Automobile Art

Over the past few weeks, I have noticed a trend around the city. It seems like trucks and vans are now becoming mobile pieces of artwork. Some designs are intentional, while others just happened to be parked in the wrong place at the wrong time. These pictures were shot from around the city, and aren't exclusive to one neighborhood.

The first van I came across was this awesome Volkswagen Bus located in the Upper Haight. That van was definitely made in the fifties or sixties. Let me just say that even as a kid I have always wanted this car, and was ecstatic to see one in such good shape. Needless to say the paint job made me chuckle a little bit. This van is decorated with the logo of Pacifico on both front doors, and the message Mexico Via Pacifico written above the windshield. Along the side of the car is a band of roosters playing some music, captivating the rising sun. On the other side is a lone rooster acting as the two hands of a clock. It seems that it was about 4:15 on a rooster island stocked with the Mexican beer. I love how the roosters are playing despite the fact that they have no fingers. I think the goal of this van is to spread the word of Pacifico, and brighten people's day as well.  They have succeeded on both fronts.

The next van I came along was also on Haight Street, but a little further towards downtown. It was a van promoting Acro Sports, a Gymnastics Performance and Circus Arts school located across the street from Kezar Stadium. What I liked about the van was it's vibrant colors. The background seemed to be painted a beige off-white color, allowing the logo and the children to bounce off it really well. The color of the logo is also easy to read, even at a quick glance. This paint job does a good job of conveying what Acro Sports is all about, and I was glad to have photographed it.

The last truck I captured was the only one that was actually vandalized. It is located in the Inner Sunset district The writing is hard to make out, but seems to read JAUT CARES along the side, and I'm not even gonna try to translate the back. If anyone can see it clearer, or has any guesses to what it might actually say, please comment. But to answer the one clear question written on the truck, it certainly is funky enough for me. The blue and red contrast on the sides allowing each one to be read separately. The bubbly lettering on the back is kind of cool as well. Overall this is nothing special, but certainly neat to look at.

Plant It Earth

The first spot I came across on my walk in the city is this beautiful mural. It is all over a store that is called Plant It Earth. It is a hydroponic supply store specializing in indoor hydroponic systems, and organic gardening supplies and is located north of the panhandle on Divisadero at Grove Street.

This mural was done by an artist named Jet Martinez. Martinez was born in Mexico and emigrated to the Bay Area when he was fourteen. His work can be summed up as an obsession with nature, colors and shapes. He isn’t afraid to go big, as he has done here. What I like about the mural is the sheer size of it. It took multiple pictures to get the entire mural captured. Getting it into frame without being across the street was out of the question. It goes above the normal eye level, reaching up to the second story roof area. This allows the plants to be larger than life. It almost felt like I was in the “Land of The Lost” surrounded by ten foot cacti and twenty foot trees.

  

I also enjoy the color combinations Martinez decided to use. Each plant is designated its own color or shade of color, and really stand apart from one another. This piece is consistent color-wise with the rest of his artwork, and really shows what a person with talent and opportunity can do. One thing that I found amusing was that the mural actually represented what the business is trying to do. Plant It Earth strives to make peoples gardens or indoor plants to grow as big as possible and that message is conveyed all over their building.It is a wonderful and colorful addition to this awesome neighborhood.

Tales from the Tenderloin

     I took a brief walk through the tenderloin the other day on my way to the bus stop. Along the way I caught a glimpse of some artwork worth mentioning. The first artwork I came across barely caught my eye to begin with. It is located on a small street right off of Market Street, which I almost walked by. It is actually two separate pieces of art located on the same wall, so I thought I would document them together. What I noticed right away is the color contrast of both pieces compared to the black background. That really allows the painting to pop out at you. Also the colors are very sharp, and bright. What I got from these paintings is a message of hope. In a district of San Francisco that is so impoverished and disregarded, these pieces of art are a ray of hope. The color is shining through the monotonous black background and really brighten that entire city block.

