The names of loved ones. Spiritual bonds link the living with the dead during Dia de los Muertos.
Many generations came together in Old Town this evening during Dia de los Muertos.
Love and memory were written on so many smiling faces as people celebrated their departed loved ones. Chalk memorials and scattered marigolds lined San Diego Avenue. And the evening ended with a candlelight procession from Old Town San Diego State Historic Park to the small El Campo Santo cemetery. A walk of several blocks in the growing darkness . . . a short walk down a road brightly lit by love.
My poor camera failed to capture the candlelight procession as night descended. But your heart and mind might imagine it.
An abundance of music, humor and life on stage during the Dia de los Muertos celebration in Old Town San Diego!People could pose for photos with two giant skeleton puppets!An artist paints two large skulls–calaveras–in Old Town’s Plaza de las Armas during Dia de los Muertos.Children decorate traditional sugar skulls.Some around the park wore fancy dresses and hats for the day, recreating the iconic Mexican image of La Calavera Catrina. I saw many faces painted like fantastic skulls.Some of the shops in Old Town had a mix of decorations for both Halloween and Dia de los Muertos.A large, colorful calavera above a restaurant inside Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.Face painting and a youthful smile.Hundreds of tributes and sentiments for departed loved ones were written in chalk on a long stretch of San Diego Avenue, inside Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.Lanterns among the many Dia de los Muertos chalk memorials.Te amo–I love you–and a marigold.Love and memory connect many generations as the years roll on.
…
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!
Lawrence Godfrey. Sunflowers and a peaceful country scene interpreted with chalk.
Check out these photos of amazing chalk art!
This morning dozens of chalk artists were busy working to complete their masterpieces as 2016 Festa in Little Italy officially opened. There was no special theme this year, so the artwork along Beech Street included anything and everything Italian. The photos I took yesterday (for my previous blog post) provided only a hint of what would materialize. Today’s photos show hours of hard work by the artists, who have brought their unique visions to life.
I’ve included what I believe to be the team names in the photo captions. Congratulations to all the great artists!
Artists work to complete their chalk art masterpieces at 2016 Festa in Little Italy.Santa Fe Christian High School. Colorful trees and hills. Perhaps it’s an orchard or vineyard in Italy.Elisabeth Eckert. Flowing artwork on the streets of Little Italy during Festa.Canyon Crest Academy. A chalk depiction of classic painting The Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Caravaggio.Liberty Charter High School. A scene from Venice, Italy produced with chalk.Pearson Family. A colorful face sure to please thousands of visitors at 2016 Festa in Little Italy.Lidia F. Vasquez. Another sensational work of art by a very accomplished young chalk artist.Lydia Puentes Phillips. The face of Christ before the Crucifixion.Stan Tang. A strong masculine face drawn with chalk.Chalkolate. A red Alfa Romeo made entirely of chalk. The Gesso Italiano at 2016 Festa celebrates everything Italian, including cars!Mount Miguel High School. Someone is trying to reach out of the asphalt on Beech Street!Alex Dejecacion. Some fine chalk artistry has produced a lovely woman.Weenie Kingdom. Another amazing chalk female portrait.Liliana Mai. It seems a Venetian gondolier is waving from some water beneath a San Diego street!Valerie Michelle. Unusual chalk art depicts an elegantly dressed dog!Megnificent. A chalk art portrait of Leonardo DiCaprio is being created.Team Pinoy. Sylvester Stallone, a movie icon whose father was Italian.Judith Arnaud Gary. The head of David, a famous sculpture by Michelangelo.Francois Lariviere. A chalk figure in exotic armor created for 2016 Festa in Little Italy.Team Parada. Colored chalk has produced a stunning face.Shuji Nishimura. The face of famous Italian actor and comedian Roberto Remigio Benigni.Holly Lynn Schineller. In Praise of Imperfection, a tribute to Italian twin sisters.Carlos Alberto Cortez Gomez. Colorful classical figures created with Gesso Italiano.Cecelia Linayao. A mother and child take form on the street at Festa.Grasiela Rodriguez. This Roman Colosseum is an Italian chalk art work in progress.Brenda Mora. In loving memory of Josephine Pecoraro, resident of Little Italy.Angela Checco. Two lovers enjoy romance in Rome.Tonie Garza. Madonna in Glory by Italian painter Carlo Dolci. One of many Catholic chalk art images created for Festa in San Diego’s Little Italy.Tiffany Garza. A face from Italian popular culture appears on a San Diego street.Renee Keady. Grapes crown a beautiful female face.Brianna Cunha. The Italian theme at 2016 Festa most certainly included grapes!Kira Lewis-Martinez. A graceful religious figure softly composed of chalk.Shawnet Sweets. A classic Italian painting translated into chalk art.Team Zamora. The colors of Italy. Looking upward with pride.Lisa Pierre-Davis. A life-filled chalk character at 2016 Festa in Little Italy!
