Blog

There is a new housing project named Station House being built by developer City Venture Homebuilding in West Oakland next to the old 16th Street train station on Wood. To celebrate the vibrant Oakland art community and remember Oakland’s rich past the developer commissioned Fuming Guerilla Productions to paint a mural along their property facing the frontage road. The mural is composed of approximately 17 small historical vignettes beginning with Native American Ohlone who were the first inhabitants of the area and ending with Oakland Love and a Bart car. The diamond motif between the images is a traditional Indian pattern. The mural is by Ryan Montoya who happens to be a Native American Indian. (more…)

ARTISTS call out for CHOCOLATE AND ART SHOW in SAN FRANCISCO 2017
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The City of San Francisco arranged for 113 French Kioshs in the 1990’s to be install around the San Francisco Financial District and Union Square. Originally many of them contained newsstands and toilets with large poster size advertisements. As times changed with more people getting their news online, the number of newsvendors dwindled leaving many of the kiosks empty. (more…)

While wondering around the Tenderloin we happened upon Jasper’s Corner Tap – a restaurant on the corner of Taylor and O’Farrell St close to Union Square in Downtown San Francisco, Ca. From the exterior we were attracted by the art on the inside facade pillars. On entering the room we were amazed to find many art installations by local artists, some residents of the area. (more…)

Mezcalito is a unique restaurant bar that opened on Russian Hill in San Francisco late last summer. The mural and expansive windows on the facade caught our attention one recent evening while passing by.
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In 2015 we published an article about the Hearts of San Francisco that are scattered around the City. Since then we have made an observation. All those hearts do not remain in the same place. Some of them rotate around, while others that appear to be in private collections are more likely to remain in one spot. One location that changes frequently is Union Square in the heart of the downtown shopping district. That heart not only changes it also moves around to one of the four entrances to the park. There are elevated blocks they are mounted on for display.
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We recently visited SF General Hospital to find some Hearts of San Francisco that benefit the hospital. We not only found more than one heart, we also discovered bronze hearts leading up to the new Zukerberg Trama Center. The hearts were created by New York based sculpture artist Tom Otterness and recently installed at the Potrero entrance.
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This is a follow up to the Golden Dragons of Oakland Chinatown article. 2016 was a busy year for the Dragon School, the organization behind the dragons. (more…)

The dragon is deeply seeded in Chinese mythology and folklore. It is been depicted in art and architecture for centuries and used as a symbol of power by numerous Chinese emperors for dynasties. (more…)

Roadside and urban billboards have been around in one fashion or another for a long time with their in your face messaging. They are a mixed blessing in size, placement and content that are viewed as an eyesore for some, a welcome form of getting the word out and receiving it for others to a source of irritation for those annoyed and feeling powerless by it being rooted in their backyard. There will always be those who find a way of dealing with it. Back in 1980 a group of people took charge in Santa Cruz. They discovered that … (more…)

If you look carefully, you’ll find those enchanting doors, fit for a mouse, all around the East Bay. Conceived and driven by Alameda based street artistmows510, (please visit his Instagram to see more of his work) Mows510 was kind enough to donate 15 blank pagoda “mows” doors to Dragon School in order to promote artistic participation in Oakland’s Chinatown. Dragon School is extending the invitation to local artists to submit design ideas in finishing these 8” tall resin doorways. (more…)

The artists who paint murals and graffiti on the street come from all walks of life and are professionally trained or self taught. Regardless who they are, they all have to earn a living and buy the supplies to create the art that is the raison d’être. Those livings are as varied as the people themselves. Some are fortunate to be full time artists. We have met others who are engineers, architects, programmers, web designers, illustrators, tattoo artists, property managers, bartenders, musicians to name a few. Some work multiple jobs. In the end for all of them it is all about creating the art, pushing the envelope and gaining recognition. (more…)