Dreamers

At DDP, we're attracted to yellow. (Just take a look at some of the posts we've tagged as yellow over the years.) So this week, we're going to pay special attention to yellow, whether big or small.

This wall is in a rather trashy and nearly vacant lot behind a chain-link fence. But someone used this yellow flower to highlight big dreams.  "Never let it be said that to dream is a waste of one's time, for dreams are our realities in waiting. In dreams, we plant the seeds of our future."

Trees for dummies?

At a loss for words (or initials)? A dozen captions came to my mind when I saw this tree carving recently. Let's call a spade a spade? Back to basics?

Suggestions welcomed!

Printed graffiti

I discovered a new electrical box that the city has had painted. It's on the southeast corner of 2nd Street and Downey Avenue. This one is painted in a retro style. The pictures show scenes of earlier days of downtown Downey. Stop by and peruse the pictures on all five sides. Even the lock is painted to fit where it lies.

But the thing that caught my eye and got me upset was the arrogance of someone to put an advertisement on this piece of art. You can see it in the upper right corner of this photo, on the "D" of Downey. I hope they can peel it off without damaging the artwork.

What do you think? Was it good business to put this advertisement on someone else's artwork?

Graffiti dam

I know it's graffiti and therefore to be discouraged. But sometimes, I just find it to be very picturesque.

“It's a very frustrated feeling you get when the only people with good photos of your work are the police department.”
~ Banksy

Making your mark

Artists always sign their work, and Don Lamkin is no exception. But he's not the only one who has made his mark on the in-progress Downey Doodle-icious mural.

It's rather amazing the amount of thought that goes into protecting a work of this sort, from the drop cloth that has protected the wall from our recent rains, to the use of  high-quality paint that will last for years. In addition, the completed mural will be protected against future graffiti by several coats of tough, clear finish. (Please don't take this as a challenge!)

Meanwhile, for as long as there have been walls, there has been the urge to write on them. Don's friends have felt the urge and made their own marks for Don to find. Stop by and see if you can find them before they are covered up by the completed painting.

Evening light in downtown

Yesterday, Joan posted about the wonders of evening light on nature. Tonight, I enjoyed the evening light on the buildings in downtown Downey.

We've shown you this Bumblelovesyou art before, but I enjoyed this take on it in the late afternoon sun, from the top level of the parking structure across the street.

This shot makes it look like downtown was deserted this evening, but it wasn't. Behind me, Porto's was filled with people enjoying dinner, and nearby Downey Avenue was filled with pedestrians.

Right place, right time

Riverbeds. Graffiti. Train tracks. Puddles. Reflections.Repeating patterns.

Sometimes I just get lucky and find all sorts of things that I like to photograph, all in the same place (the Rio Hondo riverbed), at the same time.

The writing on the wall...

Continuing with our walk along the Rio San Gabriel river... we went as far as the freeway overpass.

This area (under the Santa Ana freeway, where the 605 splits off) is not the beautiful scenic part of this walk. Although it is certainly interesting. The underpass has generally been tagged quite extensively. While we didn't investigate thoroughly this trip, there was definitely new "writing" that has taken place. I even found my daughter's name scrawled in one place. I'm pretty sure she did not do it...

We love Bumblebee!

This is the biggest image I've seen so far from the street artist, Bumblebee. This little girl is painted on the side of a building on 2nd Street just past LA Buns and the Epic Lounge.  Usually there are bees incorporated in the image, so I'm not sure of the message here. Maybe we'll find out at the film event scheduled to take place here in August.

The Downey Arts Coalition along with Epic Lounge is hosting a short film event called BUMBLEBEE LOVES YOU, featuring the images of Bumblebee. Click here for the info link. I believe the event is free, so bring a friend and stop by to check out a little local art vibe.

If you are interested, I recently posted another Bumblebee image on Firestone.

Bionicos

I was pleasantly surprised to see that this "Bumblebee" wall art survived when a Bionicos business went in. It actually made me smile to see they had painted around her. I'm not sure where the pink bunny came from...but clearly the owners didn't think of the picture as a "bee" problem. See a related post from last year.

