Redwood City was dethroned as a world flower capital; now one mural pays tribute

Peruvian-born artist Claudio Talavera-Ballón talks Redwood City’s history of Japanese internment, farmworking and his addiction to oil painting “This is what I like so much about muralism — it’s that opportunity to reach the most humble, who are the greatest appreciators of art. The least able to afford a framed painting are the most likely to appreciate one.” — Claudio Talavera-Ballón. (Images courtesy of Claudio Talavera-Ballón) It took just over two months ...

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Blue trees & recycled labyrinths: talking art with the curator behind Palo Alto’s outdoor exhibits

Elise DeMarzo takes us behind-the-scenes to explain the nuances of orchestrating public art. Elise DeMarzo walks the the Bucolic Labyrinth in King Plaza at Palo Alto’s City Hall. (Photo by Magali Gauthier) There’s an art to executing public art well. “[It’s] who we are as a community and what we aspire to be,” describes Elise DeMarzo, current Public Art Program Director for the City of Palo Alto. If public art is an orchestra, ...

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Meet the international artist behind Palo Alto’s mysterious new garage-door murals

Map out your tour of the streetside seascapes and portals to paradise The shelter-in-place life might mean containment for many things, but imagination isn’t one of them. Creativity doesn’t need a gallery space. Neighbors strolling the tree-lined Triple El neighborhood of Palo Alto have recently discovered al fresco art cropping up on house exteriors and across garage doors. Behind these pleasantly unexpected sights is international artist Martha Sakellariou and a fascinating dialogue on “home.” After ...

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Art ‘from the heart’: Local muralist Jose Castro creates powerful protest imagery in Redwood City

North Fair Oaks artist’s downtown work will be preserved by city A view of Jose Castro’s recent Black Lives Matter mural—with a portrait of George Floyd at center—located at the entryway to the Fox Theatre in Redwood City. (Photo by Karla Kane) If you’ve been to downtown Redwood City recently, you’ve noticed the buildings around Courthouse Square covered with some striking public art and messages in support of social justice and the ...

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