the viewing public during Oz Con International.
I’d like to share a few photos that I took!
Eisner Award-winning Eric Shanower’s graphic novels.Oz collectibles and artifacts in many languages on display.First edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz used by a Dorothy actress.Oz books and cool stuff in an exhibit at the Coronado Public Library.Colorful panels of Oz art catch the eye of library visitors.Troll Queen original comic art from Shanower’s The Forgotten Forest of Oz.More artwork based on the fairy tale creations of L. Frank Baum.Scarecrow and Tin Woodman among many characters in the collection.This Wicked Witch is cooking up trouble!
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El Cid sculpture in Balboa Park, by artist Anna Hyatt Huntington.
Near the center of Balboa Park, between the San Diego Museum of Art and the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, you’ll find a 23-foot high bronze statue of El Cid. The legendary hero of Spain is mounted on his horse Babieca and proudly holds a spear and shield.
The striking sculpture is formally called El Cid Campeador and was created in 1927 by Anna Hyatt Huntington, a famous American sculptor who during her life won numerous awards and commissions. Most known for her lifelike animal sculptures, she is remembered for being the first woman to create a public monument in New York City. Her Joan of Arc was also New York City’s first monument dedicated to a female historical figure.
Anna Hyatt Huntington was married to Archer Milton Huntington, a wealthy philanthropist and art enthusiast, who founded The Hispanic Society of America. He made the very first contribution to the nearby San Diego Museum of Art, in the form of the painting María at La Granja, by famed Spanish post-impressionist painter Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida.
The El Cid in Balboa Park is one of several identical statues. The original stands in front of the Hispanic Society in New York City. Other copies stand in Seville, San Francisco, and Buenos Aires.
It seems that when the statue was installed in Balboa Park in 1930, there was a good deal of public comment about the horse’s unsightly posterior, and a debate over the direction it should face! To the relief of many, the horse’s rear end faces away from the central square and nearby buildings!
A much smaller horse sculpture by Anna Hyatt Huntington can be enjoyed a short distance to the north of El Cid, right next to the San Diego Museum of Art. It’s called Youth Taming the Wild.
El Cid Campeador, presented by the Hispanic Society of America in 1930.El Cid, with Balboa Park’s House of Hospitality in the background.East side of El Cid. The Mingei Museum is in background.Balboa Park’s free shuttle passes the El Cid statue on a sunny day.
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Sorolla and America special exhibit at San Diego Museum of Art.
Light is the physical means by which my eyes see. But I often don’t see true light.
Light is a mixture of myriad colors. But I often don’t see those many colors.
Yesterday I was struck by a few small touches of rare light. My eyes widened with astonishment during a few joyful, delicious moments of revelation.
I was very fortunate and privileged to be a given a special tour of the amazing Sorolla exhibition at the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park. Catherine Jones, a docent at the museum, provided an excellent introduction to the light-dabbed paintings of a very important artist that the world has often overlooked.
Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida was a Spanish post-Impressionist painter who won several major art awards and popular fame while he lived, but who soon became forgotten with the advent of the modern abstract movement in the early twentieth century. His stylistically varied and often unusually angled images contain applications of light like I’ve never before seen. Bits of reflection and exquisite luster, and sheens of revealed color, pulled me into a world where the true essence of a subject seems to shine out like magic, but in a very natural way.
I could have gazed at his emotionally stirring, always fascinating paintings for the entire day!
María at La Granja, courtesy San Diego Museum of Art.
The above painting, María at La Granja, was painted by Sorolla in 1907. In it you can see Sorolla’s famous application of light. The piece was donated to the San Diego Museum of Art in 1925 by Archer Huntington, philanthropist and founder of The Hispanic Society of America. The very first work of art to enter the collection, today María at La Granja is probably the most recognized image in the entire museum.
Joaquin Sorolla’s Portrait of President Taft, courtesy of Wikipedia.
