The Serpent Tree has vanished from Waterfront Park! The big, colorful sculpture by famous artist Niki de Saint Phalle has been put into storage, I’ve been told.
The north half of Waterfront Park is being redeveloped. A dog park, basketball and pickleball courts, and other recreational facilities will soon be built. Will the amazing Serpent Tree reappear in the park? I haven’t yet heard what its fate will be.
Today I noticed a banner on the construction fence describing the project. It shows how this part of Waterfront Park will eventually appear.
If you’d like to view photos of Serpent Tree shortly after it was installed in 2015, click here!
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There’s an installation of public art in Mission Hills that’s easily overlooked. The art is titled Guard Posts. Redwood posts wrapped with copper stand at the side of the road where Goldfinch Street turns west and becomes Lewis Street. Engraved in copper are words that describe the canyon beyond the guard posts.
Why do I call this public art hidden? Not only are the posts inconspicuous from a distance, but some of the art is actually hidden in the branches of nearby vegetation.
Local artists Richard Keely and Maidie Morris finished the Guard Posts in 1994. You can see how time and weather have altered the artwork–made the copper appear more natural.
Most of the words atop these posts were contributed by members of the Mission Hills community. I did my best to transcribe…
HAWKS AND FALCONS FLYING OVER AT VARIOUS TIMES OF THE DAY, THE CANYONS ARE AN UNBELIEVABLE ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM ON THEIR OWN… MISSION HILLS RESIDENTWE HEARD OF PEOPLE LIVING DOWN IN THIS CANYON… MISSION HILLS RESIDENTIN THE SPRING EVERY SIDE OF THE CANYON IS SO DIFERENT. JUST LIKE A PALETTE. MISSION HILLS RESIDENTCANYONS, WHERE THEY SLIP APART LIKE FINGERS, ACT JUST LIKE A CHIMNEY. WE DON’T WANT TO… CANYON FIRE EVER (I can’t make out some of the words. If you know the full text, please leave a comment!)CANYONS…WELL. AS A PET SHOP OWNER I CAN SAY THERE’S A LOT OF WILD LIFE DOWN IN THE CANYONS… FOX. SKUNKS. LITTLE CREATURES
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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 Twitter!
Xebeche the skywhale has soared and swum inland to Escondido. That’s Xebeche hovering by the side of a building.
You can find this colorful sky whale mural near the corner of Grand Avenue and Juniper Street, just south of the 7-Eleven.
The whale’s name is Xebeche. He was created last year by artist Tristan Pittard.
A strange conversation with the skywhale is written on the wall:
What is your name? My name is Nobody. Excuse me? My name is Xebeche. He who talks loud, say nothing. I thought you said your name was Nobody? I prefer to be called Nobody.
I’m just a skywhale, but you, Human, are the caretaker of this world.A peculiar conversation around an impassable doorway.
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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 Twitter!
Greetings From Escondido, The Beautiful Hidden Valley. This cool postcard-like mural was painted a number of years ago, but I photographed it for the first time during my most recent Escondido walk.
The artist is Zane Kingcade. He has painted a number of colorful murals around Escondido.
The “Postcard From Escondido” mural contains images that represent this city in sunny North County. There are oranges, avocados and grapes. There’s the dome of Escondido’s distinctive Civic Center, and a rhinoceros at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. There’s Dixon Lake, a popular fishing spot.
The Spanish word escondido means hidden. Keep your eyes peeled! If you drive west down Valley Parkway, you might spy this easily missed mural on the side of King’s Pawn.
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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 Twitter!
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…
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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 Twitter!
Frida Kahlo hangs out in Escondido! You can find her among butterflies next to a Mexican restaurant!
Fridas Street Tacos on Valley Parkway is the perfect place for this great mural, painted by Michelle Ruby, aka Mr B Baby. The taco shop’s parked vehicles were blocking the mural when I walked by, so I had to take photos around and between them.
I happened to run across one of the drivers, and he indicated the mural was created a couple years ago.
Awesome!
I enjoyed a long walk around Escondido a few days ago and found lots of street art! So stay tuned for much more!
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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 Twitter!
Several murals with positive, life-affirming messages greet members of the community who recreate at Washington Park in Escondido. I noticed the murals during my recent walk in the area. I also found signs indicating that the two you see in the above photograph were created by local students.
Read the captions.
I’ve been told more murals are coming to Washington Park in the future.
During the same walk I photographed a new mural by renowned artist Mario Torero that was dedicated about a week ago on the other side of Escondido Creek. You can view those photos and read about it here.
Battle Scars, by Katie Daniels, Escondido Union High School Student College and Career Readiness Program. Painted by: Ashley, Ava, Daniel, Daisy, Jeidy, Joey, Johanna, Katie, Sofia, Vada and Zahhak.Wings of Life, by C. Garcia and Maria Medero, Escondido Union High School Students.A third beautiful mural. A painted hand reaches for splashes of color.
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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 Twitter!
Several days ago a fantastic new mural debuted in Escondido. Tortilla Tesoro is colorful 32′ x 8′ panel that greets customers on the east side Tortilleria Santacruz, to the left of the store’s front entrance. The mural, which celebrates the cultural heritage and diversity of Escondido’s population, was created by Mario Torero, one of the renowned co-founders of Chicano Park in San Diego.
Additional “Chicano Colorful walls” artwork has been finished on the building’s east and south side, featuring Michoacan inspired imagery. According to the project website: Participation in the creation of the murals included students of the Conway Academy of Expeditionary Learning Elementary School and “A Step Beyond”, an Escondido creative youth development organisation serving youth and their families living at or below the poverty line with free after-school dance classes, academic support, and social services.
Another very colorful mural on the building’s north side was completed earlier this year. It was painted by Charlie Mejia. I posted photos of it in late March here.
First, here’s the new artwork on the tortilleria’s south side…
The following sign provides an explanation of the Tortilla Tesoro (Tortilla Treasure) mural in front of the building.
It was designed by Mario Torero using acrylic on poly-aluminum material. The mural highlights the natural beauty of the Escondido Valley landscape, and includes notable landmarks like the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and Queen Califia’s Magical Circle. Figures in the mural portray students, athletes, musicians, laborers and dancers.
Tortilleria Santacruz was started around 1996 at a nearby location by Juan and Gaudencia Santacruz. It is a family run business. There was a shared dream that one day murals would be painted here.
Here’s Mario Torero’s beautiful Tortilla Tesoro mural…
And more new artwork, by the building’s front entrance…
Learn more about the inspirational project at this website!
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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.
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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 Twitter!
In mid-April, community volunteers and members of the San Diego River Park Foundation celebrated Earth Day by creating another beautiful mural in Mission Valley!
A wall along the San Diego River Bikeway at Cottonwood Grove, a very short walk west of the Sefton Park Baseball Fields, was painted with colorful flowers and butterflies.
The easiest way to visit the mural is to park at the Sefton Baseball Fields (2508 Hotel Circle Place), which are visible from Interstate 8 at the west end of Mission Valley. A trailhead is located at the west end of the Little League ballfields. The long mural can be spied beyond the sign for Cottonwood Grove. It decorates a low wall that parallels the freeway.
Cottonwood Grove is part of Mission Valley Preserve, whose protected riparian environment is surrounded by sprawling urban development. Here one can find wild natural beauty. Sadly, it’s also a place where one encounters trash and graffiti (including some on the new mural that I didn’t photograph). I also observed evidence of drug activity, so use common sense and be alert if you walk this way.
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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 Twitter!
Cool San Diego Sights! 