During my long walk through San Diego’s South Bay last weekend, I spotted street art in National City that I hadn’t previously photographed.
Three colorful faces on electrical boxes!
The first happy face, in the above photograph, was discovered near the corner of 8th Street and National City Boulevard. That box used to feature some fun Star Wars artwork. You can see those old photos here!
The next two faces were observed near the intersection of Plaza Boulevard and Highland Avenue.
Here they are!
(It appeared there were more painted boxes had I continued north on Highland. I’ll check those out on a future walk!)
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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 beautiful new mural is set to make its debut in National City this week. The artwork has been painted on one side of the National City Chamber of Commerce and faces Morgan Square Plaza with its many arches.
I was walking through National City yesterday when I noticed a blue tarp flapping in the wind on the wall. Bright color was peeking out from one corner!
The mural memorializes “the life of Manuel “Memo” Cavada, a longtime community photographer who passed away in 2020 after having captured 50 years of local history.” It was painted by artists Guillermo Aranda, Sal Barajas and David Avalos.
The mural will make its debut during an unveiling on December 15.
Next time I walk this way, I’ll take pics!
UPDATE!
Two weeks later, I walked past the Chamber of Commerce again, and I took photos of the revealed mural! See it in all its glory here!
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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!
Downtown San Diego’s Central Library is filled with all sorts of public artwork. Walk around the various floors with your eye on the walls and you’ll make frequent unexpected discoveries!
A couple weekends ago I was walking around the library’s 5th floor when I came upon two abstract sculptures by internationally renowned multimedia artist Italo Scanga. They are titled Music I and Music III. Both were created using oil paint, wood and found objects. And what appears to be symbolic imagery. Much of Scanga’s work incorporates elements of mythology.
Italo Scanga was born in Italy. He lived the later part of his life in San Diego. His pieces can be found in many museum collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Both of these fun, very colorful sculptures, Music I and Music III, are in the City of San Diego Civic Art Collection.
Enjoy a few photos!
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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!
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 photos for you to enjoy!
Lower Pond – San Diego Japanese Friendship Garden, by artist Ronald Ray Reekers, oil on canvas.
How does one paint the beauty of a Japanese garden? The answer can be found at the Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego’s Balboa Park.
“Visual Harmony in Japanese Gardens and the Beauty of Bonsai” is the title of the current exhibition in JFG’s Exhibit Hall.
Selected work by Southern California artist Ronald Ray Reekers is displayed, including oils, etchings, pastels and charcoal drawings.
What I found most interesting are written descriptions he provides of how to create bonsai and Japanese garden artwork. His art is driven by curiosity and passion.
If you’re an artist, you can visit his YouTube channel here. There are various technical demonstrations and lessons concerning Bonsai Drawing!
Shizuoka Shrine, by artist Ronald Ray Reekers, etching.Viewing the art of Ronald Ray Reekers in the Exhibit Hall at the Japanese Friendship Garden.Garden lantern, by artist Ronald Ray Reekers, oil on canvas.
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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!
Those who sit waiting for a bus on the west side of the City College Transit Center might see three very large fish out of water. They’ve been painted on a wall facing 11th Avenue, a short distance north of Broadway!
I believe this mural was just finished. I see it was created by the prolific local artists of @ladieswhopaint and @pandrdesignco!
Downtown San Diego becomes more colorful every day!
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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!
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 photos for you to enjoy!
A new mural was being painted today near Morena Boulevard!
I noticed the artist at work when I drove through the intersection of Linda Vista Road and Napa Street. The mural is on the side of a 7-Eleven.
After dark, I had the opportunity to return and take a good look at the colorful mural and get these photographs. At night the wall is brightly illuminated.
A signature indicates the artist is Hanna of Hanna’s Murals. You’ve seen her work elsewhere on Cool San Diego Sights, particularly here.
This awesome new mural depicts two tigers and the word FIERCE. I’m not sure if the artwork is entirely finished.
Check it out!
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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!
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 photos for you to enjoy!
Five eye-catching works of public art recently debuted in Del Mar! They are part of a City of Del Mar Temporary Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit.
These new pieces join a couple of other interesting sculptures along Camino Del Mar that I photographed previously here and here.
During a leisurely “art walk” through Del Mar Village yesterday I captured the following images…
Moonshadow, by artists Jeffery Laudenslager and Deanne Sabeck. Stainless steel, titanium and dichroic glass mosaic. At Camino Del Mar and 9th Street.Terpsichore, by artist David Beck Brown. Monochrome steel, paint. At Camino Del Mar and 12th Street.Bird’s Eye View of Torrey Pines Beach, by artists Robert Petrello and Drew Graham. Fused glass, copper and raw metal with rubbed bronze finish. At Camino Del Mar and 14th Street.Hanging Out #3, by artist Maidy Morhous. Bronze on stainless steel pedestal. At 15th Street and Stratford Court.Pasaje a lo Infinito, by artist Hugo Heredia. Fused glass, fabricated stainless steel and fabricated steel. Just west of Camino Del Mar on 15th Street.
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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!
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 photos for you to enjoy!
Two remarkable and historically important sculptures were moved recently from Presidio Hill to the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park.
When I visited the History Center today I was surprised to see the two large Arthur Putnam works, because I’d observed them several times in the past during walks through Presidio Park.
An explanation on the gallery wall explains that The Indian (1904) and The Padre (1908) were moved to protect them from the outdoor elements and vandalism. I learned they will be gallery centerpieces as this section of the San Diego History Center receives additional material. Critical context will be provided for these bronze statues.
If you’d like to see photos of the two sculptures when they stood on Presidio Hill, check out past blog posts here and here.
The first link will take you on a walk from Old Town up to the Serra Museum–a walk I made years ago when Cool San Diego Sights was just getting started.
The second link concerns an Arthur Putnam exhibition at the San Diego Museum of Art. You’ll learn that he was internationally renowned, particularly for his sculptures depicting animals. And he also had an interesting San Diego connection!
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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!
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 photos for you to enjoy!
A community garden at Civita in Mission Valley features beautiful mosaic art and an old tractor at its entrance.
I made this fun discovery during a recent walk through the sprawling Civita residential community.
The agriculture themed mosaics decorate the gated entrance to Civita Gardens. Given the names and dates on the colorful, shaped ceramics, they appear to have been created in 2016.
The nearby tractor has a small sign indicating it’s a 1956 108L Junior Porsche Tractor.
I’ll have more photos taken at Civita coming up shortly.
Enjoy these!
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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!
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 photos for you to enjoy!
One of San Diego’s finest murals can be seen in Lemon Grove. Beautifully detailed scenes painted on five large panels represent the history of Lemon Grove.
The impressive 65 by 18 foot mural, which was commissioned by the Lemon Grove Historical Society, was created over the course of several years (2005 to 2013) by artists Kathleen Strzelecki and Janne LaValle. In 2014 the Lemon Grove History Mural won the prestigious Governor’s Historic Preservation Award.
Small plaques indicate the historical period of each panel. From left to right they read: The World of the Kumeyaay 1,000 BCE, The Spanish Conquest 16th Century, The Mexican Empire 1821-1846, The Birth of Lemon Grove 19th century, and Modern Lemon Grove.
If you’d like to experience this remarkable mural with your own eyes, it’s located in Lemon Grove on the south side of the building at 3308 Main Street. The historic building was once home of the Sonka Brothers General Store.
The World of the Kumeyaay 1,000 BCEThe Spanish Conquest 16th CenturyThe Mexican Empire 1821-1846The Birth of Lemon Grove 19th centuryModern Lemon Grove
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