My homage to Miami Murals

We all know my love for the street artists in Miami. I was running errands around Miami and I found several that I really liked, including this one, which caused me to stop my car, get out and look at. And I wasn't the only one. I looove it. It's in Wynwood, on North Miami Ave, just south of 29th Street:



And up close:




Right next to it, was this one:



And across the street:



Down on 25th Street:


You can see this one from 195, headed away from the beach:



And to get out of Wynwood, El Hombre and I found this one on the beach, on Lincoln Road between Collins and Washington:


I think it would be really cool to wander about the Design District and Wynwood with my camera, discovering these things

Miami Moment

When El Hombre and I took the Bus Tour two weeks ago, one of the stops was in Little Havana. We walked down the street a bit, more than most of the other people, and I saw this guy:


I thought it was cool to sit and watch him in the beginnings of what I hope is a mural.

Post-Basel coverage

As you may know from El Capitan's post, we went wandering Wynwood (impressed by my alliteration there?) for Art Basel. And by wandering, I mean El Capitan and El Padrino dragged me off El Hombre's Peavy amp at ISM gallery.

I'm glad I went, because there were many new openings that I loved, most of which were on side streets.

Of course there was ISM. This is a family-managed gallery that has several different artists on display. The main display was the father's work, pictured below:

The boats are made from copies of the papers the US Coast Guard distributed during the Mariel Boat Lift in Miami.

I really liked these displays for a number of reasons. First, I love the contrast of the red against the white walls. It commands your attention. I also like that these are very symbolic of what many people experienced, coming to this country, without being overly political. It, to me, appeals more to the emotions.

The only other gallery where I took pictures was Animal Farm, mainly because my camera battery died. This gallery was like arts and crafts on steroids. It was absolutely awesome. I appreciate artists that have fun with what they do, and the artist definitely had a blast. The gallery was complete with hay, which made it seem more realistic, both in the crunch under foot, and the smell of it in the air.






Every part of each piece was made from things one would find around the house, pencils, shoes, golf balls, corks, etc. it was really fun to see the whole display, and then get close to each thing and see how it was constructed. I look forward to seeing more from this place, so hopefully the artist was local.

And what would one of my art entries be without pictures of street art? I know you've been waiting for it:

As Emeril would say... Bam! (I dunno, it's the medicine)

Art about town

This was a weekend for photos, so it will be broken up into three or four posts so as not to overwhelm.

Between work and exploring the Upper East Side farmers markets, I spotted many cool frescos, buildings and signs.


I used to work two blocks from this corner and have never seen it before, but judging by the brightness of the paint, it must be relatively new. This is the corner of SE 2nd Ave and SE 2nd St. The modern paint job creates an interesting contrast to the vintage buildings you find in downtown, like the courthouse and like this building:

This building is one of many in downtown Miami- one of my favorite parts of the city. The area is full of random frescos, vintage buildings and local shops. It's like stepping back in time, or into Latin America with a graffiti artist by your side. It just seems like there's more soul to the area, as cheesy as that may sound.

Then, by the Arsht Center you find the bridge painted like this:


If you continue north on US 1, you will cross under this bridge:


and see Art by God (which is creepy, judging by the things they lent the Chelsea Gallery in Wynwood that night.)


And this giant mural on your left, which caused quite a stir when the artist put it up (according to NPR):





This painting sparked the debate over what is public art and what is graffiti. I argue that when one goes to Italy, you see frescos on almost every building. Sure they are often not in the urban art style, but may be, or may have been just as controversial. Even if you don't agree what the art portrays, one must value it for garnering a reaction, starting (hopefully meaningful) conversations and build more of a cultural backbone within Miami.

Street art

We were donating some stuff to the Salvation Army on Bird Road in Westchester when I saw this wall. And we all know my affinity for street art so I took a picture of it while El Hombre unloaded stuff from my car.

Transit Lounge

Transit is one of the best places to see/hear live music in Miami. Here are some photos from the art outside (another in the series of Miami Street Art):

The view of downtown from out back:

Street Art - September Artwalk

Here is my first installment from the recent artwalk - street graffiti. It's all pretty awesome:

The HOLLYHOOD Series:

A good message:

The Movie Series:


Gangs of New York? I didn't expect to see Daniel Day Lewis on NW21st - pretty awesome:

Adventures along the River

Labor Day was a great day to visit the beach, hang out in the Grove and hang by the River. We went to Finnegan's which I hadn't been to in a really long time and remembered why I like this spot where you can either by lazy and chill while looking at the boats going up and down the Miami River, or be active and swim and lounge by the pool. It's a sports bar and the food's ok but it's a fun place to visit.

Plus this time around, I met the Boat Man (as I call him) and King Richard the Lionheart (real name) which made my visit even more special. The Boat Man helped tie up the boats as they arrived. I learned a few things too from the Boat Man, like what the enormous barges do, where they dump their dredgings (27th Ave), and how the islands around downtown formed (dredging deposits) and turned into what they are now, and noticed that these barges are from the Port of New Orleans (Miami doesn't have its own? But at least they are here and not bumping around the Industrial Canal breaking through levee walls, right?). It was a fun time and here are some photos:

The view:

Barges and the Miami River:

The Boat Man and King Richard the Lionheart:

Knee and Neon:

The fishtank:

Parking lot art under I-95:

Back in the Grove after dinner at Jaguar, steering the ship at Barracuda: