Several awesome murals can be viewed at the Lemon Grove Academy Middle School, also known as the Lemon Grove Academy for the Sciences and Humanities. They’re located just around the corner from the Lemon Grove Library, whose new mural I blogged about yesterday.
The school’s mascot is the Wolf, and their core values are: Persistent, Authentic, Courageous and Kind. Get it? Wolf Pack.
I was told by the librarian about these school murals so I had to walk over to check them out. She indicated they are also by ArtReach–the folks responsible for the new library mural.
I really love that blue howling wolf!
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This very beautiful new mural was painted in April near the main entrance to the Lemon Grove Library. It’s titled Today for Tomorrow.
Positive messages conveyed by the mural include a love for family, the natural environment and reading. The extraordinary mural is the product of a partnership between the ArtReach Mural Program and the Lemon Grove Public Library. The lead mural artist was Mexican-American artist and designer Josué Baltézar.
A handout available inside the library explains: The ArtReach Mural Program Team led over 50 community members in design ideation and painting through out design-input workshops and Community Paint Day…This piece highlights the library as an uplifting and beautiful community space, welcoming and accepting of all people. Books are featured predominantly to mark the importance of learning, reading, curiosity, and imagination. The focal point of the lemon tree represents the community of Lemon Grove while also signifying growth and new beginnings. The figures placed in the books show that we all have our own stories to tell and create while also touching on family resilience, hope, kindness, caregiving and neighborhood unity…
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I found two instances of meaningful art as I walked past Encinitas Fire Department Station One today.
The first work of art I noticed was a mosaic in the sidewalk beside the station building. It memorializes New York fire fighters who lost their lives during the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The number 343 represents the number of New York Fire Department members that perished in the terrorist attacks.
I assume the mosaic was dedicated five years later, on 9-11-2006. If you know more about this mosaic, please leave a comment.
The second work of art is on the fire station itself, near its entrance. The beautifully carved wood panel depicts curling ocean surf and a rare Torrey Pine tree.
The panel reminds us that wonders surround us, and how every wonder is worth protecting.
I spied a small plaque at the edge of wood panel, dated 2022. It indicates the creators are Tijuana artist Jose Antonio Alcantar and Encinitas Fire Engineer Jake Fodor.
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Those who enjoy a visit to Balboa Park in San Diego really should wander over to Spanish Village Art Center. Every artist studio is filled with magic. It’s hard to choose, but perhaps my personal favorite studio is number 15, the home of Doug Snider.
Doug Snider is an accomplished ceramics artist whose public art can be seen around the world and could be enjoyed in your own home. His colorful creations are utterly fantastic–there are weird amphibious and reptilian creatures, and exotic masks and eyeballs and tentacles and beaks that fill the walls and shelves of his studio in every direction. A sunny outdoor working area in the rear of the studio is home to even more creativity, including a big, happy, chameleon-like bench that would be perfect in your backyard!
Have you’ve seen his public art benches in Coronado’s Tidelands Park and National City’s Pepper Park? If not, you can view photographs of those four wacky, fun benches here and here!
When I visited Studio 15 the other day, another studio artist was hard at work. I asked if I could take photos. She said yes!
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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
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Great works of art greet shoppers and diners inside Del Mar Plaza. Wander about and you’re bound to stumble upon surprising artwork, in the form of a sculpture, mosaic or mural!
These pieces are part of the Public Art Collection at Del Mar Plaza. I discovered them in no particular order…
I found this mural in a quiet hidden area. I saw no information concerning it.Level Head by artist Tony Cragg, 2006, Bronze. Tony Cragg is a British sculptor. His works are held in many leading museums.A beautiful swirling mosaic extends on the ground from Level Head through a nearby passageway.Beautiful mosaic looks like water.LEVER II by artist Anthony Gormley, 2012, Cast Iron. Anthony Gormley is a British sculptor. This is an example of his “digital-cubism” where the human form is rendered in many different postures.It does appear like a lever!OPUS #1 by artist Maidy Morhous, 2019, Bronze. I’ve photographed other pieces by local artist Maidy Morhous around Del Mar.OPUS #1 from a different angle.A beautiful tree mural grows in Del Mar Plaza. By artist Kelsey Montague.Jackass and Elephant by artist Barry Flanagan, 1995, Bronze. The renowned Welsh sculpture enjoyed creating humorous, anthropomorphic figures.Jackass rides an elephant through Del Mar Plaza!In every direction, Del Mar Plaza is full of fun, unexpected artwork!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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South Cedros Avenue in Solana Beach is a place where creativity thrives. Walk down the sidewalk through the Cedros Avenue Design District and your eyes will discover surprising art wherever they turn.
