Tag: art

JOURNEYworm takes form at San Diego High School!

The JOURNEYworm appears to be taking form along Park Boulevard in front of San Diego High School. I saw it today during my walk from Balboa Park to downtown!

This temporary art installation will be one segment of the completed 1.7 mile long Bay to Park Paseo, a special corridor that is being created to celebrate the designation of San Diego/Tijuana as World Design Capital 2024. Here’s a page that describes the Bay to Park Paseo.

The JOURNEYworm is described as an arc-shaped sculpture, assembled from screens and wires, to evoke the shapes of our region–ocean waves, desert canyons, and gabled roofs…At night, JOURNEYworm will come alive…it will change colors and blast pulses of light in response to ambient sounds and music played by passersby…

I noticed many transparent fabrics moving in the wind among the eucalyptus trees. Curling together, with clouds and blue sky behind, they can create some very beautiful effects, as you can see!

I can’t really envision how the JOURNEYworm will finally appear. I intend to take more photos as the worm turns and develops!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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The annual Small Image Show in Balboa Park.

If you love great art, and you’ve never experienced the annual Small Image Show in Balboa Park’s Spanish Village Art Center, you’re missing out!

In 2024 this popular event is celebrating its 48th anniversary. Small works of art by about a hundred artists from all around San Diego County fill the walls of Gallery 21. You’ll find juried paintings, sculptures, and works in other media. The pieces are so small that dozens cover almost every wall, competing for your attention. There are many bold colors and beautifully detailed images. A few tiny pieces appeared to have been created using a magnifying glass!

When I visited today, a couple of very friendly artists were greeting everyone who entered the gallery. They are happy to answer any questions.

The exhibition is free, the art is for sale, and Gallery 21 is open 11 am to 4 pm every day. The 48th Annual Small Image Show continues through February 25.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Cool photo memories from February 2019.

A new month! Time to revisit a few blog posts from five years ago!

Back in February 2019–which feels like yesterday–I posted hundreds of fun photos on Cool San Diego Sights.

For one, there was that unusual truck you see above. And there was much more unique art, from Del Mar to Pacific Beach, Hillcrest to downtown. And beautiful vistas from atop Mount Soledad. Not to mention cool events in Balboa Park, and at what would become the future Comic-Con Museum!

For your enjoyment, I’ve selected a few of my blog posts from five years ago.

Click the following links for lots of colorful photos…

An amazing Sunset Seat on the cliffs of Del Mar.

Photos of elevated trolley line construction.

Utopian and dystopian Futures Past and Present.

Festivals, fun and blossoms in Balboa Park!

Fun art outside The New Children’s Museum!

Donald Duck comes to life at Comic-Con Museum!

Ceramic faces express humanity and heart.

A vibrant Color Story at San Diego History Center.

Amazing vistas atop Mount Soledad.

That big bronze pelican in Pacific Beach!

Star Wars at future Comic-Con Museum!

Three cool murals in Hillcrest by Fizix!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

More positive murals by students in Escondido!

When I returned to Washington Park in Escondido yesterday, I noticed that four more positive murals have been painted by local students on two of the community center buildings. Click here to see the murals I found during my walk through Washington Park last spring.

Here’s a great article that concerns these four new murals. They were painted later in 2023 by Del Lago Academy students in teacher Sudi Memarzadeh’s class.

I like how, in the first two photos, young human figures are together covering over hurtful words. Goodbye loner, poor, hate and ugly. Hello bright, positive colors!

The next mural honors Mahsa Amini and the women’s freedom movement in Iran…

Women, Life, Freedom.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Newly painted panel in Oceanside’s Artist Alley!

A long panel was painted for Oceanside’s outdoor Artist Alley last year. Check it out!

A variety of artists applied their creativity, filling the panel with life and color. There must have been a special 2023 event during which this panel was painted. You can see some artist signatures. Not all of the works have been completed. Leave a comment if you know more about this.

I happened to see this new artwork today during a long, meandering Oceanside walk.

After I’ve strolled through Artist Alley the past few years, I’ve posted photographs here (where you can read more about the alley) and here and here. Some of the art has changed over time.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Beautiful, mysterious art of Korea in Color!

The San Diego Museum of Art is presently home to a very special exhibition. It’s titled Korea in Color: A Legacy of Auspicious Images.

