Tag: artists

Journey among poems, walking in City Heights.

When I visited the Lunar New Year celebration in City Heights last weekend, I was surprised to find hundreds of words affixed to a stretch of 44th Street behind Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park. (It’s the alley-like street between the City Heights Library and Recreation Center, and the sports fields of City Heights Park to the east.)

I hadn’t recalled seeing this public art before.

I found a detailed article concerning the unique outdoor installation. The project is titled Memoria Terra and is intended to last for five years. The art debuted last summer.

Artist Shinpei Takeda and five young writers composed poems that tickle passing feet. The poems regard the history of this very diverse community (with its substantial immigrant and refugee population), social issues and gentrification.

As residents make their personal journey, they are also encouraged to gaze down at the abundant words to create their own poem.

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Cool murals and art at Carrillo Pottery!

“Life’s Rad” proclaims a mural painted outside Carrillo Pottery in Oceanside. This and a mural depicting an Aztec figure drew my curiosity as I walked up South Coast Highway.

Then a guy came out the front door and greeted me. It was Joey Carrillo. Come on in! he said smiling.

What I found inside Carrillo Pottery was beyond cool.

Super colorful, authentic Mexican pottery, and super unique handcrafted decor fill the large shop to overflowing. Bright colors are everywhere. The vibe inside the place is definitely SoCal.

Joey showed me how all sorts of products by local artists are for sale, too, making the place something of an art gallery.

Life’s Rad is a California lifestyle brand featured at Carrillo Pottery. The brand thrives with the help of artist Sean Dominguez (@artbydomo), who created the outdoor Life’s Rad mural, the brand logo, shirt designs and more.

I’m so glad I ventured into Carrillo Pottery. It brightened my walk through Oceanside. Joey Carrillo is the coolest guy you could ever hope to meet–he’s a musician, too!

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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.

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Hidden murals in Oceanside under train tracks.

These two murals in Oceanside are seen by relatively few people. They were painted fifteen years ago along a little used nature trail, under a shadowy bridge that supports train tracks.

One of the murals seems to depict nearby Buccaneer Beach, with a view of Oceanside Pier in the distance. The opposite mural appears to show Loma Alta Creek that the nature trail–Loma Alta Marsh Footpath–follows. (I’ll be blogging about this short trail soon.)

I noticed an artist signature: Betty Gilroy 2010.

I walked under the railroad tracks last Friday. These two murals are like weather-beaten hidden treasures.

The following photos are of the Loma Alta Creek mural. You can see the actual creek beyond it. The artwork is filled with many of the birds one can see from the trail…

The next group of photos show the opposite mural, depicting people at the beach. The art was behind a chain link fence, making photography a challenge…

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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.

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Art workshop for seniors in Balboa Park!

Do you love to create art? The Senior Lounge in Balboa Park should be your destination every other Saturday! You don’t need to be a senior, either. Anyone age 18+ is welcome to take part in a free Intergenerational Artist Workshop!

I poked my nose into the lounge early this afternoon and found a friendly group of people having a lot of fun being creative. I saw a beautifully crafted flower! A greeting card was about to be made!

Some basic art supplies are available, and of course you can bring your own. Not only is the activity free, but the new friendships are free, too!

I was told this artist workshop is now held every other Saturday, from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. It and other activities for seniors around San Diego can be found on the City of San Diego’s AgeWell Services quarterly Newsletter (it used to be called The Scroll).

Find all the information you need by clicking here!

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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.

Thank you for sharing!

Marshall Toomey enlivens Oceanside Museum of Art!

There’s an excellent chance you’ve already enjoyed the art of Marshall Toomey. He has worked as a Disney animator, contributing to classic films like The Lion King, Aladdin, Hercules and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Visitors to the Oceanside Museum of Art are in for a real treat. In one of the museum’s upstairs galleries, extraordinary paintings by Marshall Toomey (@marshalltoomey) fill the walls with energy and color.

The artist paints from his own life experience. Perhaps that’s why his works are so engaging, so recognizably human. There are dynamic scenes from a barber shop, a church, a family barbeque, a game of dominoes…

As he explains: “My paintings represent moments in time. I aim for realism with incredible vitality–they feel almost alive. I like to paint portraits, animals and food…”

When I look at his paintings, I feel that life, after all, is good. There’s family, play, worship, being together, a bit of craziness, good humor, and a sense of joy.

In a strange way, his images feel timeless. Timeless–in that magical way certain animated movies remain loved by both young and old for many generations. You can see how his style has been, as he explains: “inspired by the masters and by my history as a Disney animator.”

Marshall Toomey: Black Americana is the name of this great exhibition. It continues at the Oceanside Museum of Art through April 13, 2025.

Uncle Junebug’s Bar B Q, Marshall Toomey, 2024. Oil on canvas. (Painting based on an Auguste Renoir painting, Luncheon of the Boating Party.)
A Soothing Game of Dominoes, Marshall Toomey, 2024.

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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.

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Hubbell’s colorful Bird of Paradise in Carlsbad!

Renowned local artist James Hubbell produced numerous works of public art throughout San Diego County. In Carlsbad, his colorful Bird of Paradise mosaic can be enjoyed at the corner of Carlsbad Boulevard and Carlsbad Village Drive.

Bird of Paradise was commissioned by the City of Carlsbad in 1989 for the Art in Public Places Program. The circular mosaic is composed of small ceramic tiles, which together form an almost 15-foot-diameter medallion.

Those walking past the major intersection near the historic Twin Inns building, at one end of the Carlsbad gateway sign, need merely look down toward their feet.

In years past I had vaguely observed this artwork. Until I noted the nearby plaque yesterday, I hadn’t realized the beautiful mosaic was created by Hubbell. So I paused to take a much closer look!

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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.

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New year brings fresh art to Oceanside’s Artist Alley!

The many small murals painted on a low wall in Oceanside’s Artist Alley change from time to time. The alley is like a living thing!

I was told by a shopkeeper that some of the murals you see in today’s photos were painted during the recent holidays. Other artwork was created early this year.

Oceanside’s unique Artist Alley is located directly south of the city library and civic center, on the other side of Pier View Way. It’s the home of many cool, artsy specialty shops.

If you’d like to learn more about Artist Alley, and see how this wall of murals appeared four years ago, click here.

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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.

Thank you for sharing!

Two wonderful murals in Carlsbad about childhood!

These two wonderful murals in Carlsbad are a bit hidden. They can be found in a parking lot behind 2801 Roosevelt Street. Both concern dreams, and play, and the joys of childhood.

I found these two murals by sheer chance as I wandered about Carlsbad this morning. Going off the beaten path is often rewarding.

The first mural is somewhat faded. It’s titled Waiting For Dreamland. The artists are Ron Juncal and Phyllis Swanson. The artwork was sponsored by New Village Arts and the Matt McLaughlin Fund of the Carlsbad Charitable Foundation. Sadly, the artist website it refers to is no longer active.

The second mural was painted on another wall by the same parking lot. It was created by Mr. Snyder (@SnyderArt), who teaches art at Valley Middle School in Carlsbad.

He painted this wonderful art in 2014. Two children at the beach pull a wagon and fly a kite…

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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.

Thank you for sharing!

Final two murals at Walkway of the Stars in La Mesa!

Last year, when I visited The Walkway of the Stars in La Mesa, two of eight murals had yet to be painted. I checked out the alley-like pocket park again yesterday and discovered that the final murals, which honor community volunteers, have been finished!

If you’d like to see all of the amazing murals with your own eyes, you can find The Walkway of the Stars in downtown La Mesa between the Allison Avenue municipal parking lot and La Mesa Boulevard.

“Thanks for Your Help!” by Channin Fulton (@channinfulton)
“Jewel of the Hills” by Nolan Lee (@nolanleeart)

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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.

Thank you for sharing!

Library exhibit celebrates Hubbell art in Mexico.

The Otay Mesa-Nestor Library currently has a great exhibit in their community room. Informative displays concern the work of renowned San Diego artist, architectural designer and sculptor James Hubbell in Mexico.

The exhibition, Architecture of Jubilation: Lado a Lado, was supposed to conclude in 2024, but has been extended. A librarian told me they’re hanging onto the exhibit as long as they can!

This afternoon I visited the library and gazed at photographs and descriptions of Hubbell’s amazing, organic architectural work in Mexico, including the elementary school Colegio La Esperanza in Tijuana, which he and thousands of community volunteers built.

Another display concerns his Kuchumaa Passage art park, which honors our region’s native Kumeyaay people. Hubbell, with artist Milenko Matanovic, assisted by more volunteers, created beauty on the grounds of Rancho La Puerta fitness spa and resort in Tecate, Mexico. The community-built art park would lead to the creation of Hubbell’s later Pacific Rim Park projects. (The one on Shelter Island–Pearl of the Pacific–can be seen here.)

Other Hubbell projects covered by the Architecture of Jubilation: Lado a Lado exhibit include the Museo Kumiai in Tecate, and Jardín de los Niños in Tijuana.

As one poster explains: Tijuana and San Diego are important cities that exist side by side, along a border that both divides and connects. James Hubbell honors this contradiction by using his art to bridge the border and build a tapestry of community. Thread by thread, Hubbell invites everyday people from Baja California and San Diego to join him in creating spaces of beauty and importance…

James Hubbell passed away last year, but his work will inspire many people and brighten our world far into the future.

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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.

Thank you for sharing!