Tag: photography

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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Christmas returns to the Crystal Pier!

There’s a very cool holiday tradition at the Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach. Every year, a Christmas tree and wreaths appear at the pier’s end!

This year the festive scene, hovering magically over the blue Pacific Ocean, is just as wonderful as ever. The big Christmas tree lights up at night, and creatively made wreaths hanging along the pier’s white wooden railing celebrate the season, courtesy of Pacific Beach businesses and community organizations.

I walked down Garnet Avenue today and couldn’t resist a stroll out over the water. Starting from the Crystal Pier Bait Shack, this is what I found…

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Fun, festive photos at December Nights!

December Nights has arrived!

I walked around Balboa Park this afternoon and into the early evening. There were so many colorful sights to be seen in San Diego’s big holiday festival…

First up, a couple of Santa’s helpers with Save Starlight smiled for my camera. If you’d like to help this worthy organization revive the historic Starlight Bowl in Balboa Park, please check out their website here.

I was completely surprised to find a honest-to-goodness live reindeer! His name is Murphy. He’s visiting San Diego from Wild Things/Conservation Ambassadors.

Checking out Spanish Village Art Center during December Nights…

This beautiful little Christmas tree was created by artist Helen Munroe, who works out of Studio 34B and 25 in Spanish Village.

Okay, what was going on in the Plaza de Panama?

What was going on at the International Cottages?

I swung by the Spreckels Organ Pavilion when the Peninsula Singers were performing on the stage by the big Christmas tree…

Folks were checking out the Community Christmas Center nativity scenes…

I bought a soda at the Gingerbread House.

Entry to the San Diego Natural History Center was free, so I had to check it out. There’s a dinosaur Santa!

And a Homo sapiens Santa (and friends) by the elevator!

View of Plaza de Balboa and Bea Evenson Fountain from the museum rooftop. December Nights is just getting underway…

Now I checked out the Festival of Trees in the Casa del Prado. The theme for 2025 is Rooted in Wonder!

This cool gentleman is with San Diego Civic Dance Arts. Youth would perform on the nearby stage later in the evening.

Inside the Municipal Gymnasium, families were lined up to greet Santa Claus at the North Pole!

Dozens of food vendors filled the Palisades parking lot!

Superheroes greet visitors to the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park during December Nights!

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675 Poinsettias in Balboa Park’s Botanical Building!

This holiday season, if you have a chance, head into Balboa Park’s Botanical Building. You’ll discover 675 poinsettias! That’s what I was told by a representative of Forever Balboa Park!

There are poinsettia displays at the center of the Botanical Building, beside the fountains at either end, along windows, and here and there planted in the surrounding lush greenery.

All that holiday color is a sight to behold!

Enjoy these photographs which were taken during the first day of December Nights…

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The Art of Turning: Masterpieces in Motion.

You don’t often see exhibitions of wood art in Gallery 21 in Balboa Park’s Spanish Village Art Center. You have the opportunity right now, however!

The Art of Turning: Masterpieces in Motion is a fine exhibition presented by the San Diego Woodturners.

The pieces in the gallery were all made with lathes by members of the San Diego Woodturners. You might have seen these artisans demonstrating their craft in the Design in Wood exhibit at the San Diego County Fair. (They’re the folks who create all those tops and wooden pens.)

One of the artists, Hal Gorss, was kind enough today to explain how many of these gorgeous artworks were made. A great deal of effort and skill is required.

The objects include bowls, vases, utensils, trays, decorative art and more. They’re on sale, just in time for Christmas gift giving. So why not head into Gallery 21 during December Nights and check it out!

The Art of Turning: Masterpieces in Motion continues through December 15, 2025.

One other thing–these good people support Turn Around for Vets, which teaches wood turning to active duty service members and veterans at the Naval Medical Center (NMC) San Diego, the Wounded Warrior Battalion at Camp Pendleton and the Veterans Affairs Aspire Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program in San Diego.

Awesome!

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Organ-ism rehearses December Nights rock concert!

Who was that in Balboa Park today, rehearsing their upcoming December Nights rock concert? It was Organ-ism, the Organ Pavilion Rock Band!

