Tag: public art

Two sculptures seen entering Escondido!

If you’ve driven into downtown Escondido from Interstate 15, there’s a chance you’ve spotted these two fun sculptures on West Grand Avenue.

The first, a red, white and blue rooster, stands at the end of Hawthorne Country Store’s lot.

The second sculpture is located a very short distance away, in front of Raining Cats & Dogs. This one is covered with colorful mosaics depicting sea life.

I can’t tell you a thing about either sculpture–apart from the fact I love them.

Know anything? Leave a comment!

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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.

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Mural tells a story at Shaks Bistro in Vista!

A fantastic new mural was painted recently in the City of Vista behind Shaks Mediterranean Bistro. I happened to come upon it a few days ago.

The long wall behind the restaurant is like an illustrated story, peopled with birds. The birds are migrating, building, cooking, celebrating. The mural, according to the Shaks Instagram, is a tribute to our roots, our recipes, and the generations that came before us.

The mural’s joyful design is by @48savvysailors and the installation was completed by @clayton.sign.painting.

As you can see from my photographs, this long mural is another great addition to the many works of public art sprinkled throughout downtown Vista!

The happy story unfolds moving left to right:

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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.

Feel free to share!

Colorful “I Am San Diego” lifeguard tower!

I discovered a colorful “I Am San Diego” lifeguard tower in Mission Bay Park today! It overlooks the water a bit north of the San Diego Mission Bay Resort.

The lifeguard tower is decorated with images that represent the vibrancy of life in our city. It’s part of the “I Am San Diego” citywide project that was launched last year. San Diegans are encouraged to share their San Diego stories and experiences on social media using the hashtag #IAmSanDiego. Learn more about it here.

Lifeguard towers are an iconic sight in sunny San Diego. This one definitely attracts beachgoers for a closer look.

I really love how lively this lifeguard tower has become!

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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.

Feel free to share!

More fun art found in downtown Vista!

Check out more fun artwork in San Diego’s North County!

I enjoyed a long walk in downtown Vista a couple days ago and found works of art I hadn’t seen previously. That’s probably because it has been a couple years since I’d wandered around these streets.

Downtown Vista absolutely overflows with amazing sculptures and murals. One cool thing is, from time to time new works of public art appear. (I’ve noticed the sculptures can be purchased by contacting the City of Vista.)

Okay, so what did I find?

The first photos are of a sculpture titled Sky Flowers, by artist Norberto Estrada. This colorful bouquet can be found near the intersection of Vista Village Drive and Main Street.

Not far from this sculpture is another titled Chasing Fish, by artist Noe Estrada. It’s near the corner of Main Street and South Citrus Avenue.

Check out Whale of a Tale, by artist Sergey Gornushkin! The whale is flukes up and preparing to dive at the corner of South Indiana Avenue and East Broadway.

I love this banner on South Santa Fe Avenue. Not sure how long it’s been up. It’s by Jack Green, Vista Innovation & Design Academy!

Finally, I noticed an electrical box at the corner of Santa Fe Avenue and Vista Village Drive has been redecorated in a tribute to NASA and Vista, California, Earth…

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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.

Feel free to share!

Mural at Escondido’s Hawthorne Country Store.

Driving into Escondido on West Grand Avenue, it’s possible you glimpsed this mural on the side of Hawthorne Country Store.

The last time I enjoyed a long walk in Escondido, I made it a point to have a look at the mural and take several photographs.

The colorful artwork seems a bit faded, so I increased the contrast for my first and third photos. The artist is Tristan Pittard (@taggtristan). I see he has worked with Esco Alley Art.

Five words in the mural form the trunk of a tree: History, Diversity, Identity, Pride, Community. From the upper left corner of the mural sunshine beams down. Written inside the bright sun is the phrase: Community creates the future.

I love the fun image of a child and happy dog!

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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.

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Wildlife on the streets of National City!