I walked this way three years ago and found a bunch of cool stuff. See it here. I also stepped into the fun Art Alley on Cedros. See that here.
Yesterday I took a similar walk and found new sights that I hadn’t previously seen! In addition to a very colorful tile mosaic bench south of the Belly Up Tavern, I photographed the following…
The planet I live on is the planet you live on.You turn graves into gardens – You turn bones into armies – You turn seas into highways – You’re the only one who canOut of the Blue
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This bench decorated with tile mosaics adds beauty to the edge of a parking lot south of the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach.
I saw the artwork yesterday during a leisurely walk down South Cedros Avenue. It was one of many new discoveries that I made in the very colorful Cedros Avenue Design District!
I believe I see a starfish, garibaldi, seahorse and crab. The curving bench appears to show an underwater ocean scene. What do you see?
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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!
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The residents of Sherman Heights are very fortunate. They have a community center that radiates positive energy with loads of incredible art!
The Sherman Heights Community Center welcomes visitors with its many colorful outdoor murals and mosaics. Low walls, planters, columns . . . even an electrical box has been decorated! Yesterday, when I walked up Island Avenue and saw all the artwork, my camera became very busy!
The center’s website explains: The community we serve is predominantly Mexican- American with many families facing economic hardship. This community has preserved itself by using art as an avenue towards empowerment & collaboration. For many years the community has supported and participated in creating, preserving, and cultivating a culture of rich history through the arts here at our center.
Sherman Heights, just east of downtown San Diego, is famous for its Día de los Muertos celebrations. That’s reflected in some of the artwork.
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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
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Beloved artist James Hubbell has passed away. When I heard the very sad news today, I immediately thought of all the beautiful art he has left as a legacy around San Diego.
If you live in or near San Diego, there’s a good chance you’ve seen his public artwork. His sculptures and mosaics can be found from El Cajon to La Mesa to Del Mar to Oceanside to Mission Valley to Coronado to Shelter Island. His Hubbell Studios/Ilan-Lael Foundation compound in Santa Ysabel (which I’ve not visited, but have seen in photos) is an inspired, absolutely unique architectural marvel.
James Hubbell designed and created so many beautifully organic forms–often with the help of his wife, son, artists in residence or volunteers–that I’ll often encounter his work during a walk. To me, each work possesses a spiritual quality.
This world we live in has been greatly enriched because of James Hubbell’s genius and vision.
Here are some photos I’ve taken over the years…
Pearl of the Pacific on Shelter Island.Pearl of the Pacific.Pacific Spirit on Shelter Island.Pacific Portal on Shelter Island.Pegasus at Olaf Wieghorst Museum in El Cajon.San Gabriel Arcángel sculpture at Mission San Diego de Alcalá.Opus in front of Oceanside Museum of Art.Marker on walkway at SDSU Mission Valley. Coffeeberry (Frangula californica).Sea Passage in Coronado.Mosaic on restroom at Briercrest Park in La Mesa.Fountain at Dr. William C. Herrick Community Health Care Library in La Mesa.A River of Time at the Del Mar Library.Art displayed at exhibition James Hubbell: Architecture of Jubilation, now on view at the Central Library Art Gallery.
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Seven positively enormous books stand along a sidewalk in Escondido as if they were filed on a library shelf. All concern the history of Escondido and nearby places.
It you’d like to have a look at these giant books, head to the corner of Kalmia Street and Grand Avenue!
These books, as you can see, are realistically painted in a big mural. The fun artwork was created earlier this year by local artist Zane Kingcade, whose murals can be found all over Escondido.
The titles of these books (which actually exist–and will fit in your hand) are: Yesterday in Escondido, Grape Day Festival 1908-1950, The History of the Hotel Charlotta, San Pasqual A Crack in the Hills, The Royal Highway, Palomar From Teepee to Telescope, and Early Escondido.
If you’re interested in reading any of these books, simply google the title.
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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!
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