Tag: sculpture

Football player scores at City Heights bus stop!

Score!

A football player has run through the shelter at a City Heights bus stop for a touchdown! Now he simply must leap over a trashcan!

This unexpected sculpture stands at the eastbound bus stop on University Avenue near 45th Street.

I asked someone who works on the same block about the strange sight. He indicated the football player statue was placed here by the nearby taco stand. A few weeks ago there was a moose on the sidewalk!

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Unusual sculptures by Escondido’s Valley Parkway.

Driving west down Valley Parkway toward Escondido’s downtown, the road splits into a pair of one-way streets: Valley Boulevard and Valley Parkway. Several roadside sculptures can be found in the vicinity of the split, including this shining one that I have previously shared.

I discovered two others during that same long Escondido walk. Both are very unique!

The first sculpture rises northeast of the split, at Hickory Street. It depicts a leaf, moon and star, and what appears to be a clock and the telescope atop Palomar Mountain.

I love this unusual public art!

The second sculpture rises on the southwest side of the split. The long metal arms of joined human figures seem to rise skyward as the leafy branches of a tree.

If you know more about this unique public art in Escondido, please leave a comment!

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Colors of Ovalesque in the Escondido sky!

A cool kinetic sculpture stands in Escondido at the intersection of Valley Boulevard and East Grand Avenue. It’s called, appropriately, Ovalesque. Two ovals containing dichroic glass move independently in the wind, flashing brilliant sunlit colors!

Jeffrey Laudenslager and Deanne Sabeck collaborated to create this beautiful sculpture in 2024. If you want to view more of Jeffrey’s kinetic sculptures, check out his Instagram page here. See Ovalesque moving about by clicking here.

Over the years, walking around San Diego and North County, I’ve stumbled upon quite a few Jeffrey Laudenslager sculptures.

These photos of Ovalesque were taken during my most recent Escondido walk. It was somewhat overcast that day. Imagine bright sunlight and beautiful colors moving through a blue sky!

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Warhammer 40k cosplay at Comic-Con Museum!

Some of the most jaw-dropping Warhammer 40k cosplay creations are now on display in San Diego’s Comic-Con Museum! They’re gigantic and amazing in their detail! For an idea of scale, see my first photo.

Head downstairs and walk into the gallery devoted to costumes created for Comic-Con’s world-famous Masquerade. Among other fantastic creations, you’ll see these Warhammer 40k character suits that can actually be worn. They are made out of EVA foam sheets by Joe Ramirez.

Not surprisingly, Joe has won multiple awards for his cosplay productions. His handle is @Beyonderjoe.

The costumes in this gallery change from time to time, so make sure to have a new look every time you visit the museum.

A brilliantly glowing Growing Home!

In 2019, about one week after its installation, I posted a blog concerning this amazing, stainless steel, sea snail sculpture, which is called Growing Home. It rises near Petco Park in East Village, in front of the Park 12 – The Collection luxury apartments.

You can read more about this phenomenal public art and see my original photographs by clicking here.

Last night I walked past Growing Home. Wow. I was so struck by its glowing brilliance that I had to take more photos.

And here they are!

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Sound Tree’s sonic fruits in Balboa Park!

A tall metal sculpture stands behind the WorldBeat Cultural Center in Balboa Park. It’s called the Sound Tree.

When I learned about the existence of this sculpture several days ago, I resolved to see it myself. I walked to Balboa Park yesterday and was able to take these photos. A fence and closed gate behind the WorldBeat Cultural Center kept me at a distance.

The WorldBeat Cultural Center is usually open on weekends, so that would be the time to grab the sculpture’s hammer and ring those long tubes, which dangle in the air like sonic fruit!

Sound Tree was created by artist and neurobiologist Victor Hugo Minces. He works as a research scientist at UC San Diego. According to the sculpture’s webpage, the dangling metal pipes produce low soothing vibrations that you can hear and feel. The pipes are tuned to interact acoustically, creating harmonies and rich sonic interference patterns.

The WorldBeat Cultural Center is a treasure trove of multi-cultural art, on display both inside and outside. Go check it out!

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Enjoy a stimulating Sound Shower in Escondido!

A couple weeks ago this interesting sculpture was installed on the grass near the box office of the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. It’s titled Sound Shower.

Artist and neurobiologist Victor Hugo Minces created this immersive sound sculpture. He’s a research scientist at UC San Diego and has published work about how neural networks in the brain represent the sensory world.

The webpage concerning Sound Shower features a video that shows how the sculpture can stimulate the senses of those who stand within it. Using a hammer, a subject strikes the large chime-like pipes and experiences sound as it “showers” all around!

I wish I’d understood the sculpture’s function while gazing at it a few days ago. If by chance Sound Shower is still there when I return to Escondido, I’ll try it out.

(Different sculptures have temporarily appeared in this same place. You might recall how I blogged about a star-like sculpture a year ago.)

(While reading through Victor Minces’ website, I’ve noticed he has another sensory sculpture installed near the WorldBeat Cultural Center in Balboa Park. I think that today I’ll go experience that one!)

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Clay comes alive at San Diego Sculptors Guild!

It seems every time I visit the San Diego Sculptors Guild in Balboa Park, I find artist Justin Hammond bringing clay to life. He was at work again yesterday!

Justin is a multi-talented artist who loves to create art that tells a story. The clay he was shaping is part of one amazing story.

The figures you see in these photos he calls Elata. The sprite-like creatures with flowers sprouting from their heads are born as the blossoms of a tree. The tree has grown from a seed: a woman carried away by a flood, burying her.

Each beautiful little Elata creature results from a single memory of the deceased woman.

The story created by Justin develops, until the Elata themselves become memory collectors. It’s a brilliant and original idea that would make an amazing movie. Imagine these fantastic clay figures in a Laika stop-motion animated film, like Coraline or ParaNorman!

In addition to a lot of great artwork, Justin Hammond has created short YouTube videos using clay models. You can see much of it on his website by clicking here!

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Sculpture of children at Grossmont Center mall.

Do you readers know anything about this sculpture of children at play at the Grossmont Center shopping mall? I discovered it a few weeks ago during a walk in La Mesa and have endeavored to learn more. Nothing so far.

The bronze sculpture, in front of Barnes & Noble Booksellers, shows one child helping another to climb a wall. I found no plaque. Someone on Pinterest claims it has been there for many years and that other similar sculptures are located in the family-friendly shopping complex. If I return to Grossmont Center, I’ll have to look around some more.

Can you shed any light on this fun public art? Please leave a comment!

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Colorful burro on a North Park sidewalk!

I think this is a burro. It has long ears. This particular critter, whatever it might be, is also extremely colorful! Perhaps it’s a huge piñata.

I spotted the painted metal sculpture as I walked down Adams Avenue in North Park, just east of 30th Street. It stands on the sidewalk in front of El Zarape Mexican Eatery.

I like this fun burro so much, I took several photos!

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