Tag: murals

Cool mural at Restaurant Depot in Barrio Logan.

Super cool artwork depicts local community, history and sea life themes.
Super cool artwork depicts local community, history and sea life themes.

I don’t know much about this mural, apart from the fact that it’s huge, colorful and super cool. For years, it seems, scaffolding has stood against the long portion along Harbor Drive. Just recently the scaffolding vanished, and the brilliant, dynamic street art is fully visible in all its glory!

You can find this urban art at the intersection of Cesar Chavez Parkway and Harbor Drive, just south of downtown in Barrio Logan. It decorates the high wall that encloses the parking lot at Restaurant Depot.

I took these photos as I walked south to north along Harbor Drive, then turned west at the intersection for a little more fun artwork.

Enjoy!

Long wall along Harbor Drive is the canvas for this very large street mural.
Long wall along Harbor Drive is the canvas for this very large street mural.
Proximity to San Diego Bay inspires painted marine animals.
Proximity to San Diego Bay inspires painted marine animals.
This big fish seems to be watching for pedestrians on the Barrio Logan sidewalk.
This big fish seems to be watching for pedestrians on the Barrio Logan sidewalk.
A scuba diver seems unaware a large hungry shark looms just behind!
A scuba diver seems unaware a large hungry shark looms just behind!
Mother with young child gazes out at the blue Pacific Ocean.
Mother with young child gazes out at the blue Pacific Ocean.
People from all walks of life populate this very human work of art.
People from all walks of life populate this very human work of art.
San Diego Trolley travels through a scene similar to those found in nearby Chicano Park.
San Diego Trolley travels through a scene similar to those found in nearby Chicano Park.
Painted passengers on a trolley seem visible through a window.
Painted passengers on a trolley seem visible through a window.
Aztec warrior in elaborate costume blows on a ceremonial conch.
Aztec warrior in elaborate costume blows on a ceremonial conch.
Nearby Chicano Park's pavilion is shown with lots of folks dancing.
Nearby Chicano Park’s pavilion is shown with lots of folks dancing.
Young man and lady dance on the festive outdoor mural.
Young man and lady dance on the festive outdoor mural.
Musicians play instruments adding flavor to the celebration.
Musicians play instruments adding flavor to the celebration.
History of Our Community includes the once vital tuna fishing industry.
History of Our Community includes the once vital tuna fishing industry.
The lives of past and present residents provide generations of stories.
The lives of past and present residents provide generations of stories.
Fish caught in local waters just off San Diego.
Fish caught in local waters just off San Diego.
The end of Harbor Drive section, and now we'll turn west for a bit more...
The end of Harbor Drive section, and now we’ll turn west for a bit more…
Walking around the mural on the high wall at Restaurant Depot.
Walking around the mural on the high wall at Restaurant Depot.
This north-facing wall contains lots of bright aquatic life!
This north-facing wall contains lots of bright aquatic life!
Beautifully painted fish, a seahorse, jellyfish and starfish.
Beautifully painted fish, a seahorse, jellyfish and starfish.
An orange Garibaldi just above the sparkling ocean bottom.
An orange Garibaldi just above the sparkling ocean bottom.
Kelp frames the end of this long, amazing mural in Barrio Logan.
Kelp frames the end of this long, amazing mural in Barrio Logan.
This super fun street art is a landmark that is very hard to miss!
This super fun street art is a landmark that is very hard to miss!

UPDATE!

I learned years later (shame on me) that this 1993 mural is titled The Kelco Historical Community Mural, by artist Salvador Roberto Torres and his wife Gloria Rebolledo Torres. It was restored by Salvador Torres in 2012, which explains the scaffolding I had previously seen.

Salvador Roberto Torres is one of the founders of nearby Chicano Park, the largest collection of outdoor murals in the United States. He saw the great freeway pillars supporting the ramps to the San Diego–Coronado Bridge as potential concrete canvases, and so created the Chicano Park Monumental Public Mural Program in 1969. He was also one of the founders of the Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park.

