More colorful Esco Alley Art in Escondido!

Almost two years ago I took photographs of the Esco Alley Art project in Escondido. Dozens of murals painted by local artists had been placed in the alley south of Grand Avenue, between Maple Street and Broadway.

Since then, the project has expanded, advancing several phases. About a week ago I revisited the same alley and enjoyed more murals that now appear between Broadway and Kalmia Street! These newer works of art were revealed last year. As before, many of the colorful murals are inspired by life in Escondido.

The Esco Alley Art project, presented by the Escondido Downtown Business Association, has its own dedicated website. There you’ll finds more information, including the artists. Check it out here!

Let’s start walking east from Broadway…

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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!

Beautiful mosaics of Encinitas Up Close: north side.

A week ago, I posted photographs of 27 very beautiful mosaic panels in Encinitas. Those were only half of Encinitas Up Close, a permanent public art installation that can be enjoyed under Interstate 5 at Santa Fe Drive.

The 3′ by 5′ panels that I already shared are on the south side of the Santa Fe Drive. There are 26 more mosaics on the north side! These were also created by local students and artists. I’ll share them right now.

Enjoy!

Pacific Flyway, by Jennifer Hewitson.

3 Birds of Paradise, by Kathryn Weiss.

Hands and Acorns, by Isla Rindt.

Egret in Flight, by Sholeh Ashtiani.

Fish Under the Sea, by Micah and Crystal Sandoval.

Yellow Orchid, by Gary Timinsky, Debe Hersey.

Halibut Catch, by Luke Sansone.

Beach-Goers, by Mauricio Domingues, Ruby Geisler.

Carpool, by Jerm, Pollyanna, Henry Soda Pop, Leucadia Jane and Olive Grace Wright.

Del Sol, by Tatum Jamison Bless, NCL Del Sol Class of 2020.

The Path to Our Future, by Marina Alberti, Kiki Driver, Sofia Sanchez, Sathu Jois, Ryan Adams, Eric Salvador, Alee Saneff, Catherine, Oliver and Ava Blakespear.

Owl, Moon, Sun, by David Ulm.

Swami Garibaldi, by Carol Wolf.

Beach Bus, by Sydney Evans.

Red Tail Hawk, by Timothy J Lueker.

Pumpkins at Temple, by Al and Debbie Finocchio.

7 Day Weekend 2, by Tyler Adams Hawkins.

Nai’a, by Cheryl Tall, Elizabeth Joy Mueller, Anila Saier, Mary F McCarthy.

Moonlight Boat Home, by Kendall Landwehr.

Sea Goddess, by Anna Luna Engel, Tony Kranz, Kiki Driver, Sofia Sanchez, Sathu Jois, Ryan Adams, Eric Salvador, Alee Saneff, Jake Griffin.

Littlest Locals, by Haley, Patty and Alec MacKenzie.

Folklorico Dancer, by Naimeh Woodward, Suzie Sherwin.

Sinya, by Laurie Switzer.

Poinsettias, by Julie Hampton.

Girls Who Kick-Flip, by Lynn Adams.

Wise Tilted Tikis, by Fred, Yvette and Marty Hamud.

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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!

More murals in Chula Vista: old and new!

I spotted more colorful murals in downtown Chula Vista this morning during a walk. Some of the art is old, some is very new!

Read my photo captions for any information that I’ve found…

A big mural project is underway on the east side of La Bella Cafe & Games in Chula Vista. The above art is by Shirish Villaseñor (@shirishtheartist). Three other local artists will be painting the adjacent long wall!

Pizza and breadsticks give you wings! A finished mural, also by @shirishtheartist, on the south side of La Bella Cafe & Games. I’ve already shared a couple photos of this mural before it was completed.

New art all over the front of Urbn Sk8 in Chula Vista!

Crazy faces painted recently by @beanieboy_og.

These Horrible Monster Scenes were painted in front of Urbn Sk8 about a week ago by @barfalamul.

Headed north from Center Street up the alley just east of Third Avenue. I spotted this faded old mural depicting palm trees.

Graffiti artwork on north wall of the same building. (I magnified that logo in the upper left but couldn’t figure it out.)

A little farther up the alley, behind Irving’s at 273 Third Avenue, I spied this old mural. Never be afraid to reinvent yourself!!

Colorful bubbles and butterflies painted earlier this year in front of Chula Vista Smiles by artist @kurrrents.

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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!

Beautiful mosaics of Encinitas Up Close: south side.

In Encinitas, incredibly beautiful public art decorates the underpass of Interstate 5 at Santa Fe Drive. The project is called Encinitas Up Close. Fifty three colorful mosaics, created by local students and professional artists, greet those who pass under the freeway.

I photographed these 3′ by 5′ mosaic panels the other day during my walk in Encinitas. The joyful images reflect themes that are popular in this beach community. The ocean, nature, sunsets, people, surfing, pets, skateboarding, sunshine, history, places…

In this blog post I’ll share photos of the 27 mosaics that line the sidewalk and bike lane on the south side of Santa Fe Drive. I’ll share the north side mosaics in a second, upcoming post.

My photographs are raw and unedited–many taken in the dim light of an underpass shadow.

Koi With Lotus, by Lucy Stefanko.

Nautilus, by Joyce Schleiniger.

Woody At The Beach, by Kathryn Weiss.

Unleashed, by KAROB, Katherine and Robert Bender.

Swami’s Sunrise, by Liz and Luke Hoffmann.

Bird Of Paradise, by Gary Timinsky, Debe Hersey.

7 Day Weekend 1, by Tyler Adams Hawkins.

Asintmah, Native American Earth And Nature Goddess, by Silvia Wiedmann.

Face Of Existence, by Joyce Schleiniger.

