Summertime in the LBC. The weeklong public mural festival has been renamed Long Beach Walls and…read moreArt Renzei. Read all about it here: https://lbpost.com/hi-lo/pow-wow-is-now-long-beach-walls-heres-your-guide-to-the-colorful-mural-festival https://www.longbeachwalls.com/ https://www.artrenzei.com/ https://www.instagram.com/longbeach_walls/ There are events centered around this week. One past year, Sun Bum (sunscreen) was a sponsor and held an event at the beach that ended in a movie showing. Some year before that, KCRW held a party in collaboration. This last time, I joined in the free yoga session (with RSVP). Led by Pedal Movement, bike tours are held during this time to visit the murals. The run club I'm involved in throws a couple of the murals in the downtown area being worked on into the running route during this time. Volunteer opportunities are available (such as being on site with the artist making sure they have what they need.) Look out for it next summer!

"Pow! It's the impact that art has on a person. Wow! It's reaction that art has on a viewer."…read morePowWow - a gathering that celebrates culture, music and art. The weeklong event that originated in Hawaii has expanded out to other parts of the country and world, including its 5th year in Long Beach. I was a bit disappointed the first year or so because they brought in a lot of outside artists when there are so many talented ones here. It also seems as if there is little collaboration between the artists and the places they paint. Businesses offer their walls and artists are given the freedom to create whatever inspires them at the time. Sometimes, the pieces seem random, whereas, others perfectly reflect the feel of the establishments. This year, I was happy to see a lot more local artists represented in the community. Some of them even took the time to collaborate with either the business or Parks & Rec to design pieces that emulate the nature of the places. I live close to Drake Park and was happy to see 3 artists beautifying it by adding more color and character. By request from neighborhood folks, Crisselle Mendiola and Jason Keam added butterflies to match the playground while Bodeck Luna depicted young people shooting hoops along the wall facing the basketball court. Another highlight from Pow! Wow! Long Beach was the closing party in the Promenade. I absolutely loved that KCRW DJs Mathieu Shreyer and Anthony Valadez came and served us some eclectic dance music. I can't wait to see what's in store next year!

Sitting below The Long Beach Museum's charming café, one can view the elusive movable sculpture…read more"Puff of Wind". Here is its story as printed in the local news and on YouTube: https://www.gazettes.com/entertainment/arts/outdoor-art-sails-into-long-beach/article_95a56070-6448-11eb-a1bb-03404587afa9.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP0v6pDUWrk

Such a cute concept with spaces being utilized throughout the area. Think of the gum alley in…read moredowntown SLO town or Seattle. Here in downtown Riverside, you have Mariposa Alley (Butterflies). During lunch we were trying to figure out what was around the area that was worth checking out. This popped up and was a 2 minute walk away. Just around the corner from Main Street next to a parking structure. It's a small little alley way that house all the fun cute butterflies hanging off the wall. The same concept as Collette Miller with the famous Angel wings scattered all over the place. One side of the wall is a massive mural of butterflies and flowers while the opposite side are butterflies. All different sizes and shapes hanging off the wall. You have the colorful wings lower down for that perfect photo op as well as smaller one hanging off the wall. A cute little walkway that's hidden off the Main Street. It's tucked in between the parking structure and city hall. A fun photo spot that's well maintained and clean. Alleyway was not messy one bit and in pretty good shape and clean.

A literally breath of fresh air in the middle of the city. While in town this week I decided to…read morewalk the city instead of drive. Lucky for me I found not only this beautiful alley, but so much more. There are many photo ops here and if you have someone with you even more shots possible. The alley is clean and easily accessible. Smack dab in the middle of downtown surrounded by shops and restaurants. A great stop if you love street art, butterflies or looking for something free and fun to do!

I was coming across this I thought this might of been Alicia Keys. I wasn't sure but upon closer…read moreinvestigation it is not but anyway, so nice mural takes up a half a building and looks really neat.

I'm not a big fan of the rain when I'm out in it, but I would be a fan if it was raining burgers, I…read morewould do very well collecting those burgers and keep it on for consumption

This is awesome public art display of a special tribute to Kobe Bryant and his daughter that…read moreunfortunately passed away in a plane crash in 2020. There are plenty of murals dedicated to them throughout the United States that are popping up over the years. I thought this was a wonderful display that pays tribute to them

I have very high standards. That said, I would've given Chance Artworks more than 5 stars if I were…read moreallowed. I manage a Creative Services group that is typically inundated with work, especially during the Summer months. For the past four years my group has struggled to hit its September deadlines simply due to the amount of work going through the department. This past Summer, however, I decided to hire out for additional help. I was looking for someone who was smart, neat, organized, and efficient. I completely got all that (and more) when I hired Chance Artworks. This was the first year that we hit all of our deadlines and even made early deliveries -- and the only thing I did differently was to hire Chance. I was wary at first of how efficient it would be to work with someone who was located so far away (I'm in downtown L.A. and Chance is in Long Beach) but we were able to create a system that worked (and continues to work) like a charm. I was concerned that there would be miscommunications and a fair share of "back and forth" questions, but was pleased to find it overly simple to work with Chance. They added no stress to my already stress-filled days and have been such a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend Chance Artworks for all of your creative needs. Of course, I want first dibs during the busy season! :)

This couple is awesome! They do great graphic design, as well as amazing photography! I definitely…read morewould call them if you need some creative work done, you will not be disappointed. I would use them again.

Seth is amazing and I will hire him for every future painting job in my child's room. His attention…read moreto detail and artistic talent are extraordinary. I felt completely at ease having Seth in my home even during a pandemic as he took additional precautions and made sure to seclude himself in the room while I still had full access to the rest of my home. The murals he did completely changed my boring office into the nursery of my dreams. I highly recommend using tic tic murals as you will not be disappointed.

From the owner: Tic Toc Murals creates custom hand painted murals of any subject matter for homes or businesses. We…read morealso do custom faux finish for walls and ceilings and any size custom art on canvas.

It isn't every day I drive by a set of huge pair of Nintendo Remote Controllers! Also, if you are…read morefacing the remotes, you will see a large Rubik's Cube to the right! Such a flashback of some fun days my husband and I shared back in the 1980's. The Nintendo Entertainment System was our first gaming system! There isn't much to write about, but if you want to see these, come take a quick drive by! It isn't in the best part of town, but driving by here shouldn't be a problem!

I had seen this spot on yelp. Being lucky enough to grow up with a Nintendo game console years ago…read morethis is something I had to see for myself. This place is right off the 110 freeway and right past the train tracks on a corner. You can miss it if you have never been. But who can miss these giant controllers. Only down side is the location. Parking is kind of tough in this area I was lucky enough to find some close by. The installation is a cool sight to see if your into gaming or just for nostalgia sake. Not much to do but to soak it in and take pictures if you like. There is also a Rubik's cube and a Tetris replica which is all graffitied out. Ever in the neighborhood or want to take a drive check it out. It's one of those hidden gems in LA which is free. 1up!