Bionicos is a tiny shop that (according to the sign) serves juices, smoothies, snow cones and fruit desserts, Latin-American style. I didn't have time to go in today, but I'm thinking this will be the perfect snack tomorrow.

Stencil graffiti

I noticed a new piece of "art" at Furman Park last weekend. This guy holding a guitar is stencil-painted on the side of the snack shack located on the back side of the park by the ball fields. I think that graffiti can be intriguing and I often look for new signs of it around town and whenever I travel. I'm not sure what this one means or if it is a 'sanctioned' piece of art....but it is interesting.

Beelieve it or not

Another Bumblebee image! I'm always on the lookout for more pictures from street artist Bumblebee. They are usually found on the sides of abandoned buildings, and they are always engaging and a little sad. According to Bumblebee, his paintings reflect his message of  innocence and coming of age. The bees represent vulnerability.

For more Bumblebee pictures, see a previous post from last June. Or click here to see our first set of Bumblebee sightings.

P. S. If you want to go by and see this one, it's on Firestone Blvd. on the side of the vacant storefront next to Steve's Locks.

Ukrainian Banksy?

We left Russia and are spending a few days in Ukraine, in the Khmelnitsky region. It has been 18 years since we were last here and we were trying to walk a part of the city and see how much things had changed. Walking along one of the main streets, we came across this graffiti on one of the buildings. Since I did a post on Banksy earlier this year, it seemed a fun connection.

I have no idea of the true artist. I did find a reference on the intranet to a Ukrainian Banksy. Perhaps it was him, but usually there is some kind of political statement attached to the graffiti. For more examples of Banksy art, click here. In the meantime, I'll be looking for more street art.

No more bee problem

Maybe it seems odd for me to take a picture of an unattractive vacant lot with this newly painted half wall.

A few months ago we posted a blog about this wall because both sides contained charming pictures of a little girl dressed in yellow surrounded by bees. And, it caused a lot of buzz in town due to people stopping by to see the pictures after an article came out in the local Patriot newspaper.

Originally, we thought the pictures might be the work of Banksy—a British street artist. After further investigation, we found it instead to be credited to "Bumblebee," a Los Angeles street artist. Now, I know this is private property and the owners clearly have the right to paint over something they might consider to be vandalism or graffiti. But, I have to admit, I was disappointed to discover that the charming stencil artwork of the little girl had been removed. Somehow for me, the bee artwork humanized the ugliness of the half wall left standing in this lot. In fact, I went out of my way just the other day to see it. I guess it's another reminder that all things change...and therein lies the sting.

Show me something new

Guess what? Downey is a blank wall for artists! This one has been painted over (see my older post with the same wall.) I still love the sign next to it that clearly states no skating, and our artist's rebellious answer.

Budding graffitist?

When we checked out the Banksy-like graffiti last weekend (see Did Banksy leave his mark in Downey?), I noticed this young man studying the painting—with a piece of chalk in his hand. Was he thinking, "I could do this"? Or just "She'd look good with a moustache."

Did Banksy leave his mark in Downey?

I couldn't resist seeking out these pictures after reading about them in the Patriot . Banksy, a British street artist (read tagger) has been around since the early 90's. He's known for his distinctive stencil artwork which he has painted in cities around the world. We don't know if this is his work in Downey, but it was fun to search for  different paintings today and to discover we weren't alone in our quest. It seems quite a few of our Downey neighbors read the paper and had the same idea. There was a small crowd already gathered as we arrived at the first sight.

At the last sight, after spending several minutes maneuvering my car around so we could climb up to take a picture above the chain link, I looked down to notice a significant opening in the corner section of the fence- big enough to climb through easily...I always consider that an invitation.

Postscript: Further Googling indicates that the graffiti is the work of Los Angeles street artist Bumblebee. See this interview for more information.

Art...or not?

Graffiti dates back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. To some, it is art; to others, it is vandalism. In Downey, you can call the Graffiti Hotline to have the graffiti painted over within a day or two.

We found this graffiti, along with the tools of the tagger trade, on a recent walk along the San Gabriel riverbed as we passed under the Santa Ana freeway. The Color Place brand of spray paint appears to be a favorite brand.