Mimi Gonzalez Martinez (to the right) poses by her new mural in City Heights with her artistic mentor Brise Birdsong.
Today I met San Diego’s newest muralist!
Mimi Gonzalez Martinez has painted a colorful mural for #theavenuemuralproject on University Avenue in City Heights. Please check out her new Instagram page!
Guided by Carlos Quezada of Love City Heights, I was able to meet Mimi and enjoy her artwork during a tour of several new street murals along University Avenue. Love City Heights is a group of community leaders working to enliven this culturally diverse San Diego neighborhood.
Mimi’s first mural was created with a little help from her mentor Brise Birdsong, a prolific local artist and muralist whose often humorous street art I stumble upon from time to time during my walks around San Diego.
Mimi told me a little about the mural, and the symbolism that it contains. Her family is very important to her, and being of Mayan descent, she incorporated the Mayan logogram that represents a companion spirit. You can see it in the following photograph at the center of the lower tea cup. The next cup up contains elements representing Korea, a place that is special to her. The third cup up contains colors from both the Mexican and American flags.
Other designs in the mural like the flowers and butterfly? Painted just for fun!
A very cool new work of art brightens City Heights!
The colorful mural contains diverse symbols that hold special meaning for the artist.Mimi Gonzalez Martinez poses by her new City Heights mural with her family!
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Planes Roar Into Action from the U.S. Aircraft Carriers Wasp and Enterprise, watercolor, 1941. The Irvine Museum Collection.
An extraordinary exhibition of work by one of America’s greatest artists is now on display at the Maritime Museum of San Diego. Art of the Sea collects many iconic works by Arthur Beaumont (1890-1978), renowned for his wartime commissions for National Geographic Magazine, and for being named by the U.S. Navy the Artist Laureate of the Fleet in 1958.
Arthur Beaumont’s dramatic paintings not only depict massive warships in action at sea, but ships of every type in locations around the world, and diverse landscapes painted from his travels and rich personal experience.
As a young man Beaumont worked on a ranch in Canada, where he developed his love for sketching and painting. He moved to California and became a ranch hand in the San Joaquin Valley; he then later lived in Los Angeles, working as an artist. His fine portraits were noticed by the U.S. Navy, for whom he was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He eventually became America’s foremost military artist. His dramatic paintings record important aspects our nation’s history through many decades.
My poor yellowish photographs in the softly lit Gould Eddy Gallery hardly do justice to the dynamic, brilliantly colorful paintings you’ll experience in this world-class exhibition. Over the years, the Maritime Museum of San Diego has featured some very important artwork, including a breathtaking collection of works by James E. Buttersworth, but this might be my favorite so far!
If you love fine art, or military history, or the sweep of American and world history in general, you must not miss Art of the Sea. After you check out these amazing paintings, stretch your legs and enjoy the many historic ships of the Maritime Museum of San Diego, rated one of the very best maritime museums in the world!
Dozens of extraordinary paintings by famed artist Arthur Beaumont fill the Gould Eddy Gallery in the Steam Ferry Berkeley, at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.Sign describes the life and work of Arthur E. Beaumont, named by the Navy the Artist Laureate of the U.S. Fleet in 1958. He is also known for his wartime commissions for National Geographic Magazine.A painting of a California Mission, watercolor on paper, 1949. The Irvine Museum Collection.Cowboy at the Corral Lassoing a Steer, oil, 1929. The Bowers Museum.John Paul Jones on the USS Ranger, July 4, 1777, pen and ink, 1934. The Stuart Bourdon Collection.Portrait of Admiral William D. Leahy, oil on canvas, 1936. U.S. Naval Academy Museum.Heavy and Light Cruisers Range Far to Scout or Fight; USS Astoria and USS Phoenix, watercolor on board, 1941. The Irvine Museum Collection.Navy Sea Planes, watercolor, 1941. The N. Arthur Astor Family Trust.War Weary USS San Diego Returns to Home Port, watercolor, 1967. The Hilbert Museum.Snow Field Training, watercolor, 1942. Catherine Campbell Beaumont Collection.Fog Horn, watercolor, ca. 1950. The Hilbert Collection.Chinese Junk Boat, watercolor, 1963. Robert Dreibelbis Collection.Stella Polaris, Howard Hughes’ yacht, watercolor, 1935. The Los Angeles Maritime Museum.Relief of McMurdo, watercolor, 1959. The Irvine Museum Collection.The Last Voyage of the Queen Mary, in the company of the USS Long Beach, watercolor, 1972. Catherine Campbell Beaumont Collection.
