#oaklandmurals

[scenefromthesidewalk]

"ROOTS RUN DEEP"

by Meggs

Melbourne-born David Hooke, aka Meggs, is a founding member of the renowned @EverfreshStudio . Universally respected for work that "combines elements of nature, industry, and abstraction to create imagery that evokes a sense of flowing movement and change" Meggs uses art to speak out on issues of sustainability, consumerism, and the connectivity and harmony between beauty and decay. In 2015, at 3rd St and MLK Jr Way, Meggs honored the inspiring past, present and future of Oakland. A few blocks from Jack London Square "Roots Run Deep" also celebrates the transformation of a commercial district now welcoming new opportunities and a blossoming creative culture.  @houseofmeggs/

[oaklandartenthusiast]

Love this new mural, The Town by @hueman_ supported by @miketyau & @vogue_tdk that has quickly sprung up in our neighborhood at the landmark #downtownoakland #leamingtonhotel #californiabuilding coordinated by @abgprojects! . . #oaklandmurals #Oaklandmural #oakartenthsiast #streetsofoakland #oaklandart #arteverywhere (at Leamington Hotel) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2DEX3TBftP/?igshid=ru7aq1hl9scb

[halopigg]

@donrimx and @carlitos_skills just rocked this massive wall in Oakland! Swipe 👈🏽 to see the whole thing!!! #DonRimx #CarlitosSkills #lapsteacoco #streetartcollaboration #mural #muralism #muralart #oaklandmurals #bayareaart #streetart #oaklandstreetart #artinthestreets #artington #artingwithhalopigg #PuertoRicoRepresent #sonya7ⅱ #sonyimages #sonyalphaclub #voigtlander15mm #wideanglelens (at Oakland, California)

[mibellavitavioleta]

At the end of the day, life is about being happy being who you are💗

[scenefromthesidewalk]

"KNOW YOUR ANCESTORS"

by Mike Tyau and Jesus Rodriquez

Born in Honolulu, Mike Tyau, aka Bam, has been connected with graffiti for more than 35 years. Since studying graphic design in San Francisco he has worked with some of the top video game and digital advertising companies. In May, 2018, Tyau collaborated with Jesus Rodriquez, aka Ease_Us, for BAMFest ( @BayAreaMuralFestival ) creating this eye catching mural on MLK Jr Way near Jack London Square in Oakland. Tyau says that "Besides the Olmec and Chinese motifs as ancestral guardian totems, we painted these to remind people to go to their pillars of support during these trying times. The leaves of the plants show how Mother Earth ties my background in Hawaii/Polynesia with Jesus’s background in Mexico/Central America, breaking down race, religion, color, we are all the same family."  @miketyau  @ease_us

[scenefromthesidewalk]

"THERE'S MORE TO GREEN THAN MONEY"

by Jet Martinez

Originally from Tuxpan, Veracruz, Mexico, @1xRun says Jet Martinez' work "takes inspiration from his native culture’s rich traditions of pottery, weaving, and embroidery . . . enlivening the rigid architecture of cityscapes with ornate patterns and entrancing, abstract visuals." Now living in Oakland, Martinez says the old I Magnin building on Thomas L Berkley Way has always been one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. In 2016, as Oakland was seeing a rebirth of its downtown, the now closed Athen B. Gallery arranged for Martinez to paint the side of I Magnin. "I felt a real responsibility to add to rather than subtract from this beautiful building" he responded. "The composition is meant to have an almost vibrating quality" says Martinez, the roses symbolizing "organic natural growth" and the calla lilies representing "well being and a delicate beauty to be protected.  @jetmar1/

[scenefromthesidewalk]

"BEACON: THE GATHERER"

by Joshua Mays

“If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.”  —Maya Angelou

Born in Denver but now living in Oakland after 8 years in Philadelphia—with side trips along the way to paint and exhibit from Indonesia to South Africa—Joshua Mays says he started drawing and painting as a young child. Eventually discovering joy in engaging with the public while interacting with art on a larger scale Mays says he sees murals as "a cultural, sociopolitical DNA of an urban environment." Also enjoying the storytelling potential of art Mays was Inspired by a line from Maya Angelou and took on painting an Oakland mural series he titled "Beacon," and in May, 2019 put the finishing brushstrokes on an addition to "The Gatherer"—wrapping around from the adjacent wall—at 23rd Ave and E 24th St.  @joshuamaysart/

[scenefromthesidewalk]

1750 BROADWAY, OAKLAND

by Troy Lovegates

Discovering graffiti "as an annoying skateboarder" in Toronto more than 30 years ago, and wondering how people got away with painting on everything from subways to walls, Derek Mehaffey, aka Troy Lovegates, aka Other, says he was lucky to be "born into the graffiti world in Canada before it was a marketing tool." A multi-talented artist, today Lovegates is known as widely for his murals and gallery installations as his sculptural creations. Lovegates describes his work as "methodical clutter"—"all that I see comes out" providing him a means of purging all the filler of the modern world. On Broadway in Oakland in 2019 Lovegates used this mural for @ABGProjects to paint a mash up of local faces combined with "whoever else I saw in the paint blobs."  @troy_lovegates/