A sand sculpture representation of the famous statue Ultimate Surrender and magical animals greet people arriving in the morning for a special festival.
Here are lots of photos from the 2016 U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge! The Labor Day Weekend event at San Diego’s B Street Pier presents so many genuinely cool sights, I’m dividing my many photographs into two blog posts.
This first batch features a sand sculpture near the entrance to the event, plus one sponsored sculpture. The remaining sculptures you will see here, which are completely amazing, were being finished this morning by local Southern California teams. This particular competition is between Cool California Carvers!
My next post will feature fine art sand sculptures created by the world’s best sand artists that will blow your mind, so stand by!
During the 2016 U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge, San Diego is transformed into “SAND iego”!Inside the 2016 U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge on the B Street Pier, food trucks, vendors with art, and some sponsored sand sculptures attract the eye of visitors.This way to the Cool California Carvers, who on Saturday morning are still working on their sand sculptures. We’ll check out the World Masters Solo Competition in my next blog post!Looking down the length of the B Street Pier between the Broadway Pier Port Pavilion and the San Diego Cruise Ship Terminal. These artists you see belong to teams representing the Cool California Carvers.Magnify It! That’s the name of this complex three-part sand sculpture, being built by the Sand Squirrels and SD Sand Castles.Peer through the telescope-like eyepiece and you see a peace sign superimposed on planet Earth!These creative people are the I.B. Posse. Their sand sculpture is titled United We Stand. I see they are working from a small model.Talented sand sculptors work on the flaming torch from New York’s Statue of Liberty.Carving the base of Lady Liberty’s torch.Reaching upward together with peaceful aspirations.Team Archisand is creating an unusual sand sculpture called REAL-EYE’z Your Futur.Small people stand together behind a mask-like face made of sand.Many of these fantastic works of sand art really catch the eye! We’ve got some great local teams!This sand sculpture seems to recreate a coral reef. I don’t know its title. I do know Team San Diego San Castles created it!A close-up photo of some marine life living in a coral reef made of carved sand–on a pier!A team called The Sandcastle Man is bringing some Crazy Dreams into reality. Yes, that’s the name of this sand sculpture.We’re All Mad Here! It must be an Alice in Wonderland themed sand sculpture! I see a team member of Archisand.I see Alice, the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter!Visitors to the 2016 U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge check out artwork being created by one of the Cool California Carvers teams.And that team is called The Sand Squirrels. The title of this cool art is The Captain’s Tale.That sea-going captain appears to be a pirate who has discovered a treasure chest. Or perhaps it’s a mirage made of beach sand on some deserted island…or on a city pier!
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Getting ready for the 2016 US Sand Sculpting Challenge and 3D Art Expo at the B Street Pier. A cool sand sculpture will soon appear here to welcome passing Labor Day crowds on the Embarcadero.
Two epic events are coming to San Diego’s Embarcadero this coming Labor Day weekend! The 2016 US Sand Sculpting Challenge and 3D Art Expo, which will take place near the Cruise Ship Terminal on the B Street Pier, and the 2016 Festival of Sail, which will take place at and around the Maritime Museum of San Diego!
I’ve blogged about both amazing annual events the past couple years. The sand sculptures, created by some of the best sand artists in the entire world, are utterly mind-blowing. The tall ships are a feast not only for the eyes, but for the senses once you step aboard.
I took a slow easy walk along the Embarcadero a short while ago and snapped a few pics of very early preparation for both events. If I feel well enough next weekend, expect to see lots of super cool photos from both epic Labor Day weekend events!
One of several U.S. Navy floating docks has been set in position near the Maritime Museum of San Diego, in preparation for visiting tall ships at the 2016 Festival of Sail.Californian, the official tall ship of California, will participate in the 2016 Festival of Sail this coming Labor Day weekend. Right now she is docked at the Maritime Museum, her home.Gaff-rigged topsail schooner Bill of Rights, based in South Bay’s Chula Vista, will be one of many amazing tall ships participating this year in the Festival of Sail. I spotted it cruising across San Diego Bay today.Visitor to the Maritime Museum of San Diego sits peacefully on a bench near the aft of the 1904 steam yacht Medea. Big crowds will arrive here on Labor Day weekend!The 2016 Festival of Sail takes place Labor Day weekend on the Embarcadero. If you are in San Diego and love historical ships, you must go!
