Category Archives: WHERE

Roll with it…

Happy last day of May everyone!  I’m feeling better this week… how about you?  Did you all have a nice 3 day weekend?  Can you believe it’s still raining?!? It put a bit of a damper on some of my weekend plans, but I decided to roll with it and adjust…

So instead of putting those veggie starters in the ground (yes, I realize this likely should have happened months ago), I spent a very satisfying afternoon snail hunting. The ducks and chickens next door were satisfied as well!

I think adaptability is one of our most amazing traits as humans. Of course it’s not a human trait exclusively, but we’ve seemed to have mastered it to a degree few other creatures have…

We went for a walk in Joaquin Miller Park yesterday during a stint of gorgeous breezy spring sunshine.  This squirrel cracked me up!

joaquin miller park, east bay hiking

I didn’t get to any art this past weekend, but there’s a lot coming up… another Art Murmur, two weekends of East Bay Open Studios including art “hops” and walks, street festivals, and more!

And, I’m taking a month long blogging course starting tomorrow. I’m hoping it will reinvigorate my blogging practice, which has suffered of late due to being squeezed into the tiny sliver of time remaining after all that other stuff that has to get done. Wish me luck!

And lastly, thanks to all who commented or completed my little survey last week. Sorry for whining… I was just having a moment.

And thanks too to my new twitter friend OaktownTuro, who graciously changed his mind and let me have the OaktownArt twitter handle! More on the twitter thing once I get it all figured out…

Express yourself…

So I know Friday is s’posed to be partyin’ partyin’ fun fun fun lookin’ forward to the weekend, but not for me. Not today.

This sticker pretty much sums up how I feel, so I’m just puttin’ it out there.  It’s healthy, right?

oakland sticker art, graffiti stickers east bay, street art stickers

And why am I such an oscar-the-grouch this morning? Little things really. Insignificant if you think about it, but I’d rather vent for a minute and be done with it.

  • First, my little survey yesterday was an utter failure. Only 4 responses, two of which were pathetically un-helpful (“Oaktown Art” and “vagina” – thanks B!) The two more serious answers were “street art” (here you go!) and “new art in Oakland I haven’t seen” – hmmm, that’s a toughie since I’m not you, but I’ll work on it…
  • Next, because I am a Luddite and am late to the Twitfest, I’ve just discovered that someone’s already using my handle (oaktownart). The nerve! I actually tweeted him (my first tweet ever) to ask if he’d consider changing his name, and he replied NO, despite the fact that until yesterday, he had only 1 tweet under his belt. (sigh) What to do dear readers? Do we launch a Colbert-style assault to humiliate him into changing? Or do I change? And if so, please tell… what should my twitter handle be?

There.  I feel a bit better.  Now on with the “Gettin’ down on Friday”…

Kicking Ass for the Working Class

Billboard sized wheatpaste on San Pablo… almost didn’t catch it because the color scheme matched the real billboard above.

Although quite damaged now, you can see the original installation on Endless Canvas, as well as an interesting historical recap of International Workers’ Day (May 1st) – the inspiration behind this piece.

giant wheatpaste, international workers day, kicking ass wheat paste

Each of the figures appears to be a separate cut-out, as are the individual letters. This baby must have taken some time!
oakland street art, oakland graffiti art, oakland wheatpaste san pablo

Fruitvale Village ~ teeming with mosaics

I don’t have much to say about the mosaics at Fruitvale Village, other than, if you have not been there, you should go.  My pictures do not do them justice, as they must be examined in person to truly appreciate the number, size, and breadth of designs incorporated.

fruitvale village mosaics, large scale stone mosaics

round bench in plaza ~ approx 20 feet across

fruitvale arches, fruitvale mosaic arches, mosaic gateways

mosaic gateway to the plaza

Fruitvale Pedestrian Plaza Art, fruitvale plaza mosaics

large scale stone & tile mosaic

oakland public mosaic art

more sidewalk/pedestrian mosaics

fruitvale mosaic arches

traditional Roman technique using uniform stone squares

woman with spear, stone mosaics, fruitvale transit village art

designs incorporate culturally diverse references

large scale stone mosaics, fruitvale village

a subtle and consistent palette is achieved using natural stone tiles

fruitvale arches, fruitvale plaza mosaics

these too are crafted from natural stone tiles

tree in hands mosaic

I love the image of the tree cradled by human hands.