Joplin, Hendrix, and Dylan. A simple and compelling mural by local artist, Pete Bettencourt, on the Spanish Fly Hair Garage Salon parking lot wall. The Art: Bettencourt’s imagery brings alive the expressive soul of these iconic musicians. The mural looks almost unfinished, and maybe more was planned, regardless, the open form with the use of…
Category: 2000’s
Furlow Furrows Mural ~ 1716 L
“Things that crawl, bite, squirm, slither and cause serious harm; those are the things I dream about. Snakes, lizards, carnivorous mammals, birds, and insects with large mandibles are the most amazing organisms in my surreal world.” (Artist’s statement: The origin of my pathology) And so we enter the surreal world of artist John Stuart Berger,…
Califia ~ 15th & Capitol
“Califia, the Amazon-like Queen of the mythical island, Califia, after which California was named…. She is a spirit of cleansing, mending, and healing. She is Yemaja, an African Diaspora deity who is the mother of all waters and the spirit of patient creativity.” A beautiful description by artist, Alison Sarr, of the striking figure of…
Mt. Diablo Sunset ~ 2220 J
Anytime of the day, you can travel along J Street and enjoy a ”Marty Stanley sunset” on this large mural. Marty Stanley, a foremost painter of the Sacramento delta, was well known for his paintings of delta sunsets (1). The full title of this mural is, “Mt. Diablo Sunset as seen from Bouldin Island at…
Jumperman ~ 6th & Q
18′ tall Jumperman looks poised to take flight from the entrance of classical modern design building at 600 Q that was once the Dunn Edwards Paint Store (1). The metal sculpture was created by Michael Riegel in 2003 (2). Riegel has a series of sculptures of similar human figures (3). He has also worked with…
Sac Evening Skyline Mural ~ 2316 C
A mural of the Sacramento skyline with evening stars and a bright moon welcomes customers entering the local printing business, J. Prassa Printers. The mural was painted by William Boddy in 2004 (1). Boddy had his studio in Sacramento for some years and painted numerous murals around town including: the lobby of Cal Farm Insurance,…
Alhambra Reservoir ~ Alhambra and K
A 400 foot aerial map wrapped around the side of the Alhambra Reservoir creates an image of the water-flow drawn from our rivers and wetlands into the reservoir then delivered from there to our communities. Michael Bishop, a Fulbright scholar and art professor at Chico State, created this piece which was installed in 2005 (1,…
Serendipity Fountain ~ 400 Q
Although I’m still discovering the numerous art fountains throughout the downtown area, I’m willing to bet that Serendipity by Mark di Suvero would win in the category of “Most Fun Fountain”. Serendipity sits in the park-like area near the entrance to the CalPERS building at 400 Q. The spiraling shape of the top sculpture, the…
Midtown Mosaic (4 of 4) ~ 2220 K Street
Part 4 is the final post in the Midtown Mosaic series and focuses on several more sections of this expansive mural which includes the work of more than 60 artists. The project was conceived and coordinated by Sacramento’s Midtown Alley Project (MAP). If you missed them, be sure to start with part 1, part 2,…
Whiskey Wild: Steel Doors and Windows ~ 1910 Q St
Update 7/2012: The steel doors and windows have been removed as part of construction happening on the building in what looks to be preparation for opening another bar here. The lone bar near the railroad tracks at 19th & Q, Whiskey Wild, has been vacant and boarded up for years now. Driving by one day,…