Tag: creativity

Padres mural behind Point Loma bar!

Check out this super cool Padres mural painted last year behind Harbor Town Pub in Point Loma!

The artist is Jack Stricker (@jackstrickerart). The artwork depicts Padres baseball heroes Trevor Hoffman, Tony Gwynn and Ken Caminiti holding baseballs, bat and glove while dressed in long brown robes like friars!

I noticed this mural while walking near a bus stop waiting for my ride to Cabrillo National Monument.

I spoke to a friendly guy opening the bar, and he said Harbor Town Pub is the place you want to be watching Padres games. He also said it would be really cool if Trevor Hoffman came down to see the mural himself!

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Double Bill art exhibition in La Jolla!

Lovers of art in San Diego are in for a treat. Head down to the Wisteria Cottage Gallery in La Jolla and you can admire the work of two celebrated local artists who taught at UC San Diego.

Double Bill: The Art of Manny Farber and Patricia Patterson contains numerous fine works by this husband and wife team who made their home in Leucadia.

Paintings large and small, beautiful sketches, historical photographs, and books the pair published are all on display.

Both artists liked to create images of simple, familiar things. Family life and home are frequent subjects. The images are friendly and warm. If I could reach into two dimensions, I’d happily take the depicted scenes and objects into my hands and make them my own.

You’ll notice when you visit the gallery that Patricia often paints people and moments in life. Manny often creates collage-like images of ordinary objects. To viewers who love living, they can all make a powerful connection.

Here’s the exhibition webpage.

Double Bill: The Art of Manny Farber and Patricia Patterson will be open free to the public through February 1, 2026.

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Mary at the Stove at the Athenaeum.

Mary at the Stove is a painting by Patricia Patterson, a former professor of art at UC San Diego. You can find in heading up some stairs at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla.

This beautiful work of art was originally painted on a plasterboard wall at the Athenaeum for an exhibition in 1993. Now it’s part of the library’s permanent art collection.

When I visited the Athenaeum a couple days ago, I told the friendly librarian at the front desk I would be walking over to the Wisteria Cottage Gallery next, to view the exhibition Double Bill: The Art of Manny Farber and Patricia Patterson. That’s when she told me about Patterson’s Mary at the Stove.

I love the image and its simple warmth. It shows ordinary life in an unpretentious, almost nostalgic way. It struck me this painting is something between a Japanese print and folk art. But what do I know?

As you’ll see in my next blog post, Patricia Patterson created many such wonderful images.

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Beautiful historical mosaic at Chula Vista bank.

Perhaps you’ve seen this beautiful mosaic while driving through downtown Chula Vista. It decorates the California Bank and Trust building at 444 Third Avenue.

The mosaic mural was the creation of internationally renowned artist and architectural designer Millard Owen Sheets. He with the help of other Sheets Studio artists produced many such mosaics for Home Savings Bank branches around Southern California. Perhaps you’ve seen his work in Pacific Beach and Coronado.

This particular mosaic in Chula Vista was created in 1987. It depicts ocean waves and seagulls. According to this website, it was worked on by Denis O’Connor, Monika Scharff; Studio MosaicArt Colledani Milan/NOVA Designs; Kathryn Yelsa.

The mosaic mural stretches horizontally just below the bank’s rooftop. Situated high up, partially obscured by nearby trees, it can be easy to miss. Pause on the sidewalk below to enjoy this very beautiful, historical public art!

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Art classes in Balboa Park during 2026.

A variety of art classes in Balboa Park will be available during 2026. Hands-on workshops, guided by professional artists, will welcome creative people at Spanish Village Art Center.

For a fee anyone can learn to create Art Journals, Collage, Chinese Brush Paintings, Paper Art, Silk Paintings, and more!

I saw that making Silver Metal Clay Jewelry would be taught today. Workspaces and materials were being prepared on tables in Gallery 21 when I happened by. (Students would mold material that combines fine powered metal with a pliable binding material. Each piece is then fired in a kiln, and the sculpted metal remains. How awesome is that?)

