Tag: color

Octopus, mermaids and jellyfish at Bibbey’s!

Bibbey’s in Imperial Beach has several cool new murals!

Over the years I’ve photographed different artwork painted on the exterior of the popular gift shop. In 2014 I shared this. In 2020 I shared this. Now another six years have passed…

I learned these latest murals were created a couple months ago by an artist named Brandon.

You can tell Bibbey’s is located near the beach, given how images in the murals include a giant octopus, mermaids and jellyfish. Many of the gifts and souvenirs visitors can purchase inside are also very beachy. There’s a big selection of beautiful shells.

Bibbey’s is roughly located across Seacoast Drive from the Imperial Beach Pier. Look for a gigantic octopus!

Enjoy some fun photos taken today!

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7-Eleven’s very colorful Hillcrest mural!

This super colorful mural is painted on the side of a 7-Eleven convenience store and gas station in Hillcrest, near the corner of University Avenue and Normal Street. San Diego artist Carly Ealey created the spray paint art back in 2023.

The sunglasses of the refreshment-sipping character shine with rainbow colors. That will be more appropriate than ever, once the south end of Pride Promenade is completed directly in front of the mural! Hillcrest is home to many in San Diego’s LGBT community.

I shared photos of Pride Promenade under construction in my previous blog post.

I’ve found many murals by Carly Ealey over the years while walking around San Diego. Many have a brilliant “neon light” quality about them. They’re all amazing. To visit her website, click here.

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Beautiful face replaces old City Heights mural.

Look at this beautiful, smiling face. It was painted on a wall beside University Avenue in City Heights. Back in 2019 I photographed another long mural along this wall, but little of that faded, vandalized mural remains visible.

You can find this colorful street art near 50th Street. I didn’t see a signature when I walked past it this afternoon.

When old street art passes away, inspired artists leap into action. New life springs up!

I enjoyed a big adventure today. My long walk along University Avenue included Hillcrest, North Park, City Heights . . . and continued all the way to College Avenue!

I took oodles of photographs, so lots of fun blog posts are coming up!

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Photos of past Cinco de Mayo festivals!

It looks like I’ll be missing Cinco de Mayo events this year. Too busy with work. So I figured: why not revisit past Cinco de Mayo festivals around San Diego?

Here we go!

Click the upcoming links to enjoy several past blog posts!

Click the following links for many more photographs…

Photographs of Cinco de Mayo in the Gaslamp!

Photos of Escondido’s Cinco de Mayo!

Colorful fun at Old Town’s Cinco de Mayo!

Photos of Cinco de Mayo fiesta in Old Town!

Photos of Cinco de Mayo in Balboa Park!

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Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness in San Diego.

A new exhibition is on display in the windows of The Courthouse Gallery in downtown San Diego. It’s titled Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

I was walking down Broadway past the Edward J. Schwartz United States Courthouse when I spied the beautiful artwork this morning.

You can learn more about the exhibition and the talented local artists by clicking here!

These photos represent a fraction of the current exhibition.

When you go for a walk, there’s no telling what you might discover!

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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WorldBeat Center’s annual Earth Day festival!

Aztec Dance by Danza Colibri at Balboa Park’s WorldBeat Cultural Center during Global Earth Day.

Enjoy this collection of photographs taken as the WorldBeat Cultural Center’s 34th Annual Global Earth Day Festival got underway in Balboa Park!

Organizations and businesses who support the environment were lined up behind the center, while vendor canopies and diverse cultural entertainment took place on the open grass nearby. Inside the WorldBeat Cultural Center there was more life to experience, including the rhythms of San Diego Taiko that I enjoyed. Visitors could also walk through the center’s lush Ethnobotany Sanctuary Garden. (I’ll be blogging about the garden later.)

There was plenty to see and do!

Behind the WorldBeat Cultural Center’s building, several canopies were set up for Earth Day. This is where visitors could enjoy most of the environmental activities and education.
The San Diego Bird Alliance was showing how to mix clay and seeds to make seed balls that melt in the rain.
Local native seed libraries can be found all around San Diego County.
The San Diego Beekeeping Society was present with a contained hive for the purposes of demonstration. They are working to save bees.
People visiting the Global Earth Day Festival could pot a plant!
There were opportunities for swapping seeds, purchasing plants and composting!
Books celebrating diversity could be found here. Sitting at the table is author JohnnieRenee Nelson!
Books promote positive values of African American families.
Lots of smiles at the KNSJ community radio station tent!
Inside the WorldBeat Cultural Center people listen to a performance by San Diego Taiko.
Some of the vendors on the grass near Park Boulevard.
Many people come together in beautiful San Diego. WorldBeat Cultural Center hosts their 34th Annual Global Earth Day Festival!

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Balboa Park art exhibit celebrates Logan Heights.

This weekend you have one last chance to experience a very special exhibition of art in Balboa Park. Members of the San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild are exhibiting work that celebrates the history and culture of Logan Heights and other neighborhoods along Imperial Avenue east of downtown San Diego.

One Day in the Life on Imperial is the title of the exhibition, now on display in Gallery 21 of Balboa Park’s Village Arts Center (still known widely as Spanish Village).

Last month, at the TULAROSA gallery, I visited the first version of this exhibition. It has greatly expanded and moved since then, and many more diverse artworks are now collected together for visitors to enjoy!

The art you’ll encounter shows what life is like along historic Imperial Avenue. Families and shopkeepers, happiness and struggles–every aspect of a community is the subject matter of local artists who walked the street, absorbing all they experienced. Many of the resulting pieces are energetic and colorful.

One Day in the Live on Imperial continues through Monday, April 20th, 2026. If you’re heading to Balboa Park this weekend, you ought to swing by!

A few examples…

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