Tag: beautiful

Mingei celebrates San Diego Craft Collective.

The Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park has a great exhibit outside its east entrance that celebrates the San Diego Craft Collective. Beautiful objects crafted by members of the collective are proudly displayed!

A collaboration between the Mingei and the San Diego Craft Collective makes perfect sense. The museum collects, conserves and exhibits folk art, craft, and design. The family-friendly San Diego Craft Collective, located in Liberty Station, teaches it members traditional craft, including woodworking, ceramics, textiles, fiber arts, glass art and more. They are dedicated to sustainability, utilizing natural and recycled materials. The collective even teaches organic gardening!

A couple years ago I visited the San Diego Craft Collective. I was amazed by the extent of their facility and the diversity of work by its members. If you want to read that past blog post and see those photographs, click here.

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A walk in WorldBeat Center’s Healing Peace Garden.

There’s a special garden in Balboa Park you might not know about. It’s located outside the WorldBeat Cultural Center. Those heading along Park Boulevard can glimpse the greenery just south of the circular WorldBeat Cultural Center building.

Known by several names, including the Healing Peace Garden and Children’s Ethnobotany Garden, this green oasis can be visited by appointment or on special occasions.

Fortunately, the garden was open during the Global Earth Day festival last weekend. Having never stepped inside, I took advantage of the opportunity!

When I entered the Healing Peace Garden, I did feel at peace. The nearby street and urban surroundings seemed to vanish. I had entered what felt like a wholly natural place–a world of deep green, full of life and living.

Several footpaths pass shady nooks–places for mediation and contemplation. There are bits of art among the trees and plants, including a seating ring where people can gather to talk, create music, or simply absorb the surrounding beauty.

I was interested to learn the award-winning garden is considered the first sustainable, edible garden in Balboa Park, as well as a monarch butterfly waystation certified by Monarch Watch, and a wildlife habitat certified by the National Wildlife Federation.

The garden is used as an outdoor classroom, too. This webpage explains: The unique organic herb, fruit, and vegetable garden honors the memory of George Washington Carver, and is dedicated to teaching young people about the role of plants in society. Gardening classes are available to schools, youth programs, individuals and families by booking a workshop or requesting a docent at the WorldBeat Center.

Now let’s enter the garden and walk around…

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Nature murals near Gaylord Resort in Chula Vista.

Last weekend, while walking around the new Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center in Chula Vista, I stumbled upon these three very beautiful murals. They’re located near the water park at the southwest corner of the resort, next to the roundabout at the end of H Street. They decorate a small plaza.

The artist of all three murals is Lauren Elyse S. According to information beside each mural, she’s a San Diego interdisciplinary artist who loves the medium of paint and how brushstrokes communicate mood and energy. You can see her love for nature in the images she created!

I’ve noticed the Gaylord Resort has also placed informative signs about our natural environment in various spots near outdoor walkways. Very cool!

Lilac, Pine, Cypress, Sage by artist Lauren Elyse S., 2025. A painted landscape, inspired by the radiant light in Chula Vista.
Spilled Honey by artist Lauren Elyse S., 2025. Inspired by spring plant life in the mountains of Chula Vista.
Coral Hour by artist Lauren Elyse S., 2025. Depicting the trees of Chula Vista Bayfront Park, with the Coronado Bay Bridge in the background.

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Escondido Creek Trail Outdoor Art Gallery debuts!

Two days ago the Escondido Creek Trail Outdoor Art Gallery made its official debut!

Having missed the ceremony, I headed up to Escondido today to enjoy my first look.

Congratulations to ESCO ALLEY ART, the community organization that presented these six murals to the City of Escondido. To learn more about their ongoing efforts to beautify Escondido, visit ESCO ALLEY ART’s website here.

These half dozen murals each measure 15 by 10 feet, depict local flora and fauna, and were transferred onto Aluminum Composite Material. Their super shiny surfaces made photography without reflections nearly impossible. I did my best!

The murals are located on the Neighborhood Healthcare building at 460 North Elm Street. They face the Escondido Creek Trail–a pedestrian and bike path that is presently undergoing improvement. (I noticed some of the improvements during my walk and will blog about that coming up.)

Curious who the mural artists are? Check out the captions of my photographs…

Nature Watching by artist Laura Green.
Coyote by artist Berthis Myers.
Wildlife in the Poppies by artist Joanne Sullivan.
Aspire by artist Kat Furrow.
Tunas Doradas by artist Andres Marin.
California Dreaming by artist LaRetta Small-Zamora.

This ESCO ALLEY ART webpage links to information concerning each artist!

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Painting huge murals downtown on The Torrey!

Huge, super colorful murals are being painted in downtown San Diego. Once completed, there will be four murals, one on each side of The Torrey’s new high-rise. The Torrey is located at 1200 Front Street, where the north part of the old downtown courthouse used to stand.