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Part of a spray paint street mural in North Park by artists Maxx Moses and Glow.
Here are even more photos of random street art that I’ve encountered during walks through North Park!
I’ve already covered many amazing street murals in the neighborhood. You can find those by surfing around my blog, clicking related articles, tags or performing a search in the sidebar. Cool San Diego Sights contains hundreds of San Diego street art photos that you might enjoy!
North Park utility box depicts meditating figure.Many utility boxes in North Park (like other San Diego neighborhoods) have been enlivened with colorful street art. This box has the word SOAK and some tentacles.Lightning inside a deadhead skull separates night from day. Urban art on a shop located on North Park’s University Avenue.Huge glowing crystals grow from a North Park sidewalk!More creatively decorated utility boxes along University Avenue in North Park.Unusual artwork near a building’s rooftop features alien-like creatures with three eyes.A cool sun with mustache above some prickly pear cacti.A young person holding binoculars seems to watch the people of North Park.These artistic cubes are fun seats for people waiting for the bus.One unique utility box has four sides featuring subterranean slices. West shows where land meets Pacific Ocean.Bienvenidos! South shows the border with nearby Mexico.East shows the desert, which lies beyond our mountains.North depicts a small, happy home in North Park.Just walking along the sidewalk, past a creatively decorated transformer box.Turning a corner past pink and yellow cats.Utility box on 30th Street has tropical palm trees, flowers, fish and a skull.Newspaper box covered top to bottom with decals.Graffiti near shop door includes a sexy lady.A typical scene on one sidewalk that stretches down 30th Street in North Park.Street art in North Park shows a woman walking through the city.In easy-going, laid-back North Park, an appropriate slogan: r.i.p. bullshit
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Unusual signs near America Plaza contain quotes from famous modern artists. This thought-provoking art was installed by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, which is located across the street.
Look what I discovered this evening! I had disembarked from the trolley at the Santa Fe Depot and was making my way to America Plaza when my eyes were ensnared by a very cool sight.
At first glance I thought it was a cluster of directional signs that point every which way to cities around the world. Then I realized these signs were far more interesting!
On one side each sign contains a thought-provoking quote from a modern artist. The cities shown on the reverse side are those associated with the artists.
The modern artists quoted are: Pablo Picasso, Jeff Wall, Jackson Pollock, John Baldessari, Jose Clemente Orozco, Edward Ruscha, Joseph Beuys, Richard Diebenkorn, Henri-Robert-Marcel Duchamp and Eleanor Antin.
I walked back across Kettner Boulevard to the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and learned that these unusual signs were installed by the museum about two weeks ago!
People walk down the sidewalk along Kettner Boulevard. A few glance up at what appears to be a cluster of strangely colorful directional street signs.Quotes from ten notable modern artists are featured on the MCASD signs. The reverse side of each directional sign contains a city associated with the artist.Provocative public art rises from a downtown sidewalk, across the street from the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.
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Carpenter’s Wheel quilt, Mennonite, about 1890. Made by Mrs. Miller in Easton, Pennsylvania.
My eyes opened wide with amazement last weekend, when my docent friend provided another special tour at the San Diego Museum of Art. This time we had a good look at a surprising exhibition of early American quilts from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
These quilts, which date mostly from the 19th century, created in many instances by lone Amish and Mennonite quiltmakers, are so dazzling with brilliant colors and inventive, abstract designs that they seem thoroughly modern, like hung works of art by the greatest 20th century Abstract Expressionists.
I know relatively little about quiltmaking. All I know is that when I gazed at these vibrant works of art, I felt that I was peering into the inner life of a spiritual people, where joy, memories and dreams are represented with magically combined bits of color. These delights for the eye were created to be a warming family treasure, meant to last for generations.
In this blog post you can see just a few photos of the nearly 50 quilts on display. The craftmanship is intricate. I can’t imagine the many hours of persistent dedication, patience and love a quiltmaker required to create just one of these examples. They lived in a very different time and place. In their world living was more simple, and beauty was quietly formed from single threads.
All of these old quilts were discovered over several decades by collectors Gerald Roy and Paul Pilgrim, who also played an important role in the creation of the The National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. Many of these quilts were collected solely for their aesthetic appeal. Paul Pilgrim, now deceased, was also an innovative quiltmaker.
