Koi Fish at the Japanese Friendship Garden
Temporary Mural of a Smile
This mural was part of a temporary installation. It makes me happy. By artist Francisco Rameriz (https://www.instagram.com/fco1980/).
Clouds over a Park
A Referee
History Park San Jose
History Park is like a little part of a town with sidewalks and buildings that have been moved to the location for preservation. Inside the various buildings, including an original post office, one room school house, hotel, fire station, numerous houses, and more, are various exhibits and museums within the park.
Here is the one room school house. Volunteers are in the open buildings to explain and tell about the history within.
Fruit boxes from our agricultural days.
This sculpture by artist Ramon Franco honors San Jose’s 1975 mayor, Janet Gray Hayes, who along with numerous other accomplishments became the first mayor in the United States of America of any large city with more than 500,000 residents.
Looking up at the 1/2 scale model of the 1821 light tower that had been designed to bring electric light to many in downtown San Jose by shining brightly from a central location.
You can still ride the historical San Jose electric trolleys.
And the current home of the dancing pig sign, a local icon for many. The sign was moved from its original location where construction will be taking place.
CAN DO! Sculpture of Rosie the Riveter
“CAN DO!” sculpture by Seward Johnson (https://sewardjohnsonatelier.org/) in San Jose’s History Park.
Coastal Baths Mural
This mural is by Jacquelin de Leon (https://www.jacquelindeleon.com/). It is under Park Ave. on the Guadalupe River Trail and is really comforting to me.
Maybe this is why I am including so many photos and can not settle on fewer; I appreciate this comfort right now.
The artist said that this is inspired from being a kid in the bath with all of her sea animal toys and imagining herself in the sea with them all around her and then recently going to the ocean and wanting to sit in there with all of the sea animals (https://www.instagram.com/p/CdeHF4IPWbu/). That makes me smile.
Yoake No Noraneko Mural
Yoake No Noraneko, Japanese for “Stray Cat at Dawn”. This is by local San Jose artist and tattoo artist Horitomo (https://monmoncats.com/), known for his designs of Monmon cats, “Tattoo cats”. You find this one walking down to the Guadalupe River Trail from Coleman Ave.
I like this one. I do not know what the artist was intending though I see a modern street cat walking through a San Jose garden when still dark and feeling like a big tiger, playing and connecting with his own heritage at the same time.
Guadalupe River Park Conservancy Mural
Mural by Laurel Picklum (http://laurelpicklum.com/), San Jose nature artist. This one is under Coleman Ave.
SJMX Mural
Created by San Jose artists Bryan Sanchez and Edgar Sanchez. The SJMX mural “pays homage to our Mexican roots by referencing Pre-Hispanic imagery in a modern/graphic style. ” (sjwalls.com/map)