This morning during my walk I noticed two artists working on the east side mural. I’d stumbled upon Australian husband-and-wife visual artists who go by the name DABSMYLA. They’re out of Los Angeles. Here’s their website. That’s them in the above photograph!

Two murals are finished, they’re now working on the third, and I was told a fourth will be painted on the south side of the building, once the old courthouse bridge over B Street is demolished.

Super cool!

These first photos show the mural they’re working on presently, on the building’s east side. All of their artwork is full of bold imagery from nature, including San Diego’s beautiful coast.

On the north side…

And on the west side (where there’s some new, interesting stump art on the sidewalk which I’ll blog about)…

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Colors of Ovalesque in the Escondido sky!

A cool kinetic sculpture stands in Escondido at the intersection of Valley Boulevard and East Grand Avenue. It’s called, appropriately, Ovalesque. Two ovals containing dichroic glass move independently in the wind, flashing brilliant sunlit colors!

Jeffrey Laudenslager and Deanne Sabeck collaborated to create this beautiful sculpture in 2024. If you want to view more of Jeffrey’s kinetic sculptures, check out his Instagram page here. See Ovalesque moving about by clicking here.

Over the years, walking around San Diego and North County, I’ve stumbled upon quite a few Jeffrey Laudenslager sculptures.

These photos of Ovalesque were taken during my most recent Escondido walk. It was somewhat overcast that day. Imagine bright sunlight and beautiful colors moving through a blue sky!

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Mural at Best Little Hair House in Escondido.

This mural beautifies a wall outside Best Little Hair House at 332 E. 2nd Avenue in Escondido. I noticed it during my most recent walk in Escondido. Enjoy a couple photos!

According to this article, the title of the art is Bellas Rosas. It was created by Charlie Mejia, teacher at Valley High School and member of the Escondido Mural Committee. The City of Escondido has been supporting the creation of public art as a catalyst for economic growth.

This mural replaced another one decorating the same wall. You can see photographs taken in 2023 of that old, faded mural by clicking here.

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A brilliantly glowing Growing Home!

In 2019, about one week after its installation, I posted a blog concerning this amazing, stainless steel, sea snail sculpture, which is called Growing Home. It rises near Petco Park in East Village, in front of the Park 12 – The Collection luxury apartments.

You can read more about this phenomenal public art and see my original photographs by clicking here.

Last night I walked past Growing Home. Wow. I was so struck by its glowing brilliance that I had to take more photos.

And here they are!

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A sunny Easter walk through Balboa Park!

Today is Easter. It’s spring. The sun is out in San Diego. A perfect day for a leisurely walk through Balboa Park!

What did I encounter?

Second day of the Makers Arcade on Balboa Park’s West Mesa.
People enjoying yoga near the lawn bowling green.
Flowers are in full bloom at the Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden.
Vendors at the San Diego Turtle and Tortoise Society’s Annual Show and Plant Sale.
A tortoise in Room 101 of the Casa del Prado.
The Spring Exhibition of Art inside the Village Arts Outreach Gallery.
Here comes the Balboa Park Miniature Railroad!
Many native flowers are showing color along the San Diego Natural History Museum’s Nature Trail.
Beautiful butterflies and a ladybug inside the San Diego Sculptors Guild courtyard.
A small bird enjoys the green grass growing near the Botanical Building.
It’s busy inside the Botanical Building on a sunny Easter day.
The new pergola west of the Botanical Building is looking good!
Uh, oh! Somebody forgot their bunny ears!
Free roses made of corn husks offered by a street performer.
Happy Easter in a window at the International Cottages.
Looks like Quinceañera photos are being taken at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.
Some cool cars and lowriders have arrived in the park.
Spring beauty at the Alcazar Garden in Balboa Park.

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Award-winning quilt in Balboa Park Visitors Center!

Next time you enter the Balboa Park Visitors Center, move to the left side of the front counter and look up. You’ll see an amazing quilt on the wall!

The quilt, titled THE BOTANICAL GARDENS OF BALBOA PARK, depicts the Botanical Building and Lily Pond. It’s so detailed and exquisite that it won a prestigious national award. It took First Place in the Group Quilts category at the American Quilter’s Society 32nd National QuiltWeek competition in 2016! Here’s the AQS website with all the winners.

Who created this fantastic work of art? The eight members of San Diego quilting group Bobbin Buddies! The quilt was made to celebrate Balboa Park’s centennial.

The award-winning quilt would go on to be included in the Brigham City Museum’s 46th International Quilt Invitational Exhibit in 2018.

This webpage describes how the beautiful quilt was created, and how it was purchased by the Balboa Park Conservancy and has been on display in its Visitors Center. (Today the Visitors Center is operated by Forever Balboa Park.)

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