     The next piece I came across is actually on Market Street in between 7th and 8th. It is located on a construction scaffolding and will probably be removed at some point in the near future, so it was nice to capture it while it still exists. I really like this piece because the different elements of the mural are acting together to form one big painting. Though there are many different shapes and color schemes, they all work together well. These different shapes form a few giant eyes. I like to think that these eyes are symbolic of someone or something watching over the tenderloin, since the local government has obviously stopped doing so.

Adventures in Chinatown

     I ventured into Chinatown today with the hopes of finding some cool strap I could use for my digital camera. I needed to be downtown later in the afternoon, and was just killing some time. I had no intention of using my camera as I just brought it along to see if it would fit the potential straps. I’m glad that I brought it along, because I came across a couple interesting pieces of art. But no straps.

     The first piece I came across was a very large mural of a dragon. This piece stretched about a quarter block, leaving me no chance of getting the entire painting in frame. My first impression was amazement, since this dragon was so huge. If dragons actually existed, then this one would be as close to life-size as possible. What I liked about this piece was how well the different colors blended together. The dragon’s face and what can only be described as hair, are comprised of a myriad of colors. None of which stand out any more than the others. The blue background gets lighter and lighter as it ascends, which to me represents calmness and tranquility. The dragon seemed to be smiling with contentment, as was I when taking these pictures.

     The next piece I came across has a bit of history to it. This mural was painted by Amy Nelder, and is located at the Charity Cultural Services Center at 827 Stockton. This mural is a dedication to 848 Chinese railroad workers who miraculously laid down a world record 10 miles of track one day in 1869. In 1868 The Central Pacific Railway laid 350 miles of track. About one mile per day. Needless to say it was a great accomplishment, and this mural serves as an homage to the Chinese immigrant community in San Francisco. As far as the artwork goes, I felt it was campy, yet had a happy feel to it. For some reason the three floating heads reminded me of pictures they have hanging at Red Robin. To me, it seemed that the mural simply was there to supplement the facts of what happened that day, and that the actual artwork was not the most important factor.

     I came into Chinatown skeptical of finding anything of worth. Upon leaving I was delighted to have come in the first place, and that left me optimistic about my journeys in the future.

Zen Garden

     This mural is a beautiful new addition to the sunset district, and it brightens the lives of countless people riding the 71 outbound. It is conveniently located at the bus stop, so people waiting for the bus can admire the piece thoroughly. The title of the piece is Zen Garden, and it was painted by Vera Gordeev Lowdermilk in 2010. She is part of a group of urban artists that make up the StreetSmARTS program. This group was formed by The San Francisco Arts Commission and the Department of Public Works to connect established artists with private property owners. This property happens to be a medical building with a Bank of America ATM on the corner.

     What I love about this piece is the brightness. It is being hit by direct sunlight for a large portion of the day, which really highlights the brightness of the tree in the foreground. Lowdermilk also does a good job of blending different shades of the same color. I like this piece in particular, because it is only two blocks from my house and I see it almost everyday. The artist took what was once a blank wall, and has turned it into a window of imagination. It could be her "happy place". A place where it almost feels as if life is standing still. Or it could be a place she once visited, and longs to return to. There are endless possibilities.

The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps Project

This piece really spoke to me for a number of reasons. What I love most about this mosaic is its location. Nestled in between two houses in the suburban inner sunset district, it is a very unlikely place for such a beautiful piece of art. Another aspect of the piece that I like is where it leads. This staircase leads you to the top of a hill known by me as Moraga Hill. Although I'm sure there is an official name for it.  Once you get to the top of the hill, you get an incredible 360 degree view of the city. But as far as the actual art goes, I believe it speaks for itself. Looking from afar, you can see how well each group of steps blend together. Taking a closer look, you can see how much attention is paid to detail. That detail is what makes this staircase one of the unknown treasures of San Francisco. Walking up the staircase allows you to touch the art. Get up close and personal, and really interact with it.

