Gnome alert

In the spirit of the Space Invader of Paris, a local artist has been sprinkling Haddon Hill and other neighborhoods with tiny gnomes.  Just because.  Some wear kilts like this one and others have the traditional blue trousers and hang out at polka dotted mushrooms.  They are painted on 6" blocks that are screwed into the base of utility poles.  Close to 2000 of these little guys have appeared in  neighborhoods near Lake Merritt over the past year.  Who isn't charmed by these whimsical figures?  Well, apparently the company that owns the utility poles.

Today's paper says the company is insisting the gnomes be removed "so others don't repeat the pattern with objects that could jeopardize the integrity of the equipment."  Really?  You should see the dozen or so cell phone transmission boxes hanging off the utility pole across the street---with the utility's blessing, and probably to their profit.  Neighbors are standing up for the gnomes.  The utility company doesn't want to inflame passions---especially since it has already been the focus of intense criticism for irresponsible and unsafe business practices.  So, they are offering to remove the gnomes to "a more appropriate spot" (to be determined) and the artist has volunteered to help.  Maybe all's well that ends well, except shouldn't gnomes be free to roam?

Monday Mural: Oakland Riviera

Jingletown attracts artists and kindred souls.  A collaborative effort among them created multiple murals along this wall.  Drolly named the "Oakland Riviera" (referencing the estuary that runs the length of the neighborhood), this section of mural captures the local view.  These murals line a dog run dubbed rue de merde.  On the left you can see a glimpse of the section dedicated to local canine friends.  It's always interesting to visit this wall, as the murals continue to change and be refined.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  Be sure to link back to this meme and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.  Also, wishing you all happy holidays.

more American Steel

Another of Karen Cusolito's monumental pieces.  Found at American Steel studios in West Oakland.

American Steel sculpture

"Ecstasy" was constructed by Karen Cusolito and Dan Das Mann in 2007 and used that year at Burning Man.  It stands 30 feet high and weighs 9 tons.  In 2010 the sculpture was installed for several months in a park in San Francisco's Hayes Valley neighborhood.  She now resides at the entrance of American Steel Studios in West Oakland where Cusolito has her work space and also rents studio and gallery space to over 100 artists and small businesses.

more paste-ups

I really like the innovation and flexibility that the wheat paste medium allows an artist.  As with last week's piece, this no longer exists.  It seems to me that in general there are fewer paste-ups around town.

wheat paste art

This paste up is by Get Up.  He frequently glued them up on the BART piers in North Oakland.  Since renovations on the tracks began a year ago, all of the art pieces have disappeared or disintegrated.  I miss the innovation of Get Up's work.

Monday Mural

During the last Art Murmur I ran into this humungous mural on 26th Street between Broadway and Telegraph.  It is a collaboration between Thomas Christopher Haag and David Polka.  Haag has been previously featured here and here.  As you can see, this image is a lot darker than his previous murals.  This section is only about a quarter of the mural, which covers the entire wall of this building.  This property is owned by a body and fender shop that becomes a gallery for vintage cars during the first Friday Art Murmur.  They also invite a chef to set up a sausage grill and beer spigot.  Can't be beat.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

 

Monday Mural: Life Givers

This mural, entitled, Life Givers, is another project of the Community Rejuvenation Project.  It is found at 83rd and MacArthur Avenue in East Oakland.  Desi WOME (Weapons of Mass Expression hip hop collective) founded the project and is typically involved in the creation of the murals.  Amazingly, they seem to throw them up very quickly.  I assume lots of planning time is invested prior to the actual painting.  CRP firmly believes that murals fight blight and help build stronger communities.  Check out his website for more information.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the murals posted this week.  Once you start looking, it's amazing how many you can find.  P.s.  It's time, Suzanne.

Caravan of All Stars

The Bay Area Blues Society performs in front of city hall every week.  To raise operating funds they sell this t-shirt.  I got mine!

Monday Mural: San Antonio neighborhood mural

This mural is found on International Blvd. and 23rd Avenue.  It is sponsored by the Eastside Cultural Center and fronts the Sam Jinn Building next door.  The mural celebrates black history through its African roots.  It's a powerful image that projects pride and strength.  I looked for and googled for the artists' names but did not find any information.  Hopefully, a reader will fill us in.  This mural and others on the building are relatively new.  I'll show a partner mural next week.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the murals posted this week.  Once you start looking, it's amazing how many you can find.