During that later walk I took additional photos of the mural!

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Awesome street art on a little old building.

Elaborate figure's arm embraces a building window. Art by Zio Ziegler.
Elaborate figure’s arm embraces a building window in San Diego. Art by Zio Ziegler.

There’s one little old building in a corner of downtown San Diego that’s very difficult to miss. That’s because it’s loaded with ultra-awesome street art!

These murals are painted on an otherwise unremarkable structure in the East Village neighborhood. The building is occupied by Undisputed Fitness, an establishment where locals train themselves as boxers and MMA fighters. All this artwork is visible near the corner of 16th Street and K Street.

My last blog post concerned a mechanical shark mural. You can see the rear portion of that mural in the final photograph.

Smiling face painted on building wall on 16th Street in East Village.
Smiling face painted on building wall on 16th Street in East Village.
Fantastic composite creature with pink hammerhead cradles a shark.
Fantastic composite creature with wings and pink hammerhead cradles a shark.
Nearby shark art for PangeaSeed's The Great Coast Migration by Rah Akaishi.
Previous pic’s shark art was created for PangeaSeed by Rah Akaishi.
Closet full of clothes opens onto a city sidewalk.
Closet full of clothes opens onto a city sidewalk.
Mr. Padre mural along rooftop honors Tony Gwynn. Art by Wildstyle Technicians.
Mr. Padre mural on rooftop honors baseball legend Tony Gwynn. Art by Wildstyle Technicians.
I Love San Diego cool design is visually complex. Art by Ezra Pirk.
I Love San Diego cool graffiti design is visually complex. Art by Ezra Pirk.
Bold, colorful street art on walls of parking lot behind Undisputed Fitness.
Bold, colorful street art on walls of parking lot behind Undisputed Fitness.

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Cool mechanical shark street mural in East Village!

Cool mechanical shark on parking lot wall behind Undisputed Fitness Center in East Village.
Cool mechanical shark on parking lot wall behind Undisputed Fitness Center in East Village.

A super cool street mural was recently painted in downtown San Diego’s East Village. I checked it out this morning!

Located on a parking lot wall behind Undisputed Fitness, at the corner of 16th Street and K Street, this large work of art really catches your attention and draws you in for a closer examination!

The image of a mechanical shark, operated from the inside by some sinister-looking people, was painted by Sheffield-based muralist Phlegm. I’ve never seen his work before, but apparently he often depicts similarly weird scenes, described as half-childlike, half-menacing. This particular mural was created as an act of “artivism” for PangeaSeed, an international environmental organization whose mission is to help preserve sharks and other marine species, through art and education. Sharks are being maimed and killed in large numbers for their fins, which are cut off the still-living animals and used to make shark fin soup and traditional medical cures in China.

Street artist Phlegm painted this for PangeaSeed’s Sea Walls Murals for Oceans.
Street artist Phlegm painted this unusual shark  for PangeaSeed’s Sea Walls: Murals for Oceans.
Shadowy, mysterious people secretly operate the black and white mechanical shark.
Shadowy, mysterious people secretly operate the black and white mechanical shark.
Phlegm often paints masked figures controlling odd contraptions in this illustrative style.
Phlegm often paints masked figures controlling odd contraptions in this illustrative style.

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Cool spray paint street art in University Heights.

Super cool mural in University Heights has colorful butterfly lady as centerpiece.
Super cool mural in University Heights has colorful butterfly lady as centerpiece.

In the past I’ve glimpsed this super cool mural in University Heights, a neighborhood northeast of downtown San Diego. Finally I stopped to photograph it!

The psychedelic spray paint street art is splashed on a wall of a small, local grocery store on Park Boulevard. The images are extremely vivid and look almost brand new. After a close inspection, I noticed the mural is signed: DEXR EYEMAX PERSUE KUYA FIZSIX 2013.

A bit of research on the web uncovered an article about this awesome artwork. The grocery store owner had painted over a rather dull mural that had become very old, when the group of local street artists approached him. The artists asked if they could use his wall to give birth to a unique creation. He said yes!