Indie ball post #2

This post is devoted to the new album by Cake called Showroom of Compassion. This is there first full length album to be released since the debut of Pressure Chief in 2004. So it's safe to say that Cake fans have been eagerly awaiting it's release. The album is not a stretch from what their previous albums sounded like, and was a bit disappointing in that regard. However, the trademark voice of lead singer John McCrae makes this album as identifiable as the rest of their music. I wouldn't say this is their best music, in fact probably their worst album to date. I was expecting something new, and exciting, but instead got more of the same.




CAKE Website

Indie ball post

This past week, I have really been listening to a lot of electronica and instrumental stuff. The band Bonobo encompasses the sound perfectly.  Clear synthesizers cut right through the rest of the music, and pierce the eardrum in an ever so pleasant way.  I really fell in love with this band after hearing the album Black Sands. The change of tempo from song to song keeps you guessing where the next song will take you, and ultimately you are grateful for the experience. Bonobo is about to start a world tour stretching across Europe. There is only one set date in North America so far, at King King Hollywood in Los Angeles. So I hope that I helped open your eyes to the world of music just a tad.


BONOBO :: EYESDOWN (WARRIOR ONE REMIX) FREE DOWNLOAD :: 2011 TOUR DATES

Review of Burrito Justice

           Burrito Justice is a blog devoted to burritos, taco trucks, the mission district, and technology.  I like this blog because of the variety of posts. It is a unique blog, because it highlights the mission district of San Francisco through food, art, and media. Particularly I noticed a lot of posts that focused on San Francisco’s history. There are lots of pictures to supplement each post, which help the reader get a better grasp of the topic. The tone of this blog is very casual. The author seems to have no agenda, besides offering some insight about San Francisco. Overall, I thought this was a very well put together website.

Burrito justice

Review of Indieball

        Indieball is a website devoted to bringing indie music to the masses. Each post highlights a new band or a band’s new album. The tone of the piece is casual yet professional. You can tell that the author is putting his own opinions of the music in there, but the author also know a lot about music in general. They review things such as the band’s history, the members, famous albums or EP’s that have been released. They also describe the music in terms of instruments, and they way it invokes feelings. I like this blog, because it allows me to discover new music in the genre. I am relatively new to the indie scene, and this site has helped my music library grow immensely. After each band profile, there are links to the band’s website and myspace page. Below that is an mp3 of that band’s most popular song. It is a unique site, because not only do you get info about the band, but you get to preview their music as well

INDIEBALL

Review of Fun Cheap SF

I like this blog, because it lets me know about stuff going on in San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area. The main category that most posts fall under is called Get Out : Events. Other categories include City Insight, Deals, Eat & Drink, and City Discoveries. The focus of this blog is to let people know about fun stuff happening in the area, as well as various services offered in the city. The tone of the blog is casual, yet informative. It sounds like the author has experienced most of the posts firsthand, which makes the tone seem believable, and relatable. This blog is unique because of the niche it has found for itself. While there are plenty of websites that have City Guides, only Fun Cheap SF has a directory of events based on the topic. Also they specialize in talking about places that are affordable to the broke college student. 

CLICK HERE!!

Review of The Surfing Blog

        This blog is very straightforward and is informative. As the name suggests, this blog is about the world of surfing. There are many categories of blogs on this one site. Some of the categories are surfing tips, surfing apparel, surfing equipment, surfing training, and even ocean ecology. The tone of the blogs are very casual, most likely written by surfers. All of the blogs I read had supplemental photos that adhered to the topic, and one even had a video of somebody trying the product being described. What makes this blog different than others is the variety of posts that it has. While some surf blogs only focus on one one thing, such as equipment or surf conditions, this blog encompasses the entire world of surfing including its relationship to the media.

Click Here to see blog