Joaquin Sorolla’s Portrait of President Taft was commissioned by the president in 1909. It is one of many canvases in a special exhibit at the San Diego Museum of Art assembled from museums throughout the world. Most of Sorolla’s important works are present, including Another Marguerite (1892), which was awarded a gold medal at the National Exhibition in Madrid and first prize at the Chicago International Exhibition, and Sad Inheritance (1899), which was awarded the Grand Prix and a medal of honor at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900, and the medal of honor at the National Exhibition in Madrid in 1901.
The two paintings that I’ve posted here hardly do justice to the full range of Sorolla’s splendor. His sun-splashed scenes of beach life in Valencia, his diverse and stunning portraits, his detailed scenes of life in Spain, all the essence and astonishing light that he captured, must be experienced firsthand to be most fully appreciated.
These works by Sorolla are on display for a limited time at the San Diego Museum of Art. If you can, you really should go see them! The special exhibition ends August 26, 2014.
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Two of three Bart Club utility boxes at Eighth Avenue and G Street.
At the corner of Eighth Avenue and G Street in downtown San Diego you’ll find the Bart Club. At this location, three utility boxes have been painted with whimsical versions of Bart Simpson’s iconic television cartoon face!
Street artists are openly encouraged to make their own contributions of Bart art.
Here are some images that I recently captured…
Bart Club on San Diego street corner has fun with Simpsons character.Bart Simpson looking like a yellow cactus.Bart now has become a banana.Bart Club features many crazy images.Another odd Bart Simpson on a utility box.The many fun faces of Bart Simpson.Another side of one utility box.Imagination run amok!Bart’s unique spiky hair seems plant-like.Pop culture street art in San Diego.Artists are encouraged to contribute!
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Funny Minion Captain America greets San Diego Comic-Con visitors!
I spotted some evil, scheming Minions in East Village during the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con. They were impersonating famous superheroes!
These cartoons painted on the windows of the Tilted Kilt were just plain silly, so I had to share them!
A truly despicable Minion tries acting like Superman for a change.A Minion was spotted in San Diego stuck on a window like Spiderman.Those are mighty big claws for a yellow single-celled organism!Minion impersonates Wonder Woman at the Tilted Kilt in East Village.Two eager Minions try against all odds to duplicate the Dynamic Duo.
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Front entrance of Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park.
Like the nearby WorldBeat Center, the Centro Cultural de la Raza is housed in a colorful old water tower in Balboa Park. Its huge mural draws the attention of those heading up Park Boulevard, just north of downtown San Diego.
Centro Cultural de la Raza is a cultural center with an emphasis on Chicano, Mexican, Indigenous and Latino art. It hosts many exhibits and artistic performances throughout the year. Ballet Folklorico dancing is one of the educational classes that are available.
I walked around the building and took a bunch of photos of the huge public mural!
Starting around the old water tower, checking out the artwork.Centro Cultural de la Raza seen from Park Boulevard.Snake-entwined female in front of glowing moon.Diverse images from Latino culture in the richly detailed mural.A kneeling Geronimo crowned by a radiant sun.Hispanic music, education and optimism are portrayed.Colorful mural contains many animals from the Americas.A ram and corn are among the many images.Circling around toward back of the water tower.Mesoamerican pyramid in a beautifully painted scene.Stylized ancient face watches from Centro Cultural de la Raza.Latino family stands proudly in the San Diego mural.Eyes seem to rise out of the ground.Nearby utility box made into a work of art.This crazy face made me laugh.This appears to be an Aztec warrior.
UPDATE!
When I posted these photos, I really didn’t know much about the mural. After doing some online research, I’ve learned the 240 by 18 feet mural was painted by nine artists, each responsible for a section. The mural painting project was headed by Antonia Perez. The Geronimo artwork was the work of Victor Ochoa, one of the co-founders of El Centro Cultural de la Raza in 1970.
Here are additional photos I took in early 2021, with a better camera under brighter light conditions…
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Ocean Riders bronze sculpture by Wyland has three dolphins.