People wandering through the park settled onto the pavilion’s benches to enjoy the awesome practice session. How does the Spreckels Organ sound when accompanied by drums and electric guitar? It rocks!

Funny how the huge Christmas tree on the stage was simultaneously being tested, opening and shutting for no apparent reason. The tree will be more central to other traditional December Nights performances.

The free rock concert will be held on Friday, December 5th at 4:00 p.m. in the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. The music? Classic rock favorites!

If you enjoy holiday music, you’ll want to take a seat in the pavilion on Saturday, December 6th at 2:40 pm. That’s when San Diego Civic Organist, Raul Prieto Ramírez, will perform holiday and all-time favorites.

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Festival of Trees decorated for December Nights!

The San Diego Floral Association is putting on another Festival of Trees during this year’s December Nights. The glittering roomful of uniquely decorated Christmas trees is one of the December Night’s most beloved attractions!

A whole host of San Diego and Balboa Park organizations were getting their Christmas trees ready today when I peeked into Room 101 of the Casa del Prado. The trees are decorated to reflect the organization they represent.

The Festival of Trees will actually have a special preview today, Thursday, December 4, 2025. The public can freely enjoy the sparkling displays from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Imagine the room darkened and hundreds of bright tree lights on!

There will be cookies available for purchase, too!

Of course, the trees will be on display throughout December Nights on Friday and Saturday. The Festival of Trees typically has a sign out on El Prado directing visitors in. Look for it!

Hello! Folks from the Balboa Park Senior Lounge, as they added ornaments to their (ever so slightly leaning) tree, gave my camera a big smile!

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Spirit of the City mural in Chula Vista.

What you see in these photographs, taken a couple days ago, is what remains of a much larger mural. It was created in Chula Vista by renowned artist Mario Torrero and local students.

The artwork was painted on the exterior of the parking structure beside the Gateway Building, at Third Avenue and H Street.

I learned about the public art from this brochure, published in 2013. It’s evident the mural once covered a much larger area and contained imagery that sought to capture the essence of Chula Vista.

I have no idea why most of the original mural was painted over. The radiant face that remains is very beautiful, but faded by its exposure to sunlight.

If you happen to know this mural’s history, please leave a comment below.

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Balboa Park almost ready for December Nights!

With two days to go until December Nights, activity in Balboa Park was in high gear today!

I enjoyed another walk through the park with my camera, catching much of the action. There isn’t much time to finish the immense preparation.

December Nights, one of the largest holiday festivals in the United States, will take place Friday December 5th from 3 to 11 pm, and Saturday December 6th from 11 am to 11 pm.

Make sure to give yourself extra time for traffic and to find parking. Better yet, use public transit or one of the free shuttles. You can find the “Getting to December Nights” webpage by clicking here.

Festive red ribbons are now on the Cabrillo Bridge lamp posts.
A sign and wreath bids Welcome to December Nights at Balboa Park’s west entrance.
Huge crowds will stream into December Nights by foot, passing the Museum of Us and the archways of the California Quadrangle.
Workers getting strings of holiday lights ready in the Plaza de Panama.
Cheerful lights will be strung everywhere!
Sadly, I suppose San Diego’s Community Christmas Tree encircled by its historical fence will be forgotten again. (I’ve spoken to multiple people about this over the years, but nobody seems to know or care.)
The Community Christmas Center’s traditional Nativity scenes are set up already. They must have done that during the last couple days.
I saw the enormous Christmas tree on the Spreckels Organ Pavilion stage being assembled!
One might say the Organ Pavilion will be at the center of December Nights, with many special holiday performances.
Barricades being readied in the Palisades area of Balboa Park, where there will be plenty of December Nights activity, too!
Signs are up at the various parking lots.
San Diego Parks and Recreation workers were all over the place, cutting grass and making everything perfect.
I noticed one of the fences on the west side of the Lily Pond has been removed, now that this section of the new Central Gardens outside the Botanical Building is ready.
Getting the annual San Diego Floral Association Festival of Trees ready in Room 101 of the Casa del Prado. There will be a special free preview on Thursday December 4, from 4 to 7 pm!
These smiling Balboa Park Garden Stewards were on their way out to beautify the park when I happened by with my camera!
Hanging stars at the Museum of Photographic Arts inside the Casa de Balboa!

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