And to his great delight, this awesome unplanned mural, painted in two days, is what he got!

Smiling heavenly body and other vivid, psychedelic faces and cosmic images.
Smiling sun or moon and other fantastic, psychedelic faces and cosmic images.
This fierce two-faced tree seems ready to spring off the wall!
This fierce two-faced tree seems ready to spring off the wall!
Magical blue gnome and banjo-playing frog are elements in awesome mural.
Magical blue gnome and banjo-playing frog are fun elements in this awesome mural.
Bold spray paint street art enlivens a grocery store on Park Boulevard.
Bold spray paint street art adds color to a small grocery store on Park Boulevard.

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Random art on the streets of East Village.

Six colorful dog murals on F Street in downtown's East Village.
Six dogs on a colorful mural on F Street in downtown’s East Village.

Here are some photos of outdoor art that I’ve discovered just wandering about the streets of downtown San Diego’s East Village. Enjoy!

Exotic faces, car and flowers along sidewalk in San Diego.
Exotic faces, car and flowers along sidewalk in San Diego.
Utility box dedicated to Tweet Street park.
Utility box dedicated to Tweet Street park.

The park itself is located up on Cortez Hill, just steps from where I live!

Summer swallowed us whole, written randomly on a step.
Summer swallowed us whole, written randomly on a step.
More fun street art in East Village.
More fun street art in East Village.
Cool smile, horn, coffee and heart.
Cool smile, horn, coffee and heart.
Bold graphics on wall of Lucky's tattoo parlor.
Bold graphics on wall of Lucky’s tattoo parlor.
Jumbled, eye-catching mural on a fence on F Street.
Jumbled, eye-catching mural on a fence on F Street.

This fence borders SILO, which contains a ton of awesome street art, which I documented in this blog post.

More artwork along F Street on the fence that borders SILO.
More artwork along F Street on the fence that borders SILO.
More cool street art on F Street in downtown San Diego's East Village.
More cool street art on F Street in downtown San Diego’s East Village.

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Colorful new murals on Horton Plaza Park fence!

SAN DIEGO writ large on fence around Horton Plaza Park's construction site.
SAN DIEGO writ large on fence around Horton Plaza Park’s construction site.

I recently noticed some new murals along Broadway in downtown San Diego, between 3rd and 4th Avenue. They decorate the fence that surrounds the Horton Plaza Park construction site, and replace a number of large historical photographs which I featured in this earlier blog post.

I took these pics at close range from the sidewalk, not wanting to step out into traffic. So I missed a few parts of the creative, colorful artwork.

Part of one new mural along Broadway in downtown San Diego.
Part of one new mural along Broadway in downtown San Diego.
A colorful underwater scene can be glimpsed by passing motorists.
A colorful underwater scene can be glimpsed by passing motorists.
Various surfboards -- one contains an ode to baseball's World Series.
Various surfboards.  One contains an ode to baseball’s World Series.
These murals replaced photographs which showed downtown history.
These murals replaced photographs which showed downtown history.
A fun depiction of San Diego Bay and a red trolley.
A fun depiction of San Diego Bay and a red trolley.
These three happy dogs are sharing a surfboard!
These three happy dogs are sharing a surfboard!
Another interpretation of the San Diego skyline.
Another interpretation of the San Diego skyline.
California girl in cool sunglasses watches a sunset.
California girl in cool sunglasses watches a sunset.
A sexy green-haired mermaid and Mission San Diego!
A sexy green-haired mermaid and Mission San Diego!
Downtown has been encroached by breakers and rocky hills!
Downtown has been encroached by breakers and rocky hills!
Man walks past construction fence surrounding Horton Plaza Park.
Man walks past construction fence surrounding Horton Plaza Park.

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LEGENDS painted mural: Don’t kill Sean Bean!

Legends mural in San Diego. Don't kill Sean Bean!
LEGENDS mural in downtown San Diego. Don’t kill Sean Bean!