Imperial Beach is in many ways a typical Southern California beach community. The Pacific Ocean and surfing are dominant themes. You see it in the local culture; you see it just about everywhere you turn.
The above photo is of a very cool sculpture just steps from the beach, in Imperial Beach’s Dunes Park. Ocean Riders, dedicated in 1996, was created by Wyland, a famous environmental artist who is known worldwide for his graceful depictions of marine animals.
Utility box on Seacoast Drive shows girl playing in the sand.Sea and Sky sculpture by Ken Smith.
The above sculpture can be found adjacent to the beach a short distance north of the Imperial Beach pier. In 2009, it was part of an Urban Trees exhibition along San Diego’s Embarcadero.
Fantastic mermaid and shark street mural in Imperial Beach.
This mural represents typical Imperial Beach street art. I found this on the side of a building on Palm Avenue.
Surfboard sculpture in outdoor museum.
You see in this pic one of 25 surfboard sculptures placed along Palm Avenue between 3rd Street and Seacoast Drive. They belong to The Imperial Beach Outdoor Surfboard Museum and represent the history of surfboard design dating from ancient times to 1985.
Shiny metal sculpture of abstract surfer on Palm Avenue.Cool surfboard rack on a bicycle near the beach!
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Mural in Old Town alley depicts explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo.
I was wandering aimlessly around Old Town some time ago, just poking my nose here and there, when I discovered a whole bunch of beautiful murals! I found them in an interesting alley off San Diego Avenue, just south of the State Historic Park. The alley, a narrow walkway containing a variety of touristy wares, is called Avila Court. It’s tucked between the Old Town Surf Co. and Covered Wagon stores.
After looking at the artwork closely and talking to a lady working in the area, I learned most of the murals were painted by students from Grossmont College out in East County. Further research on the internet showed that there were originally ten murals, created in 2008, decorating over 85 feet of stucco wall. It’s apparent some of the murals were redone or altered in 2011.
Most of the murals depict people or places that are important in San Diego’s history. Those of you who follow my blog will probably recognize many!
Image of Charles Lindbergh and Spirit of St. Louis.
Lindbergh’s famous airplane that crossed the Atlantic, the Spirit of St. Louis, was custom-built in San Diego by Ryan Airline Company.
Native American with flower at night painted in rich colors.Hotel del Coronado, buildings and beach scene.Day of the Dead skeleton in front of the Whaley House.Tuna fishermen and whale fluke off Coronado.Navy ship, huge surf and Mission San Diego.Mural shows an American tall ship in San Diego Bay.
I’m not sure who the whiskered military person is. If anyone out there knows, please tell us!
A combination of various old historic buildings.Point Loma lighthouse shines over Pacific Ocean.Tuna cannery worker and a Little Italy fisherman.Star of India tied to dock at Embarcadero.This part of one mural contains a gray whale.Sepia tone World War II era figures stand by old car.Seals, flowers and carrying cattle hides from a beach.Many murals were painted by Grossmont College students.
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Large cow stands in front of Coronado ice cream shop.
Mosey along Orange Avenue on the island of Coronado and you’ll be confronted by extraordinary things. You’ll probably run into a large cow. Or Elvis standing on the sidewalk, or a scaly, fantastic dragon. Or colorful ribbons of music. Or beautifully painted canvases by local artists in a public park.
Here are random pics of fun art that I’ve spotted…
Moo Time Creamery features an Elvis on the sidewalk.Coronado hot dog pours ketchup on itself!Checking out creative artwork for sale in Coronado’s Spreckels Park.Playful tile mural on a Spreckels Park restroom.Ribbon of music shown moving both old and young.Tile mosaic on park restroom shows lively musicians.Big dragon stands in front of the Coronado Public Library. Imagine Dragon, by artist Kent Kraber, 2008. This fun sculpture was originally part of an Urban Trees exhibition along San Diego’s Embarcadero.Head of fantastic dragon sculpture faces Orange Avenue.
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Cool San Diego Sights! 