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Texas Tractor, 2002, Carol Lindemulder. Oil on linen.
A great new art exhibition has recently opened at the San Diego History Center!
Carol Lindemulder: Color Story features a collection of vibrant paintings by a local artist who loves to travel about the landscapes of Southern California and the American Southwest. In her paintings, deserts, fields, mountains and small towns are frequently defined by swaths of radiant color–like patches of bright sunshine before your eyes!
Carol Lindemulder, a San Diego native, is a founding member of the Save Our Heritage Organization. She was responsible for the restoration of the Giant Dipper roller coaster in Mission Beach. Her paintings are informed by a deep knowledge of our region’s history, its backroads and lesser known spaces.
Head over to the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park and see these amazing paintings for yourself!
Photograph of Carol Lindemulder painting.Most of my paintings have a path–a road, a street, a river–a place from which we start the adventure.The Road Less Traveled, 2003, Carol Lindemulder. Oil on linen.Fish Creek Afternoon, 2012, Carol Lindemulder. Oil on linen.Stonebridge Canyon, 2016, Carol Lindemulder. Oil on linen.October, Canyon de Chelly, 2002, Carol Lindemulder. Oil on linen.When Shadow’s Fall, 1996, Carol Lindemulder. Oil on linen.Ocotillo, 2010, Carol Lindemulder. Oil on linen.Storm from Temecula, 2001, Carol Lindemulder. Oil on linen.Henshaw After the Storm, 2007, Carol Lindemulder. Oil on linen.Just Around the Corner from the Stop Sign, 2013, Carol Lindemulder. Oil on linen.
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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!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
During my walk around downtown yesterday morning, I wandered past The New Children’s Museum. My camera immediately took aim at the 1950s Dodge pickup Flower Truck out on the Paint Patio. Kids have applied so many coats of paint to the museum’s current Painted Object that the vintage truck appears to be covered with dripped candle wax!
I also enjoyed looking at the long, rainbow-like SMILE mural on the museum’s entrance bridge, painted by street artist Paola Villaseñor, who signs her work PANCA. Her urban artwork, which is usually more “adult” and grotesque, can be found in both Tijuana and San Diego.
Those words on a low wall bordering the museum’s playground and The Garden Project are part of FOLLOWING THE WORDS, poetry by Quincy Troupe, professor emeritus at the University of California, San Diego.
In late 2014 I posted photos of the small garden and other lines of the linguistically lip-lively poem here.
Perhaps one day I’ll photograph the entire long poem!
Section of SMILE, by artist PANCA. The fun 48-foot-long mural decorates the bridge leading to the entrance of The New Children’s Museum.YOU ARE YOUR OWN SONGHIP AS FLIP-FLOPS KIDS HAVE ON
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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!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
This morning I was walking down First Avenue, a couple blocks north of the San Diego Convention Center, when I made a cool discovery! Glancing through a window of Simon’s Cafe, I spied some new Comic-Con related artwork by local artist Suzka!
Back in 2017 I posted some of her fun Comic-Con themed paintings here!
I didn’t order anything at Simon’s Cafe this morning, having already eaten breakfast, but the friendly lady at the counter said I could take these photos.
If you want to learn more about Suzka, visit her website here!
Able To Leap… by artist Suzka.Miz Apple by artist Suzka.Birdic-Con by artist Suzka.Gaslamp-Kitty by artist Suzka.
UPDATE!
In late May I enjoyed a yummy breakfast plate at Simon’s Cafe. I noticed some new artwork on the walls…
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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!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
During my Sunday walk along Broadway toward Golden Hill, I passed the new Broadstone Makers Quarter apartments.
I noticed some artwork on display in a few of the leasing office windows, so I took photos. I don’t know the artists, but I thought their creations were definitely cool!
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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!
I finished writing another short story. This one is titled Light at the Edges.
