Check out this cool photo! I captured some more dazzling street art in downtown San Diego, just west of the trolley tracks on Park Boulevard. I like the glassy shine of the eyes and the abundance of color. These fantastic characters seem to have emerged from a little girl’s dream. The right portion was painted by muralist Gloria Muriel, the Bunny Kitty character on the left is by Dave Persue.
A boring old utility box in Hillcrest was transformed by an inspired artist into a colorful canvas. This fun example of urban art depicts a meditating monkey sitting by the surf, with white clouds and a volcano in the background. He’s being served a beverage by a crab!
I promised even more photos of the amazing chalk art creations at Little Italy’s 2013 Festa event. Many of these pics show artists at work, applying vibrant color to the drab asphalt of a downtown San Diego street. Enjoy these images!
Andy Warhol might’ve painted mopeds in this fashion!
Expressive faces. This was one of my favorites!
I also love these exotic masks and faces!
What could be more Italian than Pinocchio?
Even though it’s a bit creepy, I like this one. It really appeals to the imagination!
Among the talented artists were many young people. Impressive!
It seems the Minions had a sneaky, dastardly scheme. It was to tilt the Leaning Tower of Pisa!
Here are more photos of the Italian chalk art, properly called Gesso Italiano, at today’s 2013 Festa event in Little Italy. I’ve got so many great pics, it’s hard to choose which ones to show. Oh, well. I hope you like these! (Make sure you check out my previous post.)
Three blocks of a city street in San Diego’s Little Italy became the canvas for chalk creations! Lots of classical images, as one might expect from a celebration of Italy . . .
I bet Walt Disney himself would’ve been delighted by this colorful chalk art Jiminy Cricket!
This humorous piece seems to be named Dogue Italia. That’s one elegantly dressed dog!
More beautiful artistry . . .
A striking portrait. You’d think this was an exquisite painting hung in a museum!
I have even more photos coming . . . so check back soon!
Wow! I just finished a leisurely walk through Little Italy’s great 2013 Festa event, and by far the most amazing part of it was the chalk art competition! I learned that Italian chalk art is called Gesso Italiano. There were 62 colorful entries, taking up three full city blocks! I got so many great photos I’m going to break it all into several blog posts. Here comes the first batch!
All the artwork was fantastic!
It was fascinating to watch the many artists at work. I wish I had such talent!
Lots of people converged on San Diego’s unique Italian Festival!
Recreating a masterpiece with chalk.
I love this cool pic. One of the amazing chalk creations depicted another act of creation: that of God! The Sistine Chapel’s ceiling seemed to be transported to the asphalt street. Bystanders were invited to lie down and become part of Michelangelo’s divine masterpiece!
Stay tuned for more!
Check out this very cool art on an electrical transformer! I discovered it near a bus stop, directly across Orange Avenue from Coronado island’s famous Hotel Del Coronado. Other utility boxes on the sidewalk closeby were painted in similar fashion. In addition to dolphins and a sexy mermaid, I saw some colorful coral and a sea turtle!
This colorful street art dazzles the eye on a downtown parking lot wall. It contains elements from many different cultures. You can find the cool art on the west side of Ninth Avenue just south of C Street.
I took a closer, more complete pic about half a year later. The bold black graffiti has obliterated part of the old artwork.
Three more pics! The fence around the parking lot was open one morning, so I could walk up close to the mural!
During my walk through Old Town I spotted this electrical transformer in a patch of cacti. It was artfully painted to fit right in!
I love how a little imagination can change a dull, boring object into an inspired piece that fits into greater beauty. Very cool!
One of downtown San Diego’s historic buildings, which is now abandoned and used to be home of the California Theatre, features a large, eye-catching Caliente ad on its west exterior wall. The faded yellow sign dates from the 1960’s. Take a look!
The Agua Caliente Racetrack, not far from San Diego in Tijuana, Mexico, today features greyhound racing. It opened in 1929 as a horse racing venue where big Hollywood celebrities were often sighted. Its popularity was largely due to prohibition and the fact that both drinking and gambling were illegal in many nearby American states.
Street art flourishes on the sidewalks of San Diego. Many electrical transformers and utility boxes have been creatively painted to represent colorful scenes both real and imagined. Most have a primitive or folk art vibe. I’ll snap lots of photos for this blog!
Here’s a box downtown at Sixth Avenue and Elm Street that features an airplane and space shuttle zooming above clouds between planet Earth, the Sun and the Moon. At least, that’s what it looks like to me!
Cool San Diego Sights! 