A couple blocks from downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter, a huge painted mural on the side of a building depicts actor Sean Bean holding a gun and the Twitter hashtag #DontKillSeanBean. This eye-catching public artwork was created during the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con to promote the upcoming TNT television spy thriller LEGENDS.

Poor Sean Bean never seems to survive his roles. Many of his fans are hoping he makes it through this series. He has died over twenty times onscreen.

Some of his more notable deaths?

Shot through with Uruk-hai orc arrows as Boromir in Lord of the Rings.

Falling from and then crushed by a huge antenna structure as Agent 006 in Goldeneye.

Impaled by an anchor and then blown up during a boat chase in Patriot Games.

Chased off a cliff by a rampaging herd of cows in The Field.

Shot through the neck by a grappling hook and then hung in The Island.

Beheaded as Eddard Stark in the first season of Game of Thrones.

Better luck this time around, Mr. Bean!

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Mural of Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park.

Front entrance of Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park.
Front entrance of Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park.

Like the nearby WorldBeat Center, the Centro Cultural de la Raza is housed in a colorful old water tower in Balboa Park. Its huge mural draws the attention of those heading up Park Boulevard, just north of downtown San Diego.

Centro Cultural de la Raza is a cultural center with an emphasis on Chicano, Mexican, Indigenous and Latino art. It hosts many exhibits and artistic performances throughout the year. Ballet Folklorico dancing is one of the educational classes that are available.

I walked around the building and took a bunch of photos of the huge public mural!

Starting around the old water tower, checking out the artwork.
Starting around the old water tower, checking out the artwork.
Centro Cultural de la Raza seen from Park Boulevard.
Centro Cultural de la Raza seen from Park Boulevard.
Snake-entwined female in front of moon.
Snake-entwined female in front of glowing moon.
Diverse images from Latino culture in the large mural.
Diverse images from Latino culture in the richly detailed mural.
Geronimo crowned by a radiant sun.
A kneeling Geronimo crowned by a radiant sun.
Hispanic music, education and optimism are portrayed.
Hispanic music, education and optimism are portrayed.
Colorful mural contains many animals from the Americas.
Colorful mural contains many animals from the Americas.
A ram and corn are among the many images.
A ram and corn are among the many images.
Circling around toward back of the water tower.
Circling around toward back of the water tower.
Mesoamerican pyramid in a richly painted scene.
Mesoamerican pyramid in a beautifully painted scene.
Stylized face watches from Centro Cultural de la Raza.
Stylized ancient face watches from Centro Cultural de la Raza.
Latino family stands proudly in the San Diego mural.
Latino family stands proudly in the San Diego mural.
Eyes seem to rise out of the ground.
Eyes seem to rise out of the ground.
Nearby utility box made into a work of art.
Nearby utility box made into a work of art.
This crazy face made me laugh.
This crazy face made me laugh.
This appears to be an Aztec warrior.
This appears to be an Aztec warrior.

UPDATE!

When I posted these photos, I really didn’t know much about the mural. After doing some online research, I’ve learned the 240 by 18 feet mural was painted by nine artists, each responsible for a section. The mural painting project was headed by Antonia Perez. The Geronimo artwork was the work of Victor Ochoa, one of the co-founders of El Centro Cultural de la Raza in 1970.

Here are additional photos I took in early 2021, with a better camera under brighter light conditions…

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Murals of San Diego history in an Old Town alley.

Mural in Old Town alley depicts explorer Cabrillo.
Mural in Old Town alley depicts explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo.

I was wandering aimlessly around Old Town some time ago, just poking my nose here and there, when I discovered a whole bunch of beautiful murals! I found them in an interesting alley off San Diego Avenue, just south of the State Historic Park. The alley, a narrow walkway containing a variety of touristy wares, is called Avila Court. It’s tucked between the Old Town Surf Co. and Covered Wagon stores.

