wall art | View From Casita Colibrí

Posts Tagged ‘wall art’

The cat that swallowed…

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, tagged cat images, Jesus Flores (artist), Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, street art, urban art, wall art, Walpaq (muralista) on May 23, 2020| 4 Comments »

Lurking around the corner from the birds. Perhaps this is what they were talking about.

Hmmm… Could this be the cat that swallowed the canary?

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For the birds

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Neighborhoods, People, Travel & Tourism, tagged bird images, Colibríes, hummingbirds, Jesus Flores (artist), Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, street art, urban art, wall art, Walpaq (muralista) on May 20, 2020| 20 Comments »

Wandering around the streets and alleys of the Marcos Perez / Lic. José Vasconcelos neighborhood, I began to see birds gathering — and they seemed to be talking.

“Ahhh, what a comfortable perch.”

“Is anybody home?”

“What did you say?”

And then there were the hummingbirds…

“Please don’t tie me down!”

“Come fly with me.”

“I’ll race you!”

What delightful gifts the Argentinian artist Jesus Flores (aka, Walpaq) has left for the people of Oaxaca!

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Panoramica mural magic

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, tagged Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, street art, urban art, wall art, Zempasuchil Studio on May 14, 2020| 6 Comments »

The culture, color, and magic of the murals of Panorámica del Fortín.

Thank you to the artists of the Zempasuchil Studio for brightening our days.

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Panorama of Panorámica

Posted in Buildings, Creativity, Culture, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, tagged graffiti, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photos, playgrounds, shadows, shrines, street art, views, vistas, wall art on May 5, 2020| 2 Comments »

More from Sunday’s stroll along