…
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!
…
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.
Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to conquer it.
Walk up Fifth Avenue in Bankers Hill and you’re likely to see some inspiring chalk art. Words of wisdom prompt those passing by to think about courage, wishes and hope. Here are some photos.
Two of the life affirming messages adorn a community library box located next to the front entrance of a safe haven for the homeless. A brave lion roars nearby. Uptown Safe Haven features transitional housing, supportive services, and hope. It is the project of Episcopal Community Services. The chalk art speaks of their mission.
If you’d like to learn more, or if you’d like to consider volunteering through this program to serve those in need, please click here.
Never stop making wishes. Life affirming chalk art in San Diego’s Bankers Hill neighborhood.The only thing stronger than fear is hope.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Art is alive (with growing strawberry plants) at The Garden Project!
Whenever I mosey down the Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade, I spy something new.
This morning I noticed that some fun art has sprung up near the New Children’s Museum, in both The Garden Project and the playground. Someone created beautiful chalk artwork on the playground’s concrete wall, and strawberries have been planted art-fully in the public garden! It reminds me that spring is coming!
(I increased the contrast of my third photograph so the chalk artwork could be more easily seen.)
Kids created this fun strawberry art.And young people created this chalk drawing on a playground wall. A heart encompasses the Earth and a puppy dog. Love is powerful.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can enjoy more Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Amazing artist at 2015 Festa in San Diego’s Little Italy. Smiling, she shows me the source material for her Balboa Park themed chalk art!
Brace yourself! Here come dozens of super cool photos! Check out the amazing chalk art created today for 2015 Festa in San Diego’s Little Italy! The special theme this year is the centennial of Balboa Park!
Gesso Italiano chalk art is a tradition at Little Italy’s Festa, and every year I’m blown away by all the colorful creations. Most of the images this year are inspired by beautiful Balboa Park, or paintings or artifacts contained in its museums. I arrived to take photos about an hour before the event opened, and many artists were still hard at work. I spoke to one who said their masterpiece took about seven hours to complete. Now that’s dedication to art!
I’ve inserted the team name at the beginning of each caption. Enjoy!
