You have until 4 pm today (Sunday) to view Fleet Week San Diego’s special Active Duty Military & Veterans Art Exhibit. It’s open free to the public at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s old downtown location, at 1100 Kettner Boulevard.
If you’re watching the Veterans Day Parade along the Embarcadero today, you might enjoy stopping by afterward. It’s within easy walking distance.
The artwork covers several walls in the museum’s Melinda Farris Wortz Gallery. Diverse artists with different military experiences have pieces on display. Many of the works depict life in the military or on the battlefield–occasionally with a bit of humor. Other paintings include impressionistic landscapes and dreamlike visions. There’s even some fine nature photography!
I captured a few of the canvases…
…
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)!
Are those Christmas ornaments hanging from the trees in San Diego’s Civic Center Plaza? No! They are pom poms made of yarn!
The Pompom Project has decorated the Civic Center with many bright spheres of color. Artist Katie Ruiz and the Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego produced this cool installation with the help of the people of San Diego. A goal is to bring strangers together in our community.
This public art is a part of Creative City, a cultural planning project of the City of San Diego.
I took these photos during my downtown walk this morning…
…
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)!
There’s an extraordinary museum in El Cajon dedicated to one of the world’s finest artists depicting the American West. Olaf Wieghorst is that artist.
Olaf Wieghorst lived for many years in El Cajon. He has been called the Dean of contemporary Western artists. His depiction of the Old West–of cowboys, horses, Native Americans and vast landscapes–has been compared favorably with the work of Frederick Remington and Charles Russell.
A few weekends ago I visited the free museum. Wandering about the main gallery, I fell in love with the very fine paintings on display. They accurately portray horses and the Southwest because he knew them well.
Olaf’s life story is astonishing. He was born in Denmark. He worked in a circus, later on a farm, then moved to America knowing only three words in English. He was assigned to the 5th Cavalry patrolling the United States–Mexico border, worked as a ranch hand, joined the New York City Police Department in the Horse Mounted Division patrolling Central Park, and gradually grew in fame as an artist.
I marveled at Olaf’s prolific artwork that was used for advertisements, calendars and for the covers of Louis L’Amour novels. I enjoyed viewing artifacts from his life, such as saddles, awards, and memorabilia from the time he worked with John Wayne in Hollywood movies.
I then ventured outside to explore the actual home where Olaf Wieghorst lived, relocated to a spot near the museum’s main building. Docents are happy to open up the small rustic house and provide a tour of the rooms. One can see the window that provided natural light as Olaf painted. That same sunshine fills many of his Western landscapes.
There’s also an extraordinary cactus and succulent garden between the museum building and Olaf’s old home. The beautiful garden is open freely to the public. I blogged about the Southwest Cactus and Succulent Garden a while back here.
I urge anyone in San Diego to visit this wonderful museum. Especially if you like very fine art and the Old West! They’re always looking for volunteers, too!
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)!
Welcome to Grand Avenue. Escondido, California. The Beautiful Hidden Valley. Mural by Zane Kingcade, 2023.
The Esco Alley Art project has brought dozens of murals to the alley south of Grand Avenue in downtown Escondido. Now they’re expanding to the alley just north of Grand. See their first mural, which debuted a few weeks ago, here.
During my recent Escondido walk, I noticed two other murals previously painted in this same alley. They’re located just east of Kalmia Street.
Both are painted by prolific local muralist Zane Kingcade, who operates the art and clothing store Street Life at 254 East Grand Avenue. He has painted many cool murals all over Escondido!
Take a look at these two!
Golden State, Golden Era! Graffiti style mural by Zane Kingcade, 2022.
…
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)!
There’s a special place in Balboa Park where photography clubs meet and compete, and amazing photographs cover the walls.
Curious? Walk along Village Place east of the huge Moreton Bay Fig tree, toward the intersection that leads to the parking lot east of Spanish Village, and look for the small Photographic Arts Building. It’s home of the Southern California Association of Camera Clubs.
Several galleries filled with fine photographs are open free to the public on Saturday afternoons. I stepped through the door today, spoke with some friendly folks, and admired the work of exceptional regional photographers.
Clubs that meet here include the Darkroomers, Poly Photo Club, Photo Naturalists, and the Fallbrook Camera Club. According to an informative handout I received, the Southern California Association of Camera Clubs fosters enrichment programs for photographers of all skill levels through our member clubs and photographic programs. If you love photography, you’re encouraged to join!
After viewing the works on display, I asked a few questions. I learned that nearly all of the photos taken are digital, and that nearly all are photoshopped. Which is a bit disappointing to me, personally. I love a stunning, flawless picture as much as anyone, but I also love authenticity. Perhaps that’s just silly me, with my modest old camera, being jealous!
Do you love art or photography? This is definitely a place you want to visit!
…
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)!