Would you like to learn a new craft or style of art, or perhaps improve a skill? Check out the Village Arts Center classes on their website by clicking here.

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Donal Hord special exhibit in San Diego.

A special exhibit at the San Diego Central Library was recently installed in a large display case at the Special Collections Center. It concerns the work of San Diego’s world-renowned sculptor Donal Hord.

Historical photos concentrate on Hord’s creation of the Literature East and West bas-relief panels, which still exist on the library’s previous, now-vacant building. Photos (such as the one above) show the preparing, casting and hanging of the sculptural panels back in 1953. I blogged about these panels and other art at that old downtown library many years ago. See that past blog post here.

This special exhibition also showcases a few small but very beautiful works, and covers Donal Hord’s public art that can be found all around San Diego. I’ve covered most of these iconic sculptures. Click here and here and here and here and here and here and here!

Would you like to go see this fascinating exhibit yourself? Head up to the 9th floor of the Central Library and look for the door to Special Collections. You can also enjoy amazing rooftop views of San Diego!

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The art of Mike McCarley at the Central Library.

I really like this fun artwork. It’s now on public display at San Diego’s downtown Central Library. The five original paintings and the digital illustration prints were created by Mike McCarley (aka Mike Mike), who resides in Ocean Beach and imbues his work with a playful, laid-back beach vibe.

As a sign explains, his work has roots in skateboard art, cartoons, and an enduring love for the color blue. To see these in person, head up to the Central Library’s second floor near the escalators and look for the glass display cases. I believe the exhibit continues through December, so there isn’t much time left.

If you dig Mike Mike’s stuff, check out his Instagram page here. He works professionally in architecture, but his creative heart belongs to painting and illustration.

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John Lennon’s new friend in Pacific Beach!

John Lennon in Pacific Beach has been joined by a new friend!

The cool John Lennon mural decorating the west side of 365 Reloaded Smoke Shop has expanded. A beautiful face has been spray painted next to John. I noticed this for the first time while walking down Garnet Avenue a few days ago.

I’ve tried to verify who painted the new artwork and exactly when, and who in particular the female face might represent. So far, no success. If you know anything, please leave a comment.

I considered the face might belong to a young Yoko Ono, but the resemblance doesn’t seem great, based on historical photos I’ve examined. What do you think?

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Shipping container mural at PB Arts Center!

Last month a large shipping container was painted by community members in Pacific Beach. The container stands behind the old, long-vacant Pacific Beach Library, on the southeast corner of the Pacific Beach Middle School campus.

Why was this Community Paint Day held? Because the old library is being converted by the organization Beautiful PB into the PB Arts Center!

According to their website, the PB Arts Center will be a multipurpose venue, a vibrant hub connecting Pacific Beach residents, surrounding neighborhoods and visitors to art and to each other… Collaborative funding will allow for affordable art classes, performances, festivals and cultural activities to inspire creativity in an arts-underserved area.

Very cool project!

The lead artist for the shipping container mural was Hilary Dufour. Based in San Diego, she creates beautiful art that is inspired by nature.

A couple days ago I spotted the new public art during a walk through Pacific Beach. I took photos of the colorful shipping container through a fence…

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Nature’s beauty at Courthouse Gallery in San Diego!

The Courthouse Gallery in downtown San Diego has a second exhibition. It’s titled: San Diego Pastoral – From the Desert through the Mountains to the Sea.

From the sidewalk, anyone walking down Broadway near Front Street can gaze into the large windows of the Edward J. Schwartz Courthouse and view juried artwork by local artists. The pieces celebrate the natural beauty and biodiversity of the Southern District of California, which covers San Diego and Imperial Counties.

The displayed art is primarily beautiful paintings. Beaches to canyons to foothills to mountains to the desert beyond them, the depicted region is immense. These varied landscapes support what is said to be the greatest biodiversity in the United States.

I blogged about the very first exhibition of the new Courthouse Gallery earlier this year here. This second exhibition runs October 6, 2025 to February 2, 2026.

Yesterday I took a few photos at an angle through the windows to avoid reflections from the street…

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