Z is for zany

 

At a Friday Art Murmur I noticed this guy wearing a vest he had decorated with parts of a vegetable steamer basket.  (Zany is all around you at Art Murmur).  I thought it was clever, amusing, and pretty fashion forward.  We got to talking and he told me he made jewelry.  Ever helpful, I encouraged him to get a booth in this building to show and sell his work.  He was quite polite when he told me that Gump's and Bloomingdales were already his clients.  Oh.  Never mind.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

building ad

Can't miss this ad when you're driving by.  Makes billboards seem puny.  Spotted in Uptown on Telegraph and Grand Avenue.

ABC Wednesday: X is for Xolo

Welcome to Xolo (and you thought I wouldn't find an X!).  It is a newish taqueria owned by the same people who own the popular Doña Tomás.  Who wouldn't love the periwinkle walls and harlequin floors.

The Yelp reviews tout the el vampiro taco, which I had to try.  It has marinated pork with a red sauce and the usual cilantro and onion toppers.  Delicious; but three bucks for a taco is pricey compared to the dollar and a quarter you pay at most taco trucks around town.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Monday Mural: post-apocalyptic giraffe

Throughout much of Oakland, utility boxes are canvases for local artists.  This one is located in the Uptown area and was captured during an Art Murmur event.  It looks like the giraffe wandered into a Godzilla movie.  Lots of detail and layering in this piece.

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 mural finds posted this week.  Sorry about the delay.  It was due to a posting error.

Monday Mural: more Uptown art

Another piece of wall art in the courtyard of Sausage.  It's by GATS (Graffiti Against the System) who is a prolific street artist in the area.  His distinctive style can be found on many walls around town.

See?  Interestingly, the nose on each face looks like it's decorated in exotic script or maybe tattoos but actually lists the names of street artists he respects.

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 mural finds posted this week.

high ambition

Oakland has a large and dedicated biking community.  Here's one of the latest innovations.  Didn't WWII parachutists also have fold up bikes?

48 Chevy

So many shiny surfaces, so many possible reflections.  Taken at the recent vintage car show during Art Murmur.  Linked to Weekend Reflections.

winged heart

G is for God's Gym

This Uptown building painted black cannot help but capture your attention as you go by.  It's an odd visual combination of body building and Afrocentric images with religious symbolism.  But when you read the story behind this business, it all makes sense.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Monday Mural: salt and peppa'

This Uptown mural can be found at 21st and Telegraph.  It is done by Lisa Hoffman, who was commissioned by the neighborhood association to create some street art.  She calls this style Public PopDot.

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 mural finds posted this week.  I will be out of town during September and my ability to comment may be limited.  The Linky, however, will continue to go up 8 PM PST each Sunday.

Creative Growth Center

The Creative Growth Art Center serves adult artists with developmental, mental and physical disabilities, providing a professional studio environment for artistic development, gallery exhibition and representation and a social atmosphere among peers.  It's one of the galleries that is open during Art Murmur on the first Friday of each month.  Their large plate glass windows are perfect for late afternoon reflections.  Linked to Weekend Reflections.

Monday Mural: pride and pedigree

In contrast to the more typical edgy street art you see in Uptown, I give you a sweet, uncomplicated mural.  Pride and Pedigree is a doggy day care and behavior training service.  The mural was painted by Amy Jo Karn in 2010.  It still looks fresh and is actually a visual relief from all the red and brown brick buildings in the neighborhood.

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 mural finds posted this week.

Monday Mural: sympathetic eyes

Another section of the huge collaborative mural from Thomas Haag and Ernest Doty I showed you July 23.  This is Doty's work.  Can't tell you what it means, but there's no denying this is a compelling image.

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

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.

 

Weekend Reflection: another vintage car

As you've probably guessed, I like reflections on shiny surfaces.  Hope you don't mind one more from the First Friday vintage car show.  For more reflections, visit James's meme, Weekend Reflections.

vintage reflection

This reflection is from the trunk of a vintage car.  The vintage car show is on the first Friday of the month and coincides with Art Murmur.  The Royal Jokers car club is now sponsoring posters for the monthly show.

To view more photo reflections, visit James' meme,  Weekend Reflections.

Weekend Reflections: ragtop convertible

Spied at a car show during Art Murmur.  With reflections on every surface.  Linking to Weekend Reflections.

Monday Mural: courtyard paste-up

There are several pieces of art in the beer garden courtyard of Telegraph, an Uptown joint that serves artisanal sausages.  This wheat paste image is done by Colla.  A new piece was going up on another wall and the artists were totally copasetic about my taking pictures.

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.

Weekend Reflections: Lake Chalet

The Lake Chalet, a relatively new restaurant, sits in a beautiful spot on the shore of Lake Merritt.  On a morning walk around the lake, we popped into the bar just to have a look.  The silver balls immediately caught my eye et voilà.  Then I noticed all the other reflections at the bar!  I hear it's a lively spot during happy hour.  It would be a pleasure to sit on their dock at sunset as the Necklace of Lights begins to shine.

Taphophile Tragics: Cathedral of Christ the Light

Christ the Light, dedicated in 2008, is situated along the western shore of Lake Merritt.  It is the new seat of the local archdiocese.  Previous church homes to the diocese were damaged in the 1989 earthquake and were eventually demolished.

 

This new church is a very modern design.  Both inside and out it reminds me of a boat which I think is a reference to Christ the fisher of men.

In the tradition of old European cathedrals, however, parishioners can be buried in the mausoleum below the main floor.  There is room for 1300 niches for cremated remains and 1800 crypts for burials.  I'm unaware of any other church in California, except the old missions, doing this.  I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.  So far only a small number of these spaces are in use.  While the crypt walls look like marble, they are actually thin metal which have been treated to look like marble.  There are wall sections that look like onyx but may be glass, and are beautifully backlit. 

Many niches seem reserved for future use, which is probably a smart idea.  Those in use at eye level tend toward simple decorations with favorite personal items and informal photos sitting along side the ashes urn.

 

The curving paths lead you to the crucifix seen in the third photo.  There you find a previous Bishop of Oakland who was re-interred here in 2008.  Several crypts in this section are reserved for future bishops of the diocese.

Although a beautiful space, I couldn't help but be reminded that "end of life services" are, above all, a business.  Submitted to Julie's Taphophile Tragics where you'll find more musings on cities of the dead.