No Space Wasted

In no way a fan of graffiti, sometimes a public blight can be amusing, as with this steel foot bridge.

Roadside Sculpture

Moorpark, Calif. -- Ominous rock sculls, dragons and tikis keep watch of speeding trucks and commuters passing through Grimes Canyon Road, north of Los Angeles. Driving across the two-lane, one cannot miss the sculptures carved into the side the of the mountain.

Chevy Fly Found in LA

Los Angeles, CA -- There is nothing artistic about this shot, but the fly is a masterpiece and it had to be posted.

This photo was taken in a neighborhood, overlooking the Pasadena Freeway in LA. I wonder what the neighbors think? There is no question what kids think about a blue Diptera in the front yard! Oh, and by the way, the mouth is made out of the grill of an old, Chevy truck, and the antennae are two golf clubs.

Expression on the Fence

Sierra Madre -- Most artist like to show their work. After work, I am a musician and photographer and I express my art through voice, guitar and making images available to the public via this blog and other sites. However, this artist shows their work in their front yard. From left to right, we see the famous ferris wheel on the Santa Monica pier, ( which is also the end of Route 66), Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena, and the Hollywood sign overlooking "Tinsel Town." Yet I'm not sure what is on the far right. One common theme dominates: Southern California sunshine.

The Other Hollywood

West Hollywood, CA -- "Hollywood" conjures up all kinds of images. Tourists driving Hollywood Boulevard will most likely find more disappointment than stars, except for the embedded stars along the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

However, a drive down Santa Monica Boulevard--parallel to Hollywood Boulevard--gives motorists an eye full of spectacles, exhibitionists and eccentric pedestrians to say the least. Posting photos of my drive along the boulevard would most likely offend readers, so I decided to display a representation of my reaction and expression to what I saw.

Chinatown

Los Angeles, CA --Every major metropolitan city has a Chinatown, and every Chinatown has it's own style, feel, look and aromas. Like most immigrant towns throughout the USA, Los Angeles' has had other locations other than it's present. The original Chinatown was established in 1880 and was located where Union Station is now. The new Chinatown was founded in 1938, a few blocks from it's original location and still remains an interesting and somewhat romantic window into another culture.

The Art of Chaos

Los Angeles, CA -- Outside the Museum of Contemporary Art is a glob of aircraft fuselages, wings and propellers. A harsh contrast to the symmetrical lines of the nearby buildings. Perhaps one could say one structure helps compliment (or appreciate) the other.

Calico Ghost Town

A Fence, a boot, a piece of Old Glory (American flag), and you've got art.

Skywatch in the City

The Artist's Palette

Corona, CA -- Some choose canvas, others rocks.

Stop it Already

Foothill Range, CA -- Anyone wear Oakley sunglasses? You may need them when exiting Oakley Headquarters in Foothill Range, about an hour north-east of LA. At the end of their street, locals creatively defaced a stop sign, complete with electronic connectors, wires, lighting tubes as well as plenty of barbed wire.

Haven For The Uncommon

Not far from Downtown Los Angeles is the small town of Sierra Madre. Founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1907, Sierra Madre is a pioneer town built on the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Many buildings still stand from that era, making this township a nice place to drive through, walk or stop for a cup of coffee.

But not many know about The Canyon. As you drive up towards the mountain, the road narrows, the trees become more dense and the homes unique. Hairpin turns wind up the steep, single-lane ways with eye-catching vistas and dwellings looking more like cabins or tree houses than your typical LA home.

Five minutes down the hill lies "Metropolis," but up here, one can find serenity, fresh air and even a grin of discovery on a newcomer's face. Many residents still display their Obama banners, stickers and homemade signs. In fact, there is a lot of "home made" around these parts. This is an art community--individualist in Birkenstocks, peace signs and Subarus, expressing their creativity in a most beautiful wooded community.

Me? On nice days like today, I don my cargo shorts, Birks and ride the Vespa into the enchanted sanctuary of Sierra Madre Canyon and try to blend in....

Downtown Graffiti

Downtown LA -- Most of the time, when I see graffiti, it makes me angry. Sometimes, as in this case, it could help the value of a building.