Monday Mural: Mother Earth

This is a larger portion of a mural shown last week.  The mural takes up two side of a large, seemingly abandoned building across from Fremont High School.  It was a project of the Community Rejuvenation Project.  These are primarily done with spray cans.  The themes always aim to educate.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the murals posted this week.  Once you start looking, it's amazing how many you can find.

Monday Mural: Community Rejuvenation Project

East Oakland seems to exploding with murals.  This week I drove down International and saw several new ones done since December.  But first things first.  There are a number of new (to me) murals on Foothill Blvd that I'll feature in the next few weeks.  This one is is part of a larger mural near Fremont High School at about 46th and Foothill.  It is done by 360, Elijah, Desi and several high school students under the auspices of the Community Rejuvenation Project which is responsible for over 30 murals in Oakland.  I've seen this frog motif before but can't remember where.  Doesn't matter; I like it.
If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the murals posted this week.  Once you start looking, it's amazing how many you can find.

Monday Mural: Jack London

This mural is on the back of Heinold's First and Last Chance saloon at Jack London Square, which Jack London frequently visited.  Heinold apparently let the young London study there and later lent him money for tuition to Cal Berkeley.  The original building from 1883 is still a functioning bar and a popular place to have a beer and watch the boats sailing the estuary.  A few feet away is the cabin London lived in when he went north to the Alaskan gold fields.  (An image of it is in the above mural).  London wrote about Heinold's in John Barleycorn.

This detail quotes London's belief, "The proper function of Man is to live, not to exist."  I was so happy to find this mural and get pictures before the light failed that I forgot to look for the artist's signature and the date it was executed.  My bad.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the murals posted this week.  Once you start looking, it's amazing how many you can find.

Monday Mural: Happy Birthday, Oakland

Oakland had its 160th birthday on Friday.  As part of the week long events to mark the occasion, local artist, Emily Shepard, created a temporary mural delineating why folks love Oakland (even if it can be a love-hate relationship at times).  This was unrolled in front of City Hall and served as the backdrop for the music offerings for the day.  I subscribe to all the sentiments listed.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the murals posted this week.  Once you start looking, it's amazing how many you can find.

Monday Mural: completed project

This mural by Thomas Christopher Haag is on the side of Rare Bird on Piedmont Avenue.  His work in progress, also on the Avenue, was featured last Monday.  Rare Bird sells clothing, home decor, and art from local artists.

Monday Mural: mural in progress

Thomas Haag is creating a mural for the new holistic veterinary clinic on Piedmont Avenue.  He expects the project to last another four weeks.  Thomas has created murals in many locales around the world including Albuquerque, Barcelona, Venice and Varanasi.  His work is done with reclaimed latex paint  and his distinct mural style reflects his exposure to many cultures.  He's already completed another mural on the Avenue, which will be shared next week.

ABC Wednesday: P is for paste-up

Paste-ups are ephemeral art on paper mounted with wheat paste.  They are intended to be impermanent, with weather taking its toll over time.  One of the favorite places to hang these pieces is the BART support pillars in North Oakland.   All the paste-ups I photographed in February are now gone.  That includes this piece by Get Up.  For more takes on the letter "P" visit ABC Wednesday.

Monday Mural: Mike Dream

Here is another panel from Oakland's Wall of Fame.  It references Mike "Dream" Francisco, a seminal figure in graffiti art who died in 2000.  He is famous in the hip hop community and even has a dedicated page on a website in Djibouti.

I'll be out of town for a week.  Onward with autoposting.

Monday Mural: Oakland Riviera

The artists in Jingletown have designed a wall of murals in an area they've dubbed the Oakland Riviera.  Tongue in cheek of course.  One of the murals contains portraits of their beloved critters who are walked on what has been renamed the "rue de merde."  Looks like they clean up after their dogs too.  This is around the corner from the lizard/iguana posted earlier.

ABC Wednesday: J is for jeté

This weekend the dance company Project Bandaloop performed on the Great Wall of Oakland (previously featured here).  Twenty years ago the troupe's director was inspired by her rock climbing experiences to combine the rigging technology with dance to defy gravity while making art.  The performance premiered a new piece, Bound(less), with original music by trombonist Dana Leong.  The entire experience was exciting, moving, and completely unique.  It was thrilling to watch the dancers, especially when they leapt away from the wall with grace and precision.  Grand jetés are hard enough to do on a horizontal surface, let alone on a 10-story wall.  I'm guessing at least a 1000 people were at Saturday's performance, bringing their own chairs, blankets, and food as they waited for the performance.  Checkout the Bandaloop website video to get a taste of their performance style.  And check out ABC Wednesday for more takes on "J".