Head to Balboa Park to visit the San Diego Museum of Art and you’ll be astounded by many of these quilts. If you do plan to visit, do so by September 5, 2016, when this very unique exhibition comes to an end.
Quilts and Color from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. This special exhibition can be enjoyed at the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park.Amazing early American quilts on display at the San Diego Museum of Art feature beautifully contrasted colors and fascinating abstract designs.Spider Web quilt dazzles the eye. Many of the quilts feature unique visual effects or optical illusions.Fans quilt, Amish, 1900-1910. Made in Pennsylvania.Field of Diamonds quilt, about 1860. The design is achieved by creatively combining differently colored hexagons.Close-up photograph of fantastic, radiant Sunburst quilt.
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An amazing Wonder Woman mural is being painted for 2016 San Diego Comic-Con, at (Paradise) Island Avenue and Sixth Avenue
An awesome, multi-paneled outdoor mural depicting Wonder Woman is being painted during 2016 San Diego Comic-Con. Should you head a few blocks north of the convention center and find the intersection of Island and Sixth Avenue, your eyes will be astonished at what they discover!
Three Southern California artists are painting larger-than-life interpretations of Wonder Woman, DC Comic’s legendary super-heroine. The three colorful panels together compose a large bold mural, and Comic-Con fans can line up to have their picture taken with the artwork as a backdrop. The reason? It’s Wonder Woman’s 75th Anniversary!
How cool is this?
A small lot in downtown San Diego, several blocks from the convention center, has been converted into a celebration of DC Comic’s legendary character Wonder Woman and her 75th Anniversary!The left panel, depicting an abstract face of Wonder Woman, was painted by San Diego artist Katherine Brannock.2016 San Diego Comic-Con fans can have their photo taken with this very cool Wonder Woman mural as a backdrop.The center panel honoring Wonder Woman is being painted by another talented San Diego artist, Celeste Byers.And the right panel, the strong face of comic book heroine Wonder Woman, is being painted by Los Angeles artist Christina Angelina.
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I anticipate having a few more Comic-Con adventures! Will you join me?
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This is one of the Batmobiles used in the filming of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It’s on display across Harbor Drive from the convention center at 2016 San Diego Comic-Con.
Here comes yet another batch of cool photos!
2016 San Diego Comic-Con begins tomorrow, and I walked today–Wednesday–all over downtown to see what is rising outside for San Diego’s internationally famous pop culture event!
The answer: tons of cool stuff is popping up!
You might notice in some photos that many fans have arrived in San Diego already. Tonight is Preview Night inside the convention center. And tonight is also the world premiere of Star Trek Beyond, outside beside the water behind the convention center!
(To any of my blog’s readers who aren’t really into Comic-Con, hang on for a few more days! After Sunday, it’s on to other cool sights around San Diego! And as usual, I mostly don’t know what those sights will be! Walking randomly about results in many unexpected adventures!)
Conan O’Brien’s talk show is in San Diego for Comic-Con again. It starts tonight!Hundreds of people were in line early Wednesday morning to watch Conan perform at the Spreckels Theater.Most downtown businesses are now ready for Comic-Con fans. Here’s a window painting of Harley Quinn I spotted at Lolita’s near Petco Park.Various double-decker buses are going around decorated with big flashy wraps. This one promotes Impractical Jokers on the truTV channel.The Interactive Zone at Petco Park was still a work in progress on Wednesday–one day before the official start of 2016 San Diego Comic-Con.These rustic buildings in the Interactive Zone promote Ash vs Evil Dead on STARZ. I was impressed at how detailed and elaborate they appear!Another photo of the Ash vs Evil Dead setting in the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con Interactive Zone at Petco Park.These crane operators were putting up a gruesome banner next to the Suicide Squad movie venue, which remains unseen behind a wall at the Hard Rock Hotel.In the Gaslamp Quarter, Rock The Vote is encouraging people to register. Who would you prefer for president–Snoopy or Charlie Brown?A guy presses Wonder Woman’s feet to the window of a yogurt shop.Perhaps real superheroes will eat this week at Kansas City Barbeque, where scenes from the movie Top Gun were filmed.The Chuck Jones Gallery in the Gaslamp scored some big guests! Stan Lee and William Shatner!Two of the Powerpuff Girls were hovering mid-afternoon above the water at Children’s Park.Looks like a school bus pulled into San Diego from South Park, Colorado. I think I recognize some faces.These smiling ladies were out on the MLK Promenade promoting Hello Kitty!The video screen near the Tin Fish and the center of Comic-Con outdoor action is now operating.Here’s