The San Diego River Artists’ Alliance is a group of artists who love our beautiful San Diego River. They have a free exhibition open to the public in Balboa Park. The River: Sea to Source is now on display in Gallery 21 at the Spanish Village Art Center.
Fourteen member of the San Diego River Artists’ Alliance have pieces in this exhibit. The fine artwork depicts the life-giving river and its ecosystems.
These very fine works are for sale! A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the San Diego River Park Foundation.
My photos provide a sampling of what you’ll see.
The SDRAA artists work alongside the San Diego River Park Foundation, an organization that advocates for the river. The San Diego River Foundation organizes river and estuary clean-ups, engages in environmental restoration and education, enhances the river’s extensive park system, has helped to create numerous murals along the river trail (you’ve seen many on my blog!), and is presently building a new nature center in Mission Valley (the River Center at Grant Park).
If you’re in Balboa Park the next couple of days, make sure to swing by Gallery 21 in Spanish Village. The exhibition will be open through November 6, 2023, so that gives you only a couple more days to pay a visit.
…
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)!
These street art photographs are from a walk I enjoyed a couple days ago. They were taken as I wandered down several blocks in south Oceanside, from 1719 to 1840 South Coast Highway.
Here they are!
A funny cow stands on the sidewalk in front of Estate Sale Warehouse.Gentlemen’s Den Barber Shop mural features sun, beach and Oceanside Pier.The Whet Noodle (now Wrench and Rodent Seabasstropub) mural. I believe it’s by Kris Markovich.Michael Jordan saves a heart balloon on the side of The Frame House. By artist Hung Tran.Mural at Revolution Roasters. By artist Geoff Gouveia in 2017.Pelican flies on wall at Matafied Hair Studio. By artist Paul Knebels.
…
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)!
A love for Escondido shines brightly from an electrical box that is situated near the corner of Valley Parkway and Broadway. Award-winning local artist Suzanne Nicolaisen (aka Zanniki) painted this street art, infusing it with light, color and life.
What small scenes on the four sides of this box do you recognize?
I believe I see the Escondido gateway arch on Grand Avenue, Maple Street Plaza, the old train depot at Grape Day Park, City Hall, not to mention sunshine, palm trees, flowers, grapes, avocados, and above all an airplane towing a banner that reads: Visit Escondido!
…
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)!
Sebastian Stehr (@indian_t2b), a graffiti artist from Frankfurt Germany, finished painting a beautiful mural in Escondido about a week ago. His inspirational 15′ by 15′ mural titled What Is Love debuted last Wednesday.
Sebastian is working to complete 100 murals for his project Philosophical Graffiti, What is Love. His murals feature paintings of indigenous children accompanied by poetry. The mural in Escondido is his 86th so far. When all 100 are completed, Sebastian plans to publish a book concerning the project.
I missed the mural’s official debut, unfortunately, but I headed up to Escondido today to see it for myself.
I’ve learned that this mural, located in the alley behind Royal Traveler (125 North Kalmia), is the beginning of Esco Alley Art‘s extension to this same alley on the north side of Grand Avenue.
Several blocks of another alley to the south of Grand Avenue are already filled with amazing artwork!
Children imitate so they learn…then we better do righteous and good…
…
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)!
You’ll find many smiles this weekend in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park during their big Día de los Muertos celebration!
I walked through the State Park yesterday as the event was ready to open and found artists painting colorful murals, an arriving chalk artist, a sugar skull creation station and more. I watched as the big Community Altar was set up at one end of Old Town’s historic plaza.
There are forty Day of the Dead altars in all–most inside the State Park. Others can be enjoyed along San Diego Avenue and elsewhere around Old Town. There’s face painting everywhere you turn, live music at several restaurants, and even a 19th century magic lantern show at Seeley Stable!
The big event continues today–Sunday–so head on down to Old Town if you can!
In addition, there will be a candlelit procession this Thursday, November 2, starting at the Immaculate Conception Church just outside the State Park. At 6 pm the procession will head down San Diego Avenue toward El Campo Santo cemetery. That event will include blessings and traditional dances by Danza Azteca Atlachinolli.
Enjoy these photographs taken inside Old Town San Diego State Historic Park yesterday as Día de los Muertos got underway…
Old Town San Diego Boosters raise money by selling gifts in front of the Robinson-Rose House Visitors Center.Canopies set up on the grassy plaza offer several Day of the Dead activities.State Park employees get the big Community Altar ready in Old Town.Spreading marigold petals, to lead departed souls toward the Day of the Dead altar.The beautiful Community Altar.Smiling muralist Belen Islas was working on her beautiful canvas.Artist Juliet Elise Rodriguez paints many colors into her mural.Symbolic marigolds for sale.The San Diego Public Library was there with fun for the family!Color your own skull mask!Kids love painting small sugar skulls.Here are three finished ones!It’s a smiling Isabel Garcia! You’ve seen some of her beautiful murals on Cool San Diego Sights!
…
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 San Diego Sights! 