Cecelia Ramos Linayao. Face of child riding Balboa Park’s hundred-year-old carousel, which debuted in 1915 for the Panama California Exposition.Lesley Perdomo. Madonna and child, a popular theme of Gesso Italiano artwork.Robert Guzman. I believe this might be a hippo at the world famous San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park!Tonie Garza. The iconic El Cid Campeador statue in the Plaza de Panama. Chalk art celebrating Balboa Park’s centennial in 2015.Team Parada. A beautiful face with elaborately styled hair.I didn’t get the team name, but this exquisite white chalk portrait was one of my favorite pieces at this year’s Festa in Little Italy!Before the Festa event opens, chalk artists work to finish their creations. The art covers two blocks of Beech Street in downtown San Diego.Squadra Terun. A vividly colorful flower. Perhaps this depicts a scene from Balboa Park’s reflecting pool.A bit of random chalk art on the street. I spotted this near the official Festa competition entries.Ciao! A chalk image of lilies and koi in the reflecting pool, and the Botanical Building in Balboa Park.I didn’t get the team name. The artist was working from what appeared to be a poster or advertisement with the word Ventimiglia, which is a city in Northern Italy.Lisa Bernal Brethour. Delicate white blooms formed of chalk.Brianna Cunha. This stylish Gesso Italiano art appears to possibly show bubbles, a glass of beer and wheat.Bijan Masoumpanah. This chalk art seems to depict a classic sculpture of a bearded head.Valerie Michelle. A super colorful parrot and tropical fish!Weenie Kingdom. One of the carved wooden horses from the historic Balboa Park Carousel.Salgado. Perhaps one can see this big cat at the San Diego Zoo!Killer Queens. Dinosaur skull represents what one is likely to see at the Natural History Museum in Balboa Park.Cobian. Figure in flowing red dress reclining on a couch.Team Arcala. Chalk interpretation of the historic Cabrillo Bridge and California Building. The artist had looked for hundred-year-old photos of the bridge under construction, but without success.Meg. A big smile and a boldly colored work of chalk art taking form on a San Diego street during 2015 Festa!Team Pinoy. California Tower and the words Balboa Park Centennial Celebration 2015.Team Chalkolate. Another chalk representation of the famous El Cid equestrian sculpture near the center of Balboa Park.Campo Elementary. These gifted students won first place last year! What will this chalk creation be?John Vaughn. Chalk version of ornate plaster designs above the west arched entrance to Balboa Park.Two blocks in Little Italy were full of rampant creativity this morning.Michael Zamora. Fantastic chalk face based on an Italian painting in the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park.Art Within Reach. I thought at first this might be a dog in the lily pond. Then I thought it might be Moby Dick. It’s actually a polar bear at the zoo! No ears yet!Team Pierre. Vintage images take form as a skilled Gesso Italiano artist takes on the cool theme of Balboa Park’s centennial.Kira Lewis-Martinez. More cool chalk art with a nostalgic feel. The Panama California Exposition marked Balboa Park’s debut in 1915.Lydia Puentes Phillips. Very color koi swimming in the Balboa Park reflecting pool. Great chalk art that captures one of my favorite places!Raney and Talbott. These artists are basing their image on one of the elegant passageways along El Prado–specifically the one next to the Timken Museum.Coronado High School. A completed portion of what should eventually be a stunning work of art.Liberty Charter High School. A fun chalk art giraffe and zebra!Canyon Crest Academy. By far the most popular inspiration for this year’s Balboa Park centennial theme is the reflecting pool with its color-splashed koi and lilies.Lidia F. Vasquez. Wow! This elaborate mask is super inventive! It’s formed out of elements from Balboa Park’s unique architecture!Torrey Hills Elementary School. Gesso Italiano artwork is a tradition at the Festa celebration in Little Italy. I look forward to it every year!San Diego High School. A girl with a camera in the Botanical Building! I love it!Faithful Ambassadors Bible Baptist Academy. Cherry blossoms courtesy of the Japanese Friendship Garden! Is this awesome, or what?Washington Elementary STEAM Magnet, based right here in Little Italy! Lots of little colorful scenes along the border.Team Noni. A very colorful tiger comes alive on the street! More amazing zoo animal art!Julyen Ecoffey. Mother and child spending a sunlit day in San Diego’s wonderful Balboa Park.Cathedral Catholic High School. Lady with umbrella faces the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Another great image.Sycamore Ridge Elementary. Not only are there lily pads and flowers in the reflecting pool, but there’s a Venetian gondola! And an