Tag: creativity

Beauty created at San Diego Pysanka Festival!

San Diego Pysanka Festival 2026 was held today in Balboa Park. The event was hosted by the House of Ukraine. Participants gathered in the Santa Fe Room at the Balboa Park Club building.

What is Pysanka? It the tradition of egg decoration in Slavic cultures. You’ve no doubt observed beautifully, intricately decorated eggs in museums or elsewhere. The San Diego Pysanka Festival allowed visitors to view the craft up close, learn its history, purchase finished eggs, and even participate in pysanka creation workshops!

As this Wikipedia article explains: The pysanka (Ukrainian: писанка, писанки (pl.)) itself, a wax-resist type egg, is one of Ukraine’s national symbols, and is known throughout the world.

Why the festival now? It’s almost spring and Easter is coming. These are the original Easter eggs!

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A surreal mural in Ocean Beach!

This cool mural was painted in Ocean Beach back in 2023, but I saw it yesterday for the first time. Check out the surreal imagery!

The large mural can be found on the exterior of the The Template, facing the parking lot.

Signatures by the artists appear to be MURALIS, ART BY SOUP, EATHDUST, HAILYBROUS, JORDINDAVID, and SOURCE!

To me, it seems the theme might be: When trying to determine the essence of life, don’t go crazy. I noticed that “Stay Sane” is included among all the surreal, spray painted images!

This is the same wall where a History of Electricity mural was painted years ago. You can see those photos by clicking here.

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Six decades of Comic-Con celebrated at museum!

Lovers of Comic-Con in San Diego should head over to Balboa Park. The Comic-Con Museum recently opened a new exhibit called Cover Story: Six Decades of Comic-Con.

The lower level of the museum now features tons of artwork representing years of creativity and fun at the world’s biggest and best popular arts convention.

Visitors can look closely at original art used for the covers of Comic-Con souvenir books and other publications, beginning back in 1970 when the event was attended by only 300 fans. There are fine examples of interior art, too. You’ll see the work of legendary artists, from Jack Kirby to Frank Miller to Alex Ross.

Fans of DC and Marvel superheroes will love this exhibition. As will fans of fantasy, and science fiction, and comic strips, and cartoons . . . All things pop culture are celebrated!

Here are only a few examples…

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Unique printmaking art exhibit in Oceanside!

The subject matter for art is infinite, and sometimes it seems like the different paths for creating art are beyond count. That is certainly the case in a current exhibition at the Oceanside Museum of Art. Matrix multiplied: hybrid approaches to printmaking demonstrates that amazing art can be produced by utilizing multiple printmaking techniques.

Eighteen artists are featured in the exhibition. Many of their pieces incorporate different techniques, ranging from traditional handmade printing methods to digital technology. They are truly unique!

No particular theme is depicted among the pieces. You’ll see abstracts, portraits, landscapes . . . art books, hangings, sculptures . . . all produced in ways you might not have imagined. The exhibition is a celebration of artistic skill and creativity!

Go check it out through August 2, 2026!

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Clay comes alive at San Diego Sculptors Guild!

It seems every time I visit the San Diego Sculptors Guild in Balboa Park, I find artist Justin Hammond bringing clay to life. He was at work again yesterday!

Justin is a multi-talented artist who loves to create art that tells a story. The clay he was shaping is part of one amazing story.

The figures you see in these photos he calls Elata. The sprite-like creatures with flowers sprouting from their heads are born as the blossoms of a tree. The tree has grown from a seed: a woman carried away by a flood, burying her.

Each beautiful little Elata creature results from a single memory of the deceased woman.

The story created by Justin develops, until the Elata themselves become memory collectors. It’s a brilliant and original idea that would make an amazing movie. Imagine these fantastic clay figures in a Laika stop-motion animated film, like Coraline or ParaNorman!

In addition to a lot of great artwork, Justin Hammond has created short YouTube videos using clay models. You can see much of it on his website by clicking here!

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Comic-Con Museum celebrates Will Eisner Day!

Are you a fan of Comic-Con? You should know that Will Eisner Week is March 1-7, 2026. The theme this year is Dream Big: Read a Graphic Novel!

San Diego’s amazing Comic-Con Museum will be celebrating “Will Eisner Day” with a special event. Four panels will be held in the museum’s theater on March 4, from 12 pm to 4 pm. Participation is included with museum admission, and free for museum members.

The panels are: Cats vs. Dogs: Panelists’ Pet Comics; Will Eisner Hall of Fame 2026; Graphic Novel Adaptations from Literature; and Graphic Memoirs by Women.

