ArtTakes are my mini-posts on art found in unexpected places that is often FUNctional (sculpted bike rack, painted newspaper stand, crafted business signage). Just around the corner from Western Feed & Supply at 34th & P, is the workshop of welder, Danny Breckenridge, who (I assume) created the 3 welded figures that stand guard like…
Russ Andris Gallery of Public Murals
Update 2019: The link to Russ’ site no longer works and I have not found another location for his remarkable collection of photos. Russ Andris has collected an amazing photo gallery of public murals in and around Sacramento: http://www.pbase.com/southyuba/public_murals_sacramento Most of the murals Andris photographs are in the Midtown and Downtown areas. For many of…
Fremont Community Gardens ~ 14th & Q
Several artists’ works are integrated into Fremont Community Gardens at 14th & Q. The garden is part of the City Parks & Recreation program; the 52 plots are ‘rented’ to members of the community (1), and gardeners practice sustainable organic gardening. There are twenty eight small plots (10×10), twenty large (10×20) and four ADA raised…
Metamorphosis Mural ~ 4th & K
The Metamorphosis mural was created by Centro de Artistas Chicanos and is located on the eastern façade of the Downtown Plaza parking lot at 3rd & L. The mural was a collaborative effort by artists Juanishi Orosco, Stan Pidilla, Esteban Villa and others in the Centro de Artistas Chicano (1). Each section of Metamorphosis represents…
INK Bench ~ 2730 N
This elaborate bench was created by Matthew Byrd and sits outside the front door of INK Eats & Drinks. Byrd is a Sacramento mixed media artist who works in metal, wood, paint, and more (1). He has a Flickr gallery with photos of some of his painting/sculptures and in the photos you can see how…
American Market Mural ~ 24th & N St
Another corner market sporting an urban tattoo to liven the street. This mural is on the east wall of American Market & Deli and is attributed as a collective work by Shaun Turner, Daniel Osterhoff, and Miguel Bounce Perez (1). Barbara Steinberg credits Bonnie Shafsky, a local landscape designer, with the term “urban tattoo” which…
Wade in the Water Mural ~ 1308 28th St
Bob the Dog is featured in this mural on the alley side of the Capitol Physical Therapy building off 28th Street between N & Capitol. “Bob” is Rod Larson-Swenson’s signature character and has appeared in countless of his paintings (1). In this News & Review article, he describes how Bob came about: “When I first…
Dimple Records Mural ~ 16th & Broadway
The Dimple Records building at 16th & Broadway was one of the original locations for Tower Records. Tower opened there in the mid-1960’s and stayed open for nearly 40 years (1). After Tower folded in 2006, Russ Solomon (the original founder of Tower) opened R5, an independent record store, and moved into the site. In…
Under the Microscope: Steel Doors ~ 28th & N
Local artist Keith Peschel crafted these steel doors and grilles for the Sutter Community Parking Garage at 2701 N St. He’s dubbed the design (appropriately for a medical center facility) “Under the Microscope”. My photos of these pieces leave something to be desired. Some nicer quality photos are posted by the artist at rockandiron.zenfolio.com/exteriors (see…
De Forest Mural ~ 9th & P
This ceramic tile mural on the California Energy Commission building at Ninth & P was created by Roy De Forest (1). The mural is about 60 feet long (2) and is described as a celebration of farming in the Sacramento area (3). I also see elements of Sacramento area history and landscape with the Native…