After looking at the artwork closely and talking to a lady working in the area, I learned most of the murals were painted by students from Grossmont College out in East County. Further research on the internet showed that there were originally ten murals, created in 2008, decorating over 85 feet of stucco wall. It’s apparent some of the murals were redone or altered in 2011.

Most of the murals depict people or places that are important in San Diego’s history. Those of you who follow my blog will probably recognize many!

Image of Charles Lindbergh and Spirit of St. Louis.
Image of Charles Lindbergh and Spirit of St. Louis.

Lindbergh’s famous airplane that crossed the Atlantic, the Spirit of St. Louis, was custom-built in San Diego by Ryan Airline Company.

Native American with flower painted in rich colors.
Native American with flower at night painted in rich colors.
Hotel del Coronado, buildings and beach scene.
Hotel del Coronado, buildings and beach scene.
Day of the Dead skeleton in front of the Whaley House.
Day of the Dead skeleton in front of the Whaley House.
Tuna fishermen and whale fluke off Coronado.
Tuna fishermen and whale fluke off Coronado.
Navy ship, huge surf and Mission San Diego.
Navy ship, huge surf and Mission San Diego.
Mural shows an American tall ship in San Diego Bay.
Mural shows an American tall ship in San Diego Bay.

I’m not sure who the whiskered military person is. If anyone out there knows, please tell us!

A combination of various old historic buildings.
A combination of various old historic buildings.
Point Loma lighthouse shines over Pacific Ocean.
Point Loma lighthouse shines over Pacific Ocean.
Tuna cannery worker and a Little Italy fisherman.
Tuna cannery worker and a Little Italy fisherman.
Star of India tied to dock at Embarcadero.
Star of India tied to dock at Embarcadero.
This part of one mural contains a gray whale.
This part of one mural contains a gray whale.
Sepia tone World War II era figures stand by old car.
Sepia tone World War II era figures stand by old car.
Seals, flowers and a cart on the beach.
Seals, flowers and carrying cattle hides from a beach.
Many murals were painted by Grossmont College students.
Many murals were painted by Grossmont College students.

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Cool urban art on Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach.

Cool art on a music store window on Garnet Avenue.
Cool art on a music store window on Garnet Avenue.

Yesterday I went for a very long walk through Pacific Beach and Mission Beach, two extremely popular beach destinations just a few miles north of downtown San Diego.

I began by walking west along Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach, from around Ingraham Street all the way to the beautiful and historic Crystal Pier. This stretch contains more bars, tattoo parlors, smoke shops and swimwear stores than just about anywhere else in Southern California. It’s a young, hip, beachy sort of place, that’s mostly laid back and unpretentious. You’ll see bikinis and skateboarders and tourists and families and surfboards atop cars and under arms just about everywhere you go.

You’ll also see a lot of very cool urban art: on walls, on windows, on rooftops, in alleys…all over the place! Here are some random pics I took as I walked westward in the sunshine…

Aloha Spirit mural on side of Pacific Beach building.
Aloha Spirit mural on side of Pacific Beach building.
Surfers are a major theme in this popular beach city.
Surfers and the ocean are major themes in this popular beach community.
Mural shows lifeguard climbing a tower among palms.
Mural shows lifeguard climbing a tower among palms.
Street art between two buildings on Garnet Avenue.
Funky street art between two buildings on Garnet Avenue.
Pacific Beach public art features a large seagull.
Pacific Beach public art features a large seagull.
Street art in an alley behind a tattoo parlor.
Street art in an alley behind a tattoo parlor.
Hubcaps and tiles add flavor to a colorful local eatery.
Hubcaps and tiles add flavor to a colorful local eatery.
Another tattoo parlor embellished with urban art.
Another tattoo parlor embellished with bold swirls of urban art.
Photo mural on one wall shows old Crystal Pier and Garnet Avenue.
Photo mural on a wall shows old Crystal Pier at west end of Garnet Avenue.
Sunny Pacific Beach has a sunny utility box.
Sunny Pacific Beach has a sunny utility box.
Images of surfers and beach scenes are everywhere.
Images of surfers and beach scenes are everywhere.

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