Spiny Lobster In Tide Pool At Swami’s, by Timothy J Lueker.

Sea Lavender Above The Tracks, by Layla M Gunn, Deana Coveney.

Koi In Shimmering Waters, by Jessica Imaz Horton.

Bullet In The Back Country, by Timothy J Lueker.

Memorial, by Mike Upton, Jerm Wright, Erin Grady, Karl Ensberg.

Ruby The Shark, by Pietro Martinez.

Skateboarding Into The Sunset, by Lynn Adams.

Blooming Encounter, by Macall Deaver, Papa Faj.

Sun, Sea And Lotus, by Bereket Denslow, Isabella Parrales.

Carla The Poinsettia Calavera, by Morgaine McGrath, Julia Miller, Ariella Pacheco, Daniel McGrath.

Seagull And Moonlight Palm, by Todd Anderson.

Daisy The Whale, by Pietro Martinez.

Oceanna, by Cheryl Tall, Anila Saier, Elizabeth Joy Mueller, Mary F McCarthy.

Aquascape, by KAROB, Katherine and Robert Bender.

Golden Hour, by Liz and Luke Hoffmann.

Octopus, by Crystal and Evan Sandoval.

A Shard Of Whimsical Music, by Gillian Shaver.

Hummingbird With Hibiscus, by Lucy Stefanko.

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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!

A caffeinated San Diego Fringe Festival!

The multi-day 2023 San Diego Fringe Festival is now underway! Most of the very inventive Fringe performances can be enjoyed in Balboa Park, at either the Centro Cultural de la Raza or the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater. For a list of the festival’s complete lineup, click here!

This afternoon I sat in the audience at a very unique performance. The Coffee Plays, in five theatrical acts (each concerning types of coffee from around the world) was a fun mixture of storytelling, music, singing, coffee history, and love for the drink.

At certain points during the performance, members of the audience got to sample each type of coffee, courtesy of Mr. Green’s Coffee Beans. The Dalgona, The Bunn, The Kona, The Sumatra, The Jamoke. Those watching, as they ingested caffeine, enjoyed additional stimulation provided by the talented actors!

Fringe performances are usually unusual and typically untypical. Small, intimate audiences enjoy the efforts of often little-known artists. The audience determines whether a production is successful or less-than-successful. (Fortunately, I didn’t see any bags of rotten tomatoes.) Those who buy a ticket can’t really go wrong, because each performance is less than an hour and only ten dollars.

The Coffee Plays was amusing, inventive, and brimming with delicious humor. It did seem to drag and ramble in a few places, as an amateur production might, but overall it was an enjoyable experience. The audience really drank it up!

The Coffee Plays was co-produced by San Diego Black Ensemble Theatre and Asian Story Theater.

Check out the San Diego Fringe Festival website here and see what creative craziness awaits!

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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!

Let’s Get Strainge on a San Diego sidewalk!

Carnivorous plants drooling on a San Diego sidewalk? I suppose that’s what happens when we heed the words: Let’s Get Strainge!

I saw this fun street art today on the side of San Diego Made Factory – Creative Event Space, which is located on Commercial Street east of downtown San Diego.

I was about to enter the building for an Our Walls Speak event (celebrating outdoor murals!) when my attention was grabbed by this spray painted artwork. It’s by Encinitas artist Skye Walker. Apparently the mural, filled with ocean surf and images from nature, promotes Strainge Beast Hard Kombucha. It was painted in 2022.

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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!

Fun art outside Logan Avenue Galeria de Arte!

I enjoyed a long walk around Barrio Logan this morning and what did I discover? Some super fun artwork!

Both of these were painted outside LOGAN AVE Galeria de Arte.

The first mural, depicting a fierce jaguar, was created in 2022 by Miguel Falcon and Armando Nunez: the gallery owner and the curator.

The second work of art was painted above the gallery’s front entrance by Connie Perez in 2021. Frida Kahlo has seemingly turned into a colorful multi-scoop ice cream cone! Perhaps that’s because the ice cream shop Nevería Los Mochis is located inside the gallery!

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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!

Nearly 1000 photos of San Diego street art!

San Diego boasts an amazing quantity and variety of street art. Artists have added color to almost every community. Head down any street and there’s a chance you’ll discover a new mural or unexpected bit of art!

I’ve been posting photographs to Cool San Diego Sights for almost ten years now. During my walks around San Diego, my camera has scored numerous such discoveries. So many, in fact, that I created a Pinterest page that now contains almost 1000 street art images!

Links on my Pinterest page allow you to navigate to the associated blog posts on Cool San Diego Sights, where I usually provide a description of the artwork.

This week the big Our Walls Speak event is being held in and around Barrio Logan. Given the renewed interest in our city’s outdoor murals, I figured now would be a good time to share that Pinterest page.

Check out nearly 1000 photographs of San Diego street art by clicking here!

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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!

San Diego art show: Murals Projected in Light!

A special, very unique art show will take place in San Diego this Thursday. The public is invited to experience PROTOTOPIAN VISIONS + SOUNDS: Murals Projected in Light!

The free art show, part of the Our Walls Speak multi-day cultural event, can be enjoyed May 18th between 7 pm and 11 pm at San Diego Made Factory, a creative event space located at 2031 Commercial Street. Read the information on the above flyer.

San Diego’s amazing outdoor murals, many of which you’ve seen here on Cool San Diego Sights, will be celebrated! You might recognize some of the artist names. I’m told several of my photographs will be used!

Perhaps I’ll see you there!

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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!

Senses mural beautifies Park and Market.

I saw this beautiful mural at the Senses Human Bistro inside UCSD Park & Market the other day during a walk in East Village. I had to take a photo. I was told the floral artwork was painted several months ago.

The art is by Bay Area based Hungry Ghost Productions. See their website here.

Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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!