Administrator of the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, Jackie Estrada, will be among the panelists!

If you’re a creator seeking inspiration, a lover of graphic novels, or simply curious about this certain-to-be-awesome, one-of-a-kind event, check out this webpage for more information!

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Chinese brush painting event in Balboa Park!

An exhibition and sale of Chinese brush paintings continues tomorrow, Sunday, March 1, 2026 in Balboa Park. To view some very beautiful artwork, step into Room 101 of the Casa del Prado between 11 am and 4 pm.

The event features original Chinese brush paintings by members of the Lung Hsiang chapter of the American Artists of Chinese Brush Painting. Admission is free. Most of the pieces on display are for sale.

Visitors get to meet the artists, view a painting demonstration, and even try their own hand at brush painting! If you’re looking for gifts, you’ll find framed and matted paintings, and hand painted cards and crafts.

I visited the exhibition today and am pleased to share a few photos.

When I asked one artist the difference between traditional Chinese brush painting and Japanese brush painting, I was told the Chinese style has more “pop” and more chi, or vital energy. To me, generally speaking, the Chinese style seems a little more bold and colorful than Japanese brush painting, which appears more delicate and impressionistic.

All that I saw was exquisite and very beautiful.

2026 is the Year of the Horse!

For curious eyes, there’s much to discover. I was shown the historical evolution of the Chinese pictograph for horse. The three strokes represent a horse’s mane and legs.

Visitors can learn how to paint it!

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Open Print Studio invites artists in San Diego!

Are you an artist in San Diego? Would you like free access to an extensive and amazing Print Studio?

The Athenaeum Art Center at the Bread and Salt building in Logan Heights has the fantastic facility you see in these photographs. I’ve worked at a local print shop, and the number of presses I saw today blew me away! You’re invited to use them, or take printing classes!

The Print Studio features 5,000 square feet of creativity…and 10 presses and over 300 cases of type. Read more about the equipment and possibilities by visiting this webpage.

My mouth flew open when I saw those many drawers of type–I thought I’d stepped into a printing museum!

The studio offers free weekly Open Print studio time to the public for printmakers of all skill levels, from beginner to advanced, thanks in part to the Prebys Foundation and Dr. Edward Petko.

How cool is that? You’ll be greeted by smiles,too!

As this Instagram post indicates, Open Print Studio invites artists to work independently in our print studio space… Some printmaking familiarity is helpful as Open Print Studio is self-guided, and limited technical support is available for refreshers or help finding supplies. Our facility supports intaglio, screen print, relief, and letterpress. Printmaking classes are also offered throughout the year.

To learn of open hours and events at the Print Studio, follow this Instagram page, and/or this one!

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All Shall Be Well at Athenaeum Art Center!

Do you love art? Have you ever visited the Athenaeum Art Center in Logan Heights? You should!

The Athenaeum Art Center is located inside the Bread and Salt building at 1955 Julian Avenue. The art center includes the Catherine and Robert Palmer Gallery, a secondary classroom gallery, and an extensive, very impressive print studio (which I’ll blog about shortly). The main gallery is currently hosting the exhibit Jonathan Paul Parker: All Shall Be Well.

San Diego artist Jonathan Paul Parker‘s first solo exhibition features drawings and painted works that are mostly on paper. His abstract pieces are colorful, complex and dreamlike. They are informed by his involvement in experimental film and improvisational music.

I visited the gallery today.

The images appeared to me like confused dream-shards a sleeper tries to assemble and retain in memory shortly after waking. Or perhaps they’re a sort of visual stream of consciousness–fragments of thought, feeling or memory that take strange form, rising mysteriously to the mind’s eye from a person’s inner being.

The exhibition webpage states: Using color, gesture, and rhythm, [Jonathan] works in a state of focused openness that allows intuitive and archetypal forms to surface. His process draws on the idea of active imagination, where inner images and impulses rise to awareness and shape the direction of the work.

Visit the free exhibition and discover how this unique art speaks to you!

You have a little over a week. Jonathan Paul Parker: All Shall Be Well can be enjoyed through March 7, 2026.

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San Diego Library’s local author exhibit.

The annual Local Author Showcase of the San Diego Library is now on display on the first floor of downtown’s Central Library!

It’s exciting to see dozens of newly published books every year by diverse authors. Our city has so many creative and talented people! The Central Library is an ideal place to showcase their achievements.

Today I moseyed past the glass display cases and peered at different titles and covers.

A few examples…

At one end of the exhibit, I found a colorful work of art by Judith Parenio! It’s titled Words.

Books are portals to open minds…