I don’t know how to paint, but I do like to watch artists animate their canvases with small dabs of color. I also observe people, and the effect of light upon the human heart.
How does one paint light?
I hope this little story, about living in the big city, and human generosity, makes you smile.
Taking the ferry from downtown San Diego to Coronado is like crossing into a dream. It’s a journey to a magical place. The island is like a small, carefree paradise.
I had a variety of photos from my ferry ride and walk yesterday, so I thought I’d try converting a few into oil paintings! I cropped selected images then used the Oilify artistic filter that comes with the GIMP graphics editor.
It was a beautiful misty winter day.
Those are sea lions lying on a buoy in the bay!
The words etched in the sand near the Coronado Ferry Landing? I’ll let you decide.
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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!
Moth Study 2018, Evelyn DuVall, watercolor and ink. IDEA Center High School.
Before I began my walk yesterday at Mission Trails Regional Park, I ventured into the Visitor Center and was pleased to see walls full of art created by students from the Grossmont Union High School District.
Many of the Wilderness Views are really good. Creativity thrives in San Diego’s East County! I took quick photos of some pieces that I happened to like.
Most of the artwork is for sale. If you’d like to support local high school students and their artistic endeavors, head over to the Mission Trails Visitor Center before the exhibition ends on January 4, 2019.
Untitled, Ashton McDowell, acrylic paint and spray paint. West Hills High School.Caught, Rachel Silvis, digital photography collage. Grossmont High School.Improvised Explosive Device (I.E.D.), Siena Quinn, acrylic. Grossmont High School.Reflective Sunset, Cherish Clarkson, digital photography. Grossmont High School.The Tears of Nature, Travis McCrae, watercolor. Grossmont High School.Quoth the Raven, Amalia Browning, suminagashi ink, acrylic paint. Monte Vista High School.Malcolm, Siena Quinn, colored pencil. Grossmont High School.El Tigre, Ryan Zubik, watercolor. Grossmont High School.Dangerous Spots, Maryam Ablahad, scratchboard. Valhalla High School.Bambino, Joshua Meriwether, scratchboard. IDEA Center High School.In the Leopard’s Gaze, Armida Angulo, colored pencil. Grossmont High School.Untitled, Kirsten Fraga, charcoal and colored pencil. West Hills High School.Dripping Lily, Evelyn DuVall, watercolor and ink. IDEA Center High School.Moonrise, Brooke Moran, linoleum print. Steele Canyon High School.Smooth Waves, Britney Guerrero, acrylic. Steele Canyon High School.Lobos, Natalie Burke, acrylic. Steele Canyon High School.Ocean Eyes, Rand Akim, tempera. Valhalla High School.It’s Pretty Wild, Savy, acrylic. Valhalla High School.Landscapes, Andy Orosco, watercolor. Steele Canyon High School.
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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!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
Jorge Luis Borges wrote: “I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” As someone who loves to read and write, I agree.
But I also love to experience life, contemplate and be inspired in other ways. So paradise, to me, would also be like a museum full of extraordinary artwork.
Anyone who’d like to enter such a paradise in San Diego should visit the San Diego Museum of Art. Every time I go, I feel that I’ve ascended to a blissful place–an elevated place where I become fully alive.
My docent pal Catherine guided another great tour of the museum this weekend, and as I and other guests walked from gallery to gallery, my eyes couldn’t stop jumping from wonder to wonder. And I had to chuckle a couple of times, too. Catherine has been known to spontaneously inject bits of wry humor into her tours. With this simple blog post I would like to thank her for being so generous.
The San Diego Museum of Art never ceases to amaze me. I’m always discovering something new. It contains a truly world-class collection of fine art, including masterpieces by some of history’s most celebrated artists. The museum has also collected many pieces that have a special connection to San Diego.
I’ve always thought it would be amazing if one small gallery were permanently dedicated to San Diego–to San Diego’s most renowned artists, and to timeless works of art inspired by our beautiful and surprisingly diverse city. Just imagine!
Do you love art, too? If you ever find yourself in Balboa Park, please walk over to the San Diego Museum of Art.
Then step through the front door into Paradise.
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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!
Cool San Diego Sights! 