Italian flag over the Botanical Building!Dos Mustachios. One of the two fountains near either end of the Botanical Building. The actual fountains were recently restored by the Friends of Balboa Park.Torrey Pines High School, National Art Honor Society. I could feast my eyes on this glowing chalk artwork all day long!Elisabeth Eckert. Abstract image of Moreton Bay fig tree roots, probably either near the Palm Canyon stairs or Natural History Museum.Mel Clarkston Art. It’s a green people mover! I see colored tiles from Spanish Village, flags from the International Cottages, and a butterfly from the Zoro Garden!Mount Miguel High School. Everyone loves the reflecting pool. The calm natural beauty is inspiring.San Pasqual High School. Classic images from Balboa Park rendered using simple, colored chalk. Fantastic!The creativity couldn’t be contained! It flowed right out of the specified boundary and onto the nearby asphalt!Steve Alan and Friends. Simple but captivating.Aaron Hernandez. This is crazy! Looks like Planet of the Apes! I’m guessing these are hip simians who hang out at the San Diego Zoo…Team Arancio. A portion of this chalk art resembles that cool mural painted earlier this year in Spanish Village for the Balboa Park centennial.Chalk Riot. Wow! I love this! The nice artist said she incorporated elements from throughout Balboa Park, including the facade of the Museum of Man.Godfrey’s. And finally a stooping giraffe. The San Diego Zoo is a favorite place in amazing Balboa Park.Soon thousands will crowd the street to enjoy this great chalk art. I swung by early and got photos of works in progress!
…
Follow this blog for more photos of amazing stuff! Join me on Facebook or Twitter.
People who love to eat are always the best people. Julia Child
I spotted these funny pictures and quotes on some windows in the Horton Plaza shopping mall food court, in downtown San Diego. I’m not sure if this particular eatery closed down or is soon to debut. I saw no sign. But I had a good laugh!
If you are what you eat, then you might as well eat something good. RatatouilleLife is grate!Bake the world a better place!Rock and Roll (some dough).
…
Follow this blog for more photos of fun stuff! Join me on Facebook or Twitter.
People walk down a Hillcrest sidewalk past chalk street art dreams.
Human dreams are wildly varied and ever-changing. I saw proof of this in Hillcrest. Dozens of desires have been documented at a street corner on University Avenue, written in chalk on what appears to be a very large chalkboard. People passing by have paused for a moment to write what they would like to accomplish before they die.
This dynamic neighborhood, just north of downtown San Diego, is youthful and worldly. Those who’ve chosen to contribute to this participative street art have listed many dreams. Some are crude, some are desperate, some are erased. Some are possible, some are impossible. Some are profound. The absurd and the serious mingle together. Some dreams are mere whims, other dreams are ambitious. Some are selfish, some are unselfish.
Before I die I want to… Hunt mud ducks. Feel I am worthy.Save the world. Make love. Visit Paris. Meet my biological parents.Publish a book. Drink one more drink.Find hidden treasure. Find Waldo.People walk toward Alibi as they review reasons for living.
…
To enjoy future posts, you can “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter.
This bright, smiling chalk face is gifted with a third eye.
In downtown San Diego, across the street from the New Children’s Museum, right next to the Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade, you’ll find a play area. You might have seen my blog post on Christmas about The Garden Project. The play area can be found right next to it.
Strangely, this playground doesn’t contain many swings or happy things to play on. It does include a wide concrete floor and a high, blank concrete wall, however. Which combine to make an inviting canvas. The hard surface is softened with faces, hearts, strong feeling and thought. The voices of youth.
Here is what I photographed yesterday morning. Many of the ever-changing chalk images are faint. I had to increase the contrast for most pics quite a bit.
Many-colored chalk face appears to be in deep thought.An uncertain heart. No way? Yes way?A large blue eye seems to stare from a hard concrete wall.I wish you could see the world through my eyes!A small pink face with long hair gazes up from underfoot.A burst of sudden joy. WELCOME HOMEA young person worries: Can’t you see me?These words contain terrible agony with a sad nod of wisdom.Guy cleaning the play area in the early morning with a noisy blower.A small delicate flower made of temporary dust.Philosophy written carefully, meaningfully: Embrace The Journey.
…
To enjoy future posts, you can “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
Cool San Diego Sights! 