Tag: color

Sunset mural: sea, land, plants and stained glass!

This mural at Liberty Station in Point Loma is suggestive of many things. Variously shaped and colored cells combine into what appears to me like an organism seen through a microscope, or perhaps a color-coded map, or perhaps a sunset or stained glass seen through an odd lens. What does it look like to you?

The public art is titled Vitral Sunset: A Marine Perspective Across The Border. It was created last year with acrylic paints by Tijuana artist Mischka Ippólita (@mischkaippolita). You can find it at Barracks 19.

A nearby plaque describes the art:

The visual references that inspired this mural are seascapes, landscapes, local plants, and microscopic life.

Components of the mural are a combination of ships at sea aerial views and cross-sections of native plants from California and Baja California. A significant factor that unifies all the elements in the piece references the North Chapel, an aesthetic emulating the stained-glass windows.

Yes, the mural does evoke all of those things. Very cool!

A couple weeks ago I took these photos…

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The Colors of Carlsbad mural at North Coastal Art Gallery!

I love this mural!

It’s painted on a wall outside the North Coastal Art Gallery in Carlsbad. Find it tucked away inside the Village Faire mall. The mural is called The Colors of Carlsbad.

Was the super colorful artwork painted by an octopus? No! This mural that celebrates Carlsbad was created by North Coastal Art Gallery artists.

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The painted Dock Rocks at Oceanside Harbor!

Walk along Oceanside Harbor and you might see these colorfully hand-painted Dock Rocks.

I spied them today!

The Dock Rocks are painted with fun images and inspirational messages.

They’re located along the harbor boardwalk, just south of Oceanside Broiler.

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Shadows and Petals art debuts in Balboa Park.

Two local artists were setting up a new exhibition called Shadows and Petals today. I saw them at work hanging selected pieces in Gallery 21 of Balboa Park’s Spanish Village Art Center.

Both Katarina Keane (@collagebykat) and Kimberly Brunetto (@brunettokim) were very nice, answering a few questions and allowing me to take photographs. They work in collage and mixed media. All of their pieces on display are for sale.

Kimberly describes her mixed media work as abstract expressionism. To me, her pieces convey subtle emotion. Shifts in form and color on certain canvases are like movement through time, through life. Contrasts on canvases can tug at curious eyes and suggest deeper things–an inner life.

She has written: “For me, a shadow is an unrealized part of ourselves that calls to us with longing . . . The petals represent what happens when we finally listen…”

Katarina told me her colorful works have a narrative quality. I noticed many of her collages include written words, almost like poetry. The images and words seem to tell a visual story about a life or a life experience.

Many of her pieces show flowers and vessels. They suggest an inner beauty, or potential beauty, that we all possess.

That’s the way I saw it.

Why don’t you swing by Spanish Village in Balboa Park and experience all this beautiful, subtle art for yourself?

Shadows and Petals will be exhibited in Gallery 21 through October 5, 2026.

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Roll a marble from North Park to Hillcrest?

This mural was painted in 2021 by San Diego artist Regan Russell. Located at the southeast corner of Park Boulevard and University Avenue, it’s technically at the west edge of the North Park neighborhood.

Whenever I see this colorful mural, I’m reminded of that old Atari arcade game Marble Madness. If you’re old enough and remember once-popular video game arcades, you might also remember this groundbreaking game.

Using a trackball, players would try to roll a marble along a three-dimensional course around corners, down ramps, along precarious edges and through various obstacles. The isometric playing field appeared a bit like this mural!

Murals with similar geometric designs have lately become more common in San Diego. I usually don’t photograph them. This particular mural, however, allows my imagination to roll a marble along University Avenue down a colorful North Park slope into neighboring Hillcrest!

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A beautiful hidden mural in Encinitas!

This amazing mural is a bit hidden in Encinitas. I happened to glimpse it while walking past 687 South Coast Highway.

You can find the colorful artwork near the entrance of Dudek inside the Pacific Station mixed-use development.

The mural was painted by a great local artist, Skye Walker!

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Beautiful views of beach and ocean from Swami’s Park.

Another perfect sunny day in Encinitas. The beautiful views from Swami’s Park overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Swami’s Surf Beach brought out my camera.

It was the middle of the day mid-week in late summer. I didn’t see too many surfers out at the world-famous point break.

Look at the gorgeous blue and green colors of the water!

No, I didn’t walk down to the beach this time.

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Murals on two Encinitas shipping containers.

These two shipping containers in Encinitas were painted years ago. For a long time, visitors to Charlie’s Electric Bikes could observe them in the parking lot, behind a bunch of bicycles. That eBike business no longer exists–the building is now home to Charlie’s Electric Studio. The two old containers remain.

The artwork was painted by Encinitas artist Kevin Anderson. Yes, you’ve possibly seen his work all around coastal San Diego North County. Find many of his very beautiful murals by clicking here.

During my recent walk in downtown Encinitas, I crossed the Charlie’s Electric Studio parking lot from South Coast Highway 101 to take these photographs.

You can see how the art has faded over the years, especially on the second shipping container I photographed, which was the first to be painted.

This next shipping container was the first to be painted. It’s the most faded:

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A spectacular Catrina in Old Town San Diego!

Día de Muertos is coming up at the start of November. Many in San Diego are getting ready.

Fiesta de Reyes in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park has already set up their many different, very colorful Catrinas. But one in particular is pretty spectacular!

This large Catrina has been erected at the Fiesta de Reyes stage. I saw her today during a walk around Old Town.

She seems to stand in an arbor made of marigolds, with giant red roses on either side…

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Supernatural yōkai exhibit in Balboa Park!

Red Namahage, by artist Alex Wu.

Yōkai are supernatural beings and spirits from Japanese folklore, and they’ve gathered in San Diego’s Balboa Park!

Yōkai: Stories and Imagination is a community art exhibit now showing at the Japanese Friendship Garden and Museum.

Artists were invited to submit their interpretation of Japanese yokai for this exhibition. These original works can be viewed in both the Upper Garden Gallery and the Lower Garden’s Inamori Pavilion.

Yōkai include shapeshifters, ghosts, demons, and tricksters. They can be mischievous, helpful, or malevolent, often appearing as animal-like figures, possessed objects, or humanoids. They embody the mysterious and uncanny aspects of nature and human emotions.

Check out a few examples that I photographed.

I’ve always enjoyed this type of artwork. It can be wild, weird, fierce and unsettling. Mysterious forces in our world are often portrayed in human or animal form–familiar figures that we emotionally understand.

It would be interesting to compare yokai to deities and characters from the mythologies of other cultures.

The Spider’s Thread, by artist Joshua Benz.
Oiwa, by artist Tomi Tate.
Hōnengame, by artist Hunter/Moon Hunter Tattoo.
You Can’t Escape Gashadokuro, by artist Chris Rogers.

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