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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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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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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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
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In Encinitas, incredibly beautiful public art decorates the underpass of Interstate 5 at Santa Fe Drive. The project is called Encinitas Up Close. Fifty three colorful mosaics, created by local students and professional artists, greet those who pass under the freeway.
I photographed these 3′ by 5′ mosaic panels the other day during my walk in Encinitas. The joyful images reflect themes that are popular in this beach community. The ocean, nature, sunsets, people, surfing, pets, skateboarding, sunshine, history, places…
In this blog post I’ll share photos of the 27 mosaics that line the sidewalk and bike lane on the south side of Santa Fe Drive. I’ll share the north side mosaics in a second, upcoming post.
My photographs are raw and unedited–many taken in the dim light of an underpass shadow.
Koi With Lotus, by Lucy Stefanko.Nautilus, by Joyce Schleiniger.Woody At The Beach, by Kathryn Weiss.Unleashed, by KAROB, Katherine and Robert Bender.Swami’s Sunrise, by Liz and Luke Hoffmann.Bird Of Paradise, by Gary Timinsky, Debe Hersey.7 Day Weekend 1, by Tyler Adams Hawkins.Asintmah, Native American Earth And Nature Goddess, by Silvia Wiedmann.Face Of Existence, by Joyce Schleiniger.Spiny Lobster In Tide Pool At Swami’s, by Timothy J Lueker.Sea Lavender Above The Tracks, by Layla M Gunn, Deana Coveney.Koi In Shimmering Waters, by Jessica Imaz Horton.Bullet In The Back Country, by Timothy J Lueker.Memorial, by Mike Upton, Jerm Wright, Erin Grady, Karl Ensberg.Ruby The Shark, by Pietro Martinez.Skateboarding Into The Sunset, by Lynn Adams.Blooming Encounter, by Macall Deaver, Papa Faj.Sun, Sea And Lotus, by Bereket Denslow, Isabella Parrales.Carla The Poinsettia Calavera, by Morgaine McGrath, Julia Miller, Ariella Pacheco, Daniel McGrath.Seagull And Moonlight Palm, by Todd Anderson.Daisy The Whale, by Pietro Martinez.Oceanna, by Cheryl Tall, Anila Saier, Elizabeth Joy Mueller, Mary F McCarthy.Aquascape, by KAROB, Katherine and Robert Bender.Golden Hour, by Liz and Luke Hoffmann.Octopus, by Crystal and Evan Sandoval.A Shard Of Whimsical Music, by Gillian Shaver.Hummingbird With Hibiscus, by Lucy Stefanko.
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Several notable works of public art welcome visitors to Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas.
During my walk yesterday I noticed five different sculptures near the hospital entrance. One sculpture was unreachable behind a construction fence, so I was able to photograph four of them.
Each had a plaque at its base.
The first reads:
THE MAYPOLE TREE BY FRITZIE URQUHART – DEDICATED BY RALYN & NATE WOLFSTEIN 2008 – IN HONOR OF NATE’S 80TH BIRTHDAY
The second reads:
THE CALDERBERRY TREE BY AMOS ROBINSON – DEDICATED BY RALYN & NATE WOLFSTEIN 2008 WITH THANKS TO GERRIT GREVE, JEFFERY LAUDENSLAGER & COOP COOPRIDER – WITHOUT WHOSE IDEAS & SUPPORT OUR SCRIPPS ARTS FOR HEALING PROGRAM WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED.
The third reads:
MIKOSHI BY JEFFERY LAUDENSLAGER – DEDICATED BY RALYN AND NATE WOLFSTEIN IN HONOR OF THEIR 60TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY 2008
The fourth reads:
FAMILY TREE BY THE SEA BY CAROLYN GUERRA – AS PART OF THE ARTS FOR HEALING PROGRAM AT SCRIPPS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL ENCINITAS
UPDATE!
I’ve learned there are actually six sculptures around the hospital. According to this web page: Beginning in 2008, the Wolfsteins continued their support of Scripps Memorial Hospital’s Arts for Healing Program with the addition of five pieces to the Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas campus.
What I had discovered during my Encinitas walk is one of several Wolfstein Sculpture Parks. Another much larger group of sculptures can be found around Scripps Memorial Hospital, La Jolla.
Nathan Wolfstein is the man who developed the process for purifying the life-saving drug, Heparin.
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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!
More history was made today! Two life-size grizzly bear sculptures were transported from the San Diego studio where they were made and lifted by crane to the roof of the San Diego Automotive Museum!
A golden grizzly bear now stands atop each front corner of the museum!
The San Diego Automotive Museum occupies the California State Building, which was built for the 1935-1936 California Pacific International Exposition in Balboa Park. These new bears help restore the historic building to its original appearance.
I wasn’t present for today’s “great bear lift” but I received these great photos to share! Not only were the two bears mounted on the reinforced rooftop, but two new flagpoles were installed above the building’s front entrance.
These landmark improvements to the Palisades area in Balboa Park are the work of the Committee of 100, who’ve been working to preserve Balboa Park’s historic architecture, gardens and public spaces since 1967.
Would you like to see these amazing bear sculptures up close? I was fortunate to get a very close look earlier this year! I posted those photographs and more fascinating details here!
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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!
The first mural, depicting a fierce jaguar, was created in 2022 by Miguel Falcon and Armando Nunez: the gallery owner and the curator.
The second work of art was painted above the gallery’s front entrance by Connie Perez in 2021. Frida Kahlo has seemingly turned into a colorful multi-scoop ice cream cone! Perhaps that’s because the ice cream shop Nevería Los Mochis is located inside the gallery!
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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!
A special, very unique art show will take place in San Diego this Thursday. The public is invited to experience PROTOTOPIAN VISIONS + SOUNDS: Murals Projected in Light!
The free art show, part of the Our Walls Speak multi-day cultural event, can be enjoyed May 18th between 7 pm and 11 pm at San Diego Made Factory, a creative event space located at 2031 Commercial Street. Read the information on the above flyer.
San Diego’s amazing outdoor murals, many of which you’ve seen here on Cool San Diego Sights, will be celebrated! You might recognize some of the artist names. I’m told several of my photographs will be used!
Perhaps I’ll see you there!
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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!
An exciting event is coming to San Diego next week!
From Wednesday, May 17 to Sunday, May 21, the many colorful murals that reflect Chicano history and culture in several of our city’s communities will be celebrated with a special tour, workshops, lectures, dance, poetry and more!
Our Walls Speak is the name of this free event. Those who participate will have the opportunity to experience not only Chicano Park’s famous murals, but other murals in nearby communities. Participants will come away inspired, understanding the importance and meaning of these empowering works of art, and the need to preserve them.
According to the event website: This year’s 2023 “Our Walls Speak!: Nuestros Muros Hablan!”, event features four days of live and virtual panel/community discussions, artist and elder interviews and storytelling, and mural art exhibitions. Download and attend a neighborhood mural walk/drive/tour through the San Diego neighborhoods of Logan Heights, Sherman Heights and Golden Hills communities. Join us on Sunday May 21st for youth and family mural art workshops, spoken word, music and dance movement performances and local street food vendors serving healthy and delicious recipes.
To see the many free activities that can be enjoyed over the course of five days, and to register for Our Walls Speak, click here!
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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! 