Very few people see this beautiful mural. It was painted in an extremely narrow space next to Scoops Ice Cream on Avenida de la Playa in La Jolla.
Someone eating ice cream at an outdoor table feet from the mural didn’t notice it until they saw me taking photographs!
The nice lady serving ice cream at Scoops thinks the artwork was painted years ago. The artist is Charlene Mosley (@cm__art).
Painted on the wall across from a scene of undersea life is an image of two kids eating ice cream. The employee I spoke to believes they were painted by the same artist.
…
To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)
Lovers of art in San Diego are in for a treat. Head down to the Wisteria Cottage Gallery in La Jolla and you can admire the work of two celebrated local artists who taught at UC San Diego.
Paintings large and small, beautiful sketches, historical photographs, and books the pair published are all on display.
Both artists liked to create images of simple, familiar things. Family life and home are frequent subjects. The images are friendly and warm. If I could reach into two dimensions, I’d happily take the depicted scenes and objects into my hands and make them my own.
You’ll notice when you visit the gallery that Patricia often paints people and moments in life. Manny often creates collage-like images of ordinary objects. To viewers who love living, they can all make a powerful connection.
Mary at the Stove is a painting by Patricia Patterson, a former professor of art at UC San Diego. You can find in heading up some stairs at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla.
This beautiful work of art was originally painted on a plasterboard wall at the Athenaeum for an exhibition in 1993. Now it’s part of the library’s permanent art collection.
When I visited the Athenaeum a couple days ago, I told the friendly librarian at the front desk I would be walking over to the Wisteria Cottage Gallery next, to view the exhibition Double Bill: The Art of Manny Farber and Patricia Patterson. That’s when she told me about Patterson’s Mary at the Stove.
I love the image and its simple warmth. It shows ordinary life in an unpretentious, almost nostalgic way. It struck me this painting is something between a Japanese print and folk art. But what do I know?
As you’ll see in my next blog post, Patricia Patterson created many such wonderful images.
…
To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)
Perhaps you’ve seen this beautiful mosaic while driving through downtown Chula Vista. It decorates the California Bank and Trust building at 444 Third Avenue.
The mosaic mural was the creation of internationally renowned artist and architectural designer Millard Owen Sheets. He with the help of other Sheets Studio artists produced many such mosaics for Home Savings Bank branches around Southern California. Perhaps you’ve seen his work in Pacific Beach and Coronado.
This particular mosaic in Chula Vista was created in 1987. It depicts ocean waves and seagulls. According to this website, it was worked on by Denis O’Connor, Monika Scharff; Studio MosaicArt Colledani Milan/NOVA Designs; Kathryn Yelsa.
The mosaic mural stretches horizontally just below the bank’s rooftop. Situated high up, partially obscured by nearby trees, it can be easy to miss. Pause on the sidewalk below to enjoy this very beautiful, historical public art!
…
To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)
This mural was painted in National City last year after Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres recorded his 2000th Major League Baseball hit!
It reads: El Ministro 2000! Manny got the name “El Ministro de la Defensa” (Minister of Defense) for his defensive prowess when he played for the Dominican Republic in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
His absolutely amazing plays at third base are so smooth and routine they appear almost effortless. If you’re an opposing hitter running to first base, you’d better hurry, because Manny’s laser throw will probably arrive before you do!
The artwork was spray painted in 2025 by the Padres-loving artists of Ground Floor Murals (@groundfloormurals).
If you’d like to see this cool mural firsthand, head over the intersection of 8th Street and B Avenue in downtown National City. It decorates the east side of the Andrade’s Thrift Store building.
…
To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)
UC San Diego’s outdoor public art can be surprising. That is certainly the case with Two Running Violet V Forms. The 1983 installation by artist Robert Irwin is part of UCSD’s Stuart Collection.
Located near the center of the La Jolla campus in a eucalyptus grove, stretches of blue-violet chain-link fencing form two elevated v’s that students can walk beneath. These linear geometric forms pierce the complexity of living eucalyptus trees.
I walked into the grove yesterday and paused for a few minutes to take in the effect.
The sky at the moment was cloudy gray. Had the sky been bright blue, the Two Running Violet V Forms might have been more intriguing–even spiritual–showing different qualities of light, seeming to blend with the upper air, providing a more subtle contrast with the organic grayish eucalyptus trunks and high green leaves.
Under a colorless gray sky, however, and among grayish trees, the fencing’s stark color was too garish, too harshly artificial. At least for me. Sorry to criticize. Keep in mind I’m no art expert.
When I finished reading an essay concerning of this unusual art, I completely understood the intention. I’ll have to return on a sunny blue sky day.
Robert Irwin‘s work is held in high esteem. His unique creations focus on human perception, engaging different environments and effects of light. His work includes the Central Gardens at The J. Paul Getty Center in Los Angeles.
His cut glass windows overlooking the ocean at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego produce interesting contrasts of light. See those photos here.
…
To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)
A special exhibit at the San Diego Central Library was recently installed in a large display case at the Special Collections Center. It concerns the work of San Diego’s world-renowned sculptor Donal Hord.
Historical photos concentrate on Hord’s creation of the Literature East and West bas-relief panels, which still exist on the library’s previous, now-vacant building. Photos (such as the one above) show the preparing, casting and hanging of the sculptural panels back in 1953. I blogged about these panels and other art at that old downtown library many years ago. See that past blog post here.
This special exhibition also showcases a few small but very beautiful works, and covers Donal Hord’s public art that can be found all around San Diego. I’ve covered most of these iconic sculptures. Click here and here and here and here and here and here and here!
Would you like to go see this fascinating exhibit yourself? Head up to the 9th floor of the Central Library and look for the door to Special Collections. You can also enjoy amazing rooftop views of San Diego!
…
To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)
I really like this fun artwork. It’s now on public display at San Diego’s downtown Central Library. The five original paintings and the digital illustration prints were created by Mike McCarley (aka Mike Mike), who resides in Ocean Beach and imbues his work with a playful, laid-back beach vibe.
As a sign explains, his work has roots in skateboard art, cartoons, and an enduring love for the color blue. To see these in person, head up to the Central Library’s second floor near the escalators and look for the glass display cases. I believe the exhibit continues through December, so there isn’t much time left.
If you dig Mike Mike’s stuff, check out his Instagram page here. He works professionally in architecture, but his creative heart belongs to painting and illustration.
…
To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)
On the second floor of the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union at San Diego State University, memories are preserved just outside Montezuma Hall. Three historical murals that were painted on plaster at the old Aztec Center, which was demolished in 2011, live on today as tiled photographs.
Here’s an article that describes the origin of the original three murals, which were painted by students in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
On either side of the tiled photographs are identical plaques that show the complete murals and provide further explanation.
Tiled photographs of Life, Birth-Death, Rebirth. Painted by San Diego-based artist Mario Torero and SDSU students in 1980, “Life, Birth-Death and Rebirth” was located in the lower courtyard of Aztec Center. Torero and students chose the theme because they wanted to focus on the more positive aspects of Chicano culture instead of dwelling on the past…Tiled photographs of Mexico, The Periods. Painted in fall 1980 and spring 1981, “Mexico, The Periods,” was produced as part of an SDSU Chicano mural class. Art instructor Juan Laguna and his students divided the mural into four sections, each celebrating the four periods of Mexican history. The 10-foot by 20-foot mural was located in an inside hallway in the lower level of Aztec Center…Tiled photographs of The Backdoor Mural. Formerly located in a hallway near the backstage entrance to the Backdoor in Aztec Center, the 9-foot by 14-foot mural was completed on Jan. 27, 1976. It was designed and painted by principal artist Arturo Anselmo Roman and students in his Chicano mural art class. Dedicated to the god of music, the design featured various Meso-American gods as musicians…
…
If you’d like to see San Diego through my lens, find the “Follow” box in the sidebar to receive new posts in your email, or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
(If you’re viewing Cool San Diego Sights on a phone, you can open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)
In October, inspired local artists and volunteers came together to paint this beautiful 250-foot mural in Valencia Park, along Manzanares Way east of Euclid Avenue. It’s called the Legacy Blossoms mural.
You can see a photograph of the mural being painted on Instagram here. The installation team is credited as: Kim, Dentlok, SD Writerz and Natifa.
Additional photos of the mural’s progress can be seen on the Southeast Art Team Instagram page here. If you like what these artists are doing for the community, why not provide them with an assist?
The large concrete embankment south of the St. Rita Catholic Church complex is now covered with colorful poppies, succulents, an ocean sunset and the breath of life, brightening this neighborhood in Southeast San Diego!
Look how wonderful the art is!
…
If you’d like to see San Diego through my lens, find the “Follow” box in the sidebar to receive new posts in your email, or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
(If you’re viewing Cool San Diego Sights on a phone, you can open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)
Cool San Diego Sights! 