another look at the Batmobile on display near the Omni Hotel. It’s one of several that were used in the filming of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.Okay, I headed over the Harbor Drive pedestrian bridge and now I’m near the Bayfront Hilton.A number of promotional signs are arranged along the walkway where thousands of Comic-Con fans will pass in the next four days.FX is present again in 2016 with their show Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll. This is as close as I could approach the big red electric guitar.A huge stage is being built in the park behind the San Diego Convention Center, right in front of the Bayfront Hilton.Looks like IMDb is hosting a Comic-Con party on this big mega yacht behind the convention center!Not much cosplay spotted today, but I did catch a guy with Captain America’s shield waiting in line for some soft serve ice cream!The huge event today, Wednesday, is the world premiere of Star Trek Beyond. It’s taking place tonight right here in San Diego at Embarcadero Marina Park South.Looks like the red carpet was almost ready this afternoon for the world premiere of Star Trek Beyond!I assume this is just some boat owner having fun. I took this photo walking along the Marriott Marina.Entertainment Weekly will debut their unique Con-X tomorrow at Embarcadero Marina Park North. It’s billed as a place for Comic-Con goers to just chill and relax.Looks like Con-X has some huge comic book artist and animation guests. I see Jim Lee and Paul Dini! (Click to enlarge.)This blue guy made of Legos is sitting on a bench inside Con-X. I also spotted the back of a huge Jabba the Hutt sculpture. Wish I could’ve entered the event area. Looks cool!Is it Fire Lad of the Legion of Substitute Superheroes? No. It’s Murrugan the Mystic performing at Seaport Village. That flame is coming from his mouth! You might remember him on AMC’s Freakshow. He’s working to keep the carnival sideshow–an important part of Americana–alive.
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This cool mural can be just glimpsed from the corner of Fifth Avenue and B Street in downtown San Diego. It adds color and life to an outdoor patio on the 3rd floor of the Union Bank building.
This fantastic mural has been seen up close by very few people. Today, with permission, I took a good look and got some photos!
If you ever stand on the west side of Fifth Avenue around B Street in downtown San Diego, and glance upward toward the Union Bank building, you might see a colorful splash in a hidden nook. That would be this mural!
It’s only two years old and utterly fantastic. Without further ado, I present to all urban art lovers: Inceptions Reflection!
Inceptions Reflection, 2014. Daniel (Maxx Moses) Hopkins, Isaias Crow, Jari “WERC” Alvarez, Chor Boogie aka Joaquin Lamar Hailey.Photo of central portion of the dynamic artwork. Unusual forms and bold colors lead the delighted eye around this little-seen urban canvas.A happy spherical critter with horns blows hearts from the sunlit lower right corner of this awesome mural!A human eye behind the swirling, fantastic visions. Perhaps it is all a dream. Or the imaginative work of some very creative artists!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of fun photos for you to enjoy!
Gifted artist with a great laugh creates a beautiful dragonfly using ink. Demonstrations were part of this weekend’s free art show inside the Casa del Prado in Balboa Park.
I was wandering all over Balboa Park today when I saw a sign on El Prado. A free art show was being held inside the Casa del Prado!
What I discovered was pretty cool. Lots of really fine art, created by members of the Art Club of San Diego. Every year they have an exhibit in Balboa Park, and I was told taking photos was just fine. So here the photos are–and I hope many people enjoy them! Please note the name of the artist if you happen to be taken by a particular piece.
The Art Club of San Diego showcased the work of their artists in Balboa Park. Types of art included Sumi-e (Japanese ink wash painting), Ceramic and unusual, highly creative Art Forms.Many great pieces were out on view for anyone to enjoy. I was told taking photographs was fine. So here are some cool works of art! I’ve done my best to note the artists.I love this bear and the wild hills beyond! Artist Keiko Kitano.Some unusual but beautiful sculptures were part of this unique, once-a-year show.Beautiful artwork, everywhere I turned!I love this traditional bamboo. The artist is Joe Cross.Another fine work of art using ink and brush. Artist Louise Rendich.A colorful bird! Uh, oh. I didn’t get the artist. Sorry!I wasn’t the only one who was really enjoying these. You might want to watch for notices of the show next year.Mother monkey and offspring in a tender embrace. Fantastic. The artist is Kayo Beach.This one really caught my attention! The artist is Kayo Beach.One table had superb ceramic works arrayed upon it, all produced by Kazu Takahashi.According to a nearby sign, this Nihonga Japanese Style painting uses gansai Japanese colors on gold screen or dosa treated rice paper, or on silk.More beauty found in amazing Balboa Park. The Art Club of San Diego has some fine artists! Here we see the work of Kazue Knowlton.
