Wall Art 4

As we enter August and teachers around here realize that they have 3 weeks before getting back to their classrooms, I share this magnificent ode to summer on the wall of a building on Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica.

This not so little fella is gazing to the west where 6 blocks away is Palisades Park, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean. He looks like he is ready to make the hike and walk down the steps to the beach and splash into the waves for one last hurrah !!!

Wall Art - Part 3

I have been contemplating the message on this mural for over 10 years. Before art started popping up on walls everywhere, this thoughtful painting appeared overlooking Wilshire Blvd. in West Los Angeles. I still notice it every time I pass by, although the signs around it are crowding in these days!! It often gets me thinking about the difference between reading a book and "reading" a piece of art. What a great conversation to have in the art room!!

It is hard to see the painted scaffolding that the little painter in the lower right is standing on as he paints by the word, "sentence."

You can see him better from this angle.

Wall Art Part 2

In my wanderings out and about I have come across these two murals celebrating Charlie Chaplin. The first is in a courtyard at the Cypress Inn in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California . It overlooks diners having afternoon tea in the patio restaurant.

The second is on the main road through Venice, CA.

I have been thinking it might be fun to discuss these two paintings with students, comparing the similarities and differences. Then I would give a photo of a well known man/woman to the kids and have them create a portrait within a setting of their choice. Afterwards we could have another discussion examining the similarities and differences of their paintings. FUN, HUH??