During my last couple walks in National City, I noticed many electrical boxes have been beautifully painted with native flora and fauna. It’s almost as if wildlife has joined me on the sidewalk!

These photos were taken on National City Boulevard, a little south of 8th Street. I’ve observed boxes like these elsewhere in National City.

It appears many of these electrical boxes were painted last year by artist Laura Green (@lauragreenstudio). It’s part of the National City Utility Box Project.

Some of the boxes also specify the names or species of the painted subject.

What a great way to beautify an urban environment! One can learn to recognize our wild neighbors, too!

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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.

Feel free to share!

Very cool mural celebrates Oceanside!

This mural in Oceanside is one of the coolest I’ve seen!

The artwork is painted on the side of Security Public Storage on South Coast Highway. It celebrates all things Oceanside!

The mural contains images of surfers by the Oceanside Pier, local Chargers hero Junior Seau, Oceanside Harbor’s faux-lighthouse, the famous Top Gun house and nearby Camp Pendleton.

Sunset colors over a beach perfectly capture the SoCal lifestyle.

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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.

Feel free to share!

A chalk art masterpiece in San Diego!

If you want to see painted masterpieces in San Diego, step into the free Timken Museum of Art in Balboa Park. If you want to see a chalk art masterpiece, take a look at the ground as you approach the museum!

This chalk art masterpiece was completed today by @sidewalk_chalk_dad. It was inspired by the John Singleton Copley painting titled Mrs. Thomas Gage, dated 1771.

To view an image of the original masterpiece, which hangs inside the Timken Museum of Art, one of the finest small museums in the world, click here.

Then check out this elegant chalk art. Make a comparison!

I had trouble photographing the chalk art straight on because I cast a long shadow across it. So I approached the shot from different angles…

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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.

Feel free to share!

Ancient gods on a storm cloud descend in San Diego!

Ancient gods Zeus and Neptune, in a peculiar combination, have descended on a storm cloud into 21st century San Diego!

Yes, mythical deities can now be observed hovering above Spanish Village Art Center in Balboa Park. Lightning is striking beneath their cloud, so those walking around the art center’s outdoor patio should take care!

This monumental sculpture was erected in Balboa Park a few days ago. The artist is Sergey Gornushkin, president of the San Diego Sculptors Guild, which is headquartered in a corner of Spanish Village.

“The Tempest” is the title of the contemporary sculpture. It appeared at 2024 Burning Man.

“The Tempest” has its roots in a Shakespearian play that is based on these three principles: freedom, empathy and forgiveness, and nature versus nurture. At Burning Man its aluminum lightning bolts combined with an interactive sound and visual system designed to give the viewer a full immersive experience of a thunderstorm.

Here’s Sergey Gornushkin’s website. If you’ve ever visited the sculpture court in Spanish Village, you’ve no doubt seen other fantastic pieces that he has created.

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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.

Feel free to share!

Even more colorful murals in Leucadia!

Leucadia, a neighborhood in north coastal Encinitas, overflows with street art along its beachy Coast Highway. Here are even more examples!

I’m afraid this post is a couple months overdue. I took these photographs during a walk in early June. These colorful murals along North Coast Highway 101 were either relatively new, or I simply hadn’t noticed them during previous walks.

Anyway, check out this great artwork! Read the photo captions for a little more info…

A colorful tropical mural by artist Kevin Anderson on south side of Leucadia Barber Shop.
This fun mural at Mothership was created by artist Kenton Hoppas.
I spotted this butterfly during my Leucadia walk up North Coast Highway 101.
A colorful aquatic mural on south side of Just Peachy Market front entrance.
Harvesting fresh produce. Mural on north side of Just Peachy Market front entrance by @wyns_art in 2023.
A cool mural dazzles the eyes at the Leucadia Donut Shoppe. It’s titled Seaside Daze, by Taylor Chapin in 2022.

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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.

Feel free to share!