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Through this door is where the tour of the Villa Montezuma begins. Once inside, visitors turn left into a reception room, then proceed into truly magnificent performance and drawing rooms.
Four times a year, people are allowed inside the amazing Villa Montezuma. That’s part of the agreement between the City of San Diego Park and Recreation Department and the Friends of the Villa Montezuma, who are working hard to restore this historic gem in San Diego’s Sherman Heights neighborhood. I went on one of those half hour tours yesterday. Wow!
A couple years ago I walked past this eye-popping 1887 Queen Anne Victorian mansion, built by famed musican and spiritualist Jesse Shepard. I then posted a blog with a few outside photos. Well, guess what? All I can present today are more outside photos! Because photography isn’t allowed inside the Villa Montezuma at this time. But I can provide a little info about the tour, and try to convince you to go on one yourself.
Stepping into the Villa Montezuma is like stepping into a tiny royal palace. I’m not exaggerating. When I was young, I was fortunate to visit many of the most elegant palaces and chateaus of Europe, and the interior of Jesse Shepard’s home, which includes a splendid reception room, performance hall and drawing room, easily matches those esteemed places when it comes to lavish, luxurious decoration. Jesse Shepard (who later wrote under the pen name of Francis Grierson) was a pianist and composer who performed for many of Europe’s royalty, including the Czar of Russia and the Prince of Wales in England. So he was no stranger to a kingly lifestyle!
Should you enjoy an inside tour of the elaborate Villa Montezuma, which is built entirely of redwood, you’ll see fantastic art glass created by John Mallon of San Francisco. (Mallon also created the stained glass windows for San Diego’s 1889 courthouse, each window representing the Great Seals of the 42 states. You can see those windows today in downtown’s Hall of Justice.)
Jesse Shepard loved art, music and literature, and the stained glass windows in his mansion pay homage to his favorite artists. In the splendid room where he performed concerts for guests, windows feature the faces of Beethoven and Mozart, Raphael and Rubens; you’ll also see an expansive window devoted to Sappho, the classic Greek lyric poet, and four windows representing the four seasons. In the drawing room you can see more stained glass featuring Shakespeare, Goethe and Corneille.
The effect of these windows is truly astonishing. Their magical light shines on warm, ornate woodwork and wood floors, an embossed silvery ceiling, satin curtains, a variety of beautiful fireplaces, and artful touches that include influences from Innsbruck and Japonism. Stepping into the Villa Montezuma almost seems like falling into a dream of long ago.
Restoration of the Villa Montezuma is ongoing. The foundation was recently strengthened, along with the roof and chimneys. Still to go is the repainting of the exterior, fence restoration and landscaping the grounds. Once all is complete, it is hoped the mansion will be open full time as a permanent museum!
Meanwhile, go on a tour if you’re in San Diego. The guide was knowledgeable and entertaining. You’ll see much of the house, even some less elevated parts like the kitchen and washing room. You’ll learn all about Jesse Shepard, including strange mysteries concerning his life and the absolutely magnificent way he died!
Folks gather for a free half hour tour. The public can venture inside the Villa Montezuma four times every year. (The upper floor isn’t open to the public yet.)The Friends of the Villa Montezuma is a nonprofit dedicated to restoring and maintaining the amazing Villa Montezuma mansion in San Diego.Photo of southeast corner of the Villa Montezuma Museum. The 1887 Queen Anne Victorian mansion contains numerous beautiful stained glass windows.Looking upward at the elaborate tower. I was allowed to closely approach this outside part of the Villa Montezuma on a tour day.A balcony just outside Jesse Shepard’s bedroom, which is adjacent to the elegant drawing room!Unusual curved bay window of the drawing room features stained glass images of Shakespeare, Goethe and Corneille. One must be inside to appreciate the grand effect.A light-filled chapel-like nook in one corner of Jesse Shepard’s performance room features stained glass depicting the four seasons.
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