My docent friend provided an excellent tour of fifty Korean masterpieces that were created during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many artists are represented and the styles are diverse.

The exhibition emphasizes the use of color in Korean painting. Polychrome painting (chaesaekhwa) flourished for half a millennium during Korea’s long Joseon dynasty. Many of the amazing colors you’ll see in these more contemporary pieces will cause you to stand and stare!

Four overarching themes in five museum galleries represent ideas that have been historically prominent in Korean culture: the protection against evil spirits provided by guardian animals; the symbols of abundance and longevity that are found in nature; the value of scholarly objects and books; and the unique appreciation of mountain landscapes.

The artwork–whether religious or secular–is complex and often mysterious. Looking closely, visitors to the exhibition will spy surprising, tiny details that compound the possible meaning and effect produced by each work. Some of the works are intricately beautiful. Others are disturbing. Some of the symbolism can be perplexing. That’s art.

If you pay a visit to the museum, make sure to enjoy a tour led by a docent. Much of this astonishing artwork might not be easily understood or appreciated by those (like me) who know little about Korean history, geography and culture. Once you view these fine works, you’ll certainly have a greater appreciation of this great big world we live in!

If you’d like to view some fantastic art, visit the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park before the exhibition ends on March 3, 2024.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Year of Dragon mural coming to Little Saigon!

A large Year of the Dragon mural is now being painted in the heart of San Diego’s Little Saigon!

Thao Huynh French has begun creating this street art, which will be located at El Cajon Boulevard and Menlo Avenue, across from Sin Lee Food and the oft-photographed Little Saigon postcard mural.

I happened to noticed this nascent artwork as I walked in east San Diego this morning.

The Year of the Dragon, according to the Chinese zodiac, begins February 10, 2024. A number of festivals will be held around San Diego. I plan to visit one or two!

Next time I walk this way I hope to capture cool photos of this Year of the Dragon mural, finally completed.

If you want to see another incredible mural by the same artist, which was painted a couple years ago on Menlo Avenue north of El Cajon Boulevard, click here!

UPDATE!

To see the completed mural, which is utterly awesome, click here!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Bay to Park Paseo arriving in San Diego!

An epic art project along Park Boulevard has begun to take form in downtown San Diego!

The Bay to Park Paseo is a planned 1.7 mile walking experience that will connect San Diego Bay to Balboa Park. The massive, temporary art installation is being created by local artists and designers, to celebrate the selection of San Diego/Tijuana as World Design Capital 2024!

Today I noticed one section of the Bay to Park Paseo being installed just south of the City College trolley station. Local artist Armando De La Torre (@guavasufi) was putting up images on a construction fence on the east side of Park Boulevard.

You can see how the entire Bay to Park Paseo will appear here.

That big old trolley and other images I discovered are part of the Zone 8 artwork, which will express the block’s mobility and walkability throughout time… Four 20 feet wide panels will include a mixture of photos, drawings and text in a 3D shadowbox format. They will depict the evolution of San Diego, from small settlement to metropolis.

The artist Armando De La Torre was born in Tijuana, Mexico and lives in Chula Vista. Among his other accomplishments, he teaches homeless kids art at Father Joe’s Villages!

The urban designer for this particular section of the Bay to Park Paseo is native San Diegan Howard Blackson.

The property behind the fence, owned by Kilroy Realty, is the site of a future tech hub.

Stay tuned as I follow this exciting project!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Two murals: National City and Be Kind.

There are two large, colorful murals painted on the former location of PROJX2PRINT in National City.

On the north side of the building are the words National City. Palm trees rise under a sky filled with sunset colors.

A second cool mural on the south wall of the building encourages us to Be Kind. The art is part of #ACallForKindness.

Both murals were created by @KIDWISEMAN and can be viewed on Highland Avenue south of 16th Street.

Check it out!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Champagne bubbles fly in Hillcrest!

Enormous champagne bubbles are flying up the wall of a Hillcrest liquor store!

Bubbles Market & Spirits had this huge mural created last year by San Diego artist Jeremy “Jermz” (@jm47art). Here’s his Instagram page.

It’s a bubbly work of art that definitely attracts the attention of passersby! I thought you might enjoy seeing it, too!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!