A special, very unique art show will take place in San Diego this Thursday. The public is invited to experience PROTOTOPIAN VISIONS + SOUNDS: Murals Projected in Light!
The free art show, part of the Our Walls Speak multi-day cultural event, can be enjoyed May 18th between 7 pm and 11 pm at San Diego Made Factory, a creative event space located at 2031 Commercial Street. Read the information on the above flyer.
San Diego’s amazing outdoor murals, many of which you’ve seen here on Cool San Diego Sights, will be celebrated! You might recognize some of the artist names. I’m told several of my photographs will be used!
Perhaps I’ll see you there!
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I saw this beautiful mural at the Senses Human Bistro inside UCSD Park & Market the other day during a walk in East Village. I had to take a photo. I was told the floral artwork was painted several months ago.
The art is by Bay Area based Hungry Ghost Productions. See their website 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 Twitter!
An exciting event is coming to San Diego next week!
From Wednesday, May 17 to Sunday, May 21, the many colorful murals that reflect Chicano history and culture in several of our city’s communities will be celebrated with a special tour, workshops, lectures, dance, poetry and more!
Our Walls Speak is the name of this free event. Those who participate will have the opportunity to experience not only Chicano Park’s famous murals, but other murals in nearby communities. Participants will come away inspired, understanding the importance and meaning of these empowering works of art, and the need to preserve them.
According to the event website: This year’s 2023 “Our Walls Speak!: Nuestros Muros Hablan!”, event features four days of live and virtual panel/community discussions, artist and elder interviews and storytelling, and mural art exhibitions. Download and attend a neighborhood mural walk/drive/tour through the San Diego neighborhoods of Logan Heights, Sherman Heights and Golden Hills communities. Join us on Sunday May 21st for youth and family mural art workshops, spoken word, music and dance movement performances and local street food vendors serving healthy and delicious recipes.
To see the many free activities that can be enjoyed over the course of five days, and to register for Our Walls Speak, 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 Twitter!
A gigantic cow wandered into City Heights a couple weeks ago. Drivers heading down University Avenue, a block west of the Euclid Tower, might spot the enormous bovine standing against the old Chinatown Bar building!
The cow mural was painted by Ground Floor Murals (@groundfloormurals). You can see the artists creating this eye-catching artwork on their Instagram page here.
The building is now home to Key and Cleaver, a sustainable farm-to-table burger restaurant. I can see why that gigantic cow is cautiously watching its back!
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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 Twitter!
The powerful Scarlet Witch has begun to materialize in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter! Is it the heroic Scarlet Witch, member of the Avengers, or the terrifying one who wants to dominate the multiverse?
Well, to find out, one must step inside the Bards and Cards game store on Fifth Avenue. A cool mural is now being created behind the front counter!
I learned there will be three parts to the mural, including imagery that pertains to Dungeons & Dragons.
The artist is Robert Turner (@thewaterthief).
I’ll drop by again on a future walk to photograph the artwork’s progress!
UPDATE!
A couple weeks later I saw a Dungeons & Dragons creature appearing. It’s a beholder…
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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 Twitter!
Today I spotted this cool new mural outside Pokez Mexican Restaurant during a walk through San Diego’s East Village. It’s by artist CALEB AERO (@calebaero).
I don’t see this mural on the artist’s Instagram page, but a couple of people who seemed knowledgeable, including someone working inside the restaurant, indicated this artwork was painted several months ago.
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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 Twitter!
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have made their official debut in San Diego!
The famous character with two personas and two names, originally created by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, has been recreated in downtown San Diego. His two halves–the good and the evil–occupy a mysterious cabinet inside the studio of artist James Watts (@jewattso)!
Early this year I found James Watts working on his inspired Jekyll and Hyde cabinet in his utterly fantastic studio, and I posted photos and a little explanation here. This afternoon I beheld the finished creation!
Like any work of true art, the cabinet and its contents ignite mind, emotions and imagination. What does it all mean? A few suggestive words were provided by the artist.
On the rear of the cabinet is the image of a baby, symbolic of innocence, before choices are made in life…
Here’s the front of the mysterious cabinet with its sliding door. The cloud designs are influenced by Japanese art. Which side of the cabinet do you dare open first?
Here we have Dr. Jekyll, made of sailcloth sewn by hand. He’s wrapped up in tidy fashion, sitting politely and civilized.
On the opposite side lurks violent Mr. Hyde. He appears inhuman, hard and boney, and he has a hole in his head and heart!
James Watts then showed me how he’s working on a cool finger project now. He’s whittling lots of different fingers.
One can use one’s own fingers to pick among fingers…
James Watts works on new fingers on the sidewalk outside his downtown San Diego studio!
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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 Twitter!
Today, May 6, was annual national Free Comic Book Day!
Southern California Comics in Kearny Mesa held a big event celebrating the day, and I dropped by to see what I might see. (And to pick up a big bag of free comic books! Later arrivals were allowed to grab 15 comics. I have some reading to do!)
In the parking lot outside the store a number of small vendors were selling all sorts of pop culture collectibles, and independent artists were showcasing their original creations.
I wandered a bit and spoke to some of the friendly artists.
One thing that was obvious is these people are driven by dreams and ambition and a relentless passion to create. As an author of short fiction, I can relate.
No matter what level of success any artist might achieve, it’s good to remember these words by Frida Kahlo: “I paint flowers so they will not die.”
Every artist has the ability to work that magic.
I really like the work of Ruben Rosas. He does illustration and digital art. See some of his stuff here.
I learned there’s a group of artists who call themselves the Comicbook Artists of San Diego. The two guys who greeted me were super friendly. According to their website: CASD was founded with the intention of building a local community of comicbook artists to foster artistic growth and to showcase their artwork. They want to put San Diego on the artistic map!
More cool artists! These smiling humans are two of the creators of Accidental Aliens, a local comic art studio! Check them out here. A description of their 2nd Shift Volume 1 includes: When evil incarnate tears through San Diego, four fledgling superheroes band together…
Oh, look! It’s Horrorgasm! I once saw an exhibition of their art at the Comic-Con Museum here.
It appears Ronald McDonald has traveled to Free Comic Book Day from a galaxy far, far away.
Great cosplay. And an earnest pitch to check out the 60 Pages 14 Creative Teams 1 Big Punk Rock Comic Kickstarter page 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 Twitter!
Fangaea Con 2023 is underway in San Diego! Every imaginable pop culture fandom has gathered together to enjoy, share and celebrate their passion for creativity!
It was exciting to see that a really good crowd had already gathered before noontime at the Scottish Rite Event Center in Mission Valley. I wandered through several large rooms jam-packed with artists, vendors selling art and collectibles, autograph-signing celebrities, local fan groups, and a whole lot of great cosplay!
I learned this is the fourth Fangaea Con event–the first in a couple of years unencumbered by difficulties brought on by COVID.
It seems manga and anime might be the most popular fandoms at this event, but I also noticed a love for traditional superheroes, science fiction (yes, Star Wars in particular), fantasy, and every type of gaming. What intrigued me most were the many original characters and stories brought to life by talented creators.
Diverse activities at Fangaea Con include a cosplay workshop, a Pochita plush sew along, and how to create a supervillain!
If you read this blog in time, you’ll be glad to know Fangaea Con continues through 10 pm tonight! Head on down!
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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 Twitter!
I saw some of the artwork during my own Friday morning walk through Piazza della Famiglia and Piazza Basilone. Artists were being interviewed by a television reporter to promote the event. I snapped a few fun pics as I passed by!
Looks like the annual Art Walk will be great fun as usual! Come down to Little Italy this weekend and support local artists!
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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 Twitter!