Something cool has sprung up at the center of Balboa Park’s theater complex.
Look what I spied today during my walk through Balboa Park! Some people were milling around an interesting work of interactive art in front of the Old Globe, and I had to check it out. Turns out I had stumbled upon The Journey, some fun outdoor artwork created by Dan Reeves. The Journey is inspired by the Old Globe Theatre’s production of Steve Martin’s play Picasso at the Lapin Agile.
I learned this is a section of a larger torus that will appear at the next Burning Man. The Journey is a mortise and tenon structure made of wood, which produces a unique lighting and audio experience best seen at night. Illuminated with colorful LED lights, people can pose for photographs!
Better check it out soon. The Journey will be on display at the Old Globe until this Sunday, January 19!
The Journey is a small section of a larger torus that will be a brilliant, spectacular work of art at Burning Man.The Journey is on view at the Old Globe Theatre’s Copley Plaza through this Sunday, February 19. A cool experience inspired by the Steve Martin play Picasso at the Lapin Agile.Pose in this uniquely colorful work of art after dark and you can have a spectacular photo taken!
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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!
Colorful quilting artwork in a window of the Visions Art Museum at Liberty Station.
I’ve blogged many times about Liberty Station. But there’s always more to discover.
Yesterday I walked around the historic old Navy base, and was pleased to take a few photographs that you might enjoy. I spotted some artwork and framed some of the place’s beauty.
These few moments in time and space might seem random, but it was all new to me. That’s why I like to walk.
I spotted this bust in a nook while walking along the North Promenade. It was probably created in a nearby art studio. I could find no information.The beautiful Galinson Family Fountain at NTC Liberty Station.I spotted this cool metal wire sculpture of a man dining on the planet Earth near an old, peeling Naval Training Center wall. Plastic Dinner, by Spenser Little. The art includes a dangling mobile and casts a thin, weird shadow.Peer into one window at IDW Publishing, headquartered at Liberty Station, and you’ll see a huge statue of Leonardo, of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!A peaceful place of natural and man-made beauty, perfect for a slow thoughtful walk.Decoration above an arch. I believe that is explorer Cabrillo’s ship San Salvador. He entered San Diego Bay not far from here.Looking down a long colonnade where U.S. Navy sailor recruits once walked.Photo of the eye-pleasing USNTC North Chapel, reflecting the Point Loma sunshine one Sunday.Nautical symbols above the front entrance to the Navy’s old North Chapel at Liberty Station.
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The Birds and The Bees, a birdhouse by artist Joel Sotelo.
Looks what I noticed today. Most of the fun, artistic birdhouses that were installed for Tweet Street in 2008 have been restored! With new coats of paint and a little work, they once again appear like new!
You might remember my blog post a couple years ago concerning these fun birdhouses. At the time, weather had gotten the better of them. Well, check them out now!
If you want to see these very creative works of public art in person, Tweet Street is another name for the linear Cortez Hill Park, located on Date Street roughly between Seventh and Ninth Avenue.
Public art restoration in progress. The City of San Diego develops, exhibits, conserves and restores the Civic Art Collection to provide meaningful aesthetic and cultural experiences for San Diego’s residents and visitors.Tweet Street sign on Date Street in San Diego’s Cortez Hill neighborhood. Many artistic birdhouses line the narrow urban park.Boat House, a birdhouse by artist Kirk Crow.Anil’u, a birdhouse by artist Lilia Peji.Coexistence, a birdhouse by artist Bob Gromofsky.Cunae, a birdhouse by artist Miguel Salmeron.Mas Vale Pajaro en Mano, a birdhouse by artist Joel Sotelo.Bewick’s Bunker, a birdhouse by artists Rafael Lopez and Daniel Renner.Air Traffic Control, a birdhouse by artist Amy Ennis Achaibou.Birdinsky, a birdhouse by artist Amy Levine.
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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 fun photos for you to share and enjoy!
The sleepy face of Morning, a sculpture by renowned San Diego artist Donal Hord.
Many who walk along the waterfront pause to enjoy a beautiful sculpture near Seaport Village. Morning, sculpted from black diorite by internationally renowned San Diego artist Donal Hord, stands atop a low grassy hill at the edge of Embarcadero Marina Park North. Should curious eyes watching the colorful, sunlit kites flying high above the park descend to Earth, they will fall upon Morning.
Donal Hord sculpted Morning between 1951 and 1956. His works around San Diego include Woman of Tehuantepec, at Balboa Park’s House of Hospitality; Aztec, at San Diego State University; Guardian of Water, in front of the San Diego County Administration Center; and Literature West and Literature East, at the old, now vacant San Diego Central Library on E Street.
As a young man Hord was influenced by what he saw at Balboa Park’s 1915 Panama-California Exposition, particularly the architecture of Bertram Goodhue and the sculptural work of the Piccirilli Brothers. Later in life he was influenced by Scottish sculptor, Archibald Dawson, and Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera.
Morning. Donal Hord, 1902-1966. Presented to the citizens of the State of California by the San Diego Unified Port District. August 1983.The Morning sculpture by Donal Hord stands on the grass at Embarcadero Marina Park North. Thousands of people pass it every day as they walk near Seaport Village.Morning, sometimes referred to as Morning Statue, shows a man waking, stretching, preparing for another day. At the base are various symbols, including representations of the sun and the moon.Morning was acquired by the Port of San Diego in 1983 and installed on the waterfront. Until then, the sculpture was located at Donal Hord’s residence.A gull and its sculpted human perch together greet a sunny morning beside San Diego Bay.
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This blog now features thousands of photos around San Diego! Are you curious? There’s lots of cool stuff to check out!
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A wide-eyed face on a building wall in North Park, surrounded by cosmic imagery.
Here’s even more North Park street art! Check out these photos!
This spray painted mural was signed by the artists DEXR, ARMOR, EYEMAX and SADE. Full of cosmic imagery, the panoply of swirling forms and symbols evokes wonder. The universe it seems to depict is vast and mysterious. All I know for sure is that the artwork is really cool!
You can find this colorful street art on El Cajon Boulevard, just east of 30th Street.
I first spied this street art from the intersection at 30th Street and El Cajon Boulevard.The mural on the Supercuts building contains many complex, colorful elements. Like a magnet it drew me in.Two fused female faces, or one seen in two glances. I get the impression that time, space and information are being affected by that shining object on the left.Whether that’s a black hole, the origin of the universe, a star, or something else–the theme seems to be the mystery of Creation. And I see a dragon at the fractured boundary, a symbol of Chaos.A face seems to gaze from another place behind a transparent window at the unspeakably vast and wonderful cosmos.
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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 fun photos for you to enjoy!
Amazing, revolutionary holographic painting by visionary San Diego artist Tom Liguori. Photo taken through a window. Image contrast and sharpness adjusted. Photo cropped to eliminate reflections.
You might recall that earlier this year I blogged about some genuinely revolutionary holographic art. I had discovered some dazzling paintings in the windows of downtown’s old Gaslamp 15 movie theater, which has now been closed for almost a year. The paintings were created by Tom Liguori, a retired local entrepreneur, who is working to develop a completely new holographic art form.
Well, I noticed a new crop of his holographic paintings in the same windows the other day, so I’ve taken more photos. This new batch of works, if possible, seems even more vibrant and visually interesting. Some paintings are presented on a turning carousel allowing the sidewalk viewer to perceive their three dimensional quality. Placing my camera right up to the window glass, I tried hard to take photos without morning street reflections, and I’ve cropped some of the resulting images and adjusted contrast and sharpness to present this spellbinding art to the best of my ability. But you really have to see the holographic effect in person!
I was fortunate to meet Tom Liguori by chance a few months ago while I was walking around the Gaslamp. He was out on the sidewalk with some photographers, who were documenting one of his fantastic paintings. He’s a super friendly and interesting guy!
To see my earlier blog post, which I published in June before I met Mr. Liguori, click here. I didn’t adjust the images of those paintings a great deal, and the street reflections are much more evident. In that earlier blog post I also provide much more background about this new art movement, and what it all means to Mr. Liguori, an artist with an interest in physics and philosophy. Fascinating stuff!
I see he now has a website, where you can learn even more. This revolutionary artwork is available for purchase. To check his website out, click here!
Another work of fantastic, light-imbued art by Tom Liguori, a retired businessman who experiments with proprietary holographic paints.Colors and light change appearance in this holographic painting as the point of view shifts. This almost looks like an abstract still life.Several brilliant paintings turn in a spotlight on a carousel. One can see these at the now closed Gaslamp 15 movie theater on Fifth Avenue.A shield-like work of holographic art seems to produce streams of light in this photo. But it’s actually reflections on the window from the nearby street.One can get lost in this shining, jewel-like art. Wonderful!
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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 fun photos for you to enjoy!
Colorful faces and complex depth are elements of a public mural located in Golden Hill.
I haven’t taken a walk through Golden Hill for several months. But this morning I discovered some photos of a cool Golden Hill mural languishing in my computer. I forgot!
This public art at the corner of 25th Street and B Street celebrates the diversity and the vibrancy one encounters in San Diego’s small Golden Hill community. It’s an enlarged version of a 8.25 by 19 inch mixed media collage, created by artist Giancarlo Pia in 2013. I love how three dimensional and richly colorful this mural is!
Giancarlo Pia. Golden Hill, 2013. Mixed Media Collage. This mural is dedicated to the residents of Golden Hill and reflects the vibrancy and diversity of the community.Many lively images can be seen in this artwork. The rich culture and history of Golden Hill is celebrated.A very cool mural at a street corner in Golden Hill.
UPDATE!
Here’s a much better complete photo of the mural that I took on a later 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!
Bronze sculpture of young girl dipping finger into shallow basin of water. The Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial is located at the La Jolla Recreation Center.
During my recent walk around La Jolla, I paused for a bit to admire a beautiful bronze sculpture at the La Jolla Recreation Center. The life-size likeness of a girl dipping a finger into a basin of water is officially called the Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial. Created by artist Mary Buckman and dedicated in 1997, the gentle artwork remembers a very important figure in San Diego history: Ellen Browning Scripps.
If you live in San Diego, you surely recognize the name Ellen Browning Scripps. She and her brother created a vast business empire as newspaper publishers. During her life she gave most of her wealth away to good causes. She spent much of her life in La Jolla. Indeed, she lived right across Prospect Street from the present-day sculpture; her old residence is now home to the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla.
This sculpture by Mary Buckman is dedicated to the memory of Ellen Browning Scripps. June 28, 1997. A beloved sculpture by James Tank Porter occupied this site from 1926 until its disappearance in 1996.People enjoy a nearby bench at the La Jolla Recreation Center on a sunny December day.Inscription on the bench is from Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses. I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.A beautiful work of art remembers San Diego journalist and philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps.
Here are several photos I took at a later time…
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I wrote a short story about a girl gazing into a fountain. Would you like to read it? To feel a mixture of joy and sadness, click here.
A cool work of art pieced together in Balboa Park’s Spanish Village. Anyone can do this!
My weekend walk in Balboa Park took me through Spanish Village Art Center. For a few pleasant minutes I paused to watch artist Kathi Vargo piecing together collages and unique assemblage at a table in the middle of the patio. Anyone passing by was invited to join in!
I learned that Kathi offers Paint and Paper Play classes where absolutely anybody can learn to create mixed media collages. If you’re interested, visit her website!
Kathi Vargo was having a fun Paint and Paper Play Collage Workshop in the middle of the Spanish Village Art Center’s colorful patio.All sorts of objects can be used to assemble this unique artwork.Applying some paint to a strip of material.Creating art expands the mind, enriches the spirit, and is just plain fun!You can make this!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
A beautiful face comes alive on a Little Italy street. Amazing chalk art will be a central attraction at the annual Festa celebration in San Diego.
Tomorrow Festa will be enjoyed by thousands of people in Little Italy. One of the annual festival’s biggest attraction is the amazing chalk art, which is also known as Gesso Italiano. Today the chalk artists began creating their masterpieces. Their unusual canvas is two blocks of asphalt along Beech Street.
I walked this afternoon from Cortez Hill down to Little Italy, to see how far the artwork has progressed. Most of the artists had already made a good start.
I looked with wonder at many colorful chalk art faces that have gradually come to life. The artists, when drawing a human form, often begin with the face. So many beautiful faces were gazing up from the asphalt.
Festa begins tomorrow, Sunday, at 10 o’clock. Thousands will enjoy the finished chalk masterpieces. I will definitely be there!
Chalk artists line two blocks of Beech Street. It’s a very special October weekend in downtown San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood.This chalk artist uses a grid to form his emerging creation.Another face mysteriously materializes on the street. Many different colors of chalk can be used to create subtle effects.Elaborate chalk artwork, also known as Gesso Italiano, is being created the day before 2016 Festa begins in Little Italy.Chalk can be used to produce truly sensational images.Another chalk artist at work creating a bold face in the middle of the street.Many classical images borrowed from Italy’s rich history and culture will appear tomorrow on Beech Street for 2016 Festa.Chalk and asphalt. Passion and skill. A human face is born.Eyes peer up from the street, patiently regarding a skilled chalk artist.A colorful chalk angel almost ready to take flight in Little Italy.A beautiful face beneath a halo.Flying purple hair, and a glowing face in the sunlight.These eyes have been infused with life. Chalk artists have converged to create beautiful art in Little Italy for 2016 Festa!
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This blog now features thousands of photos around San Diego! Are you curious? There’s lots of cool stuff to check out!
Here’s the Cool San Diego Sights main page, where you can read the most current blog posts. If you’re using a small mobile device, click those three parallel lines up at the top–that opens up my website’s sidebar, where you’ll see the most popular posts, a search box, and more!
To enjoy future posts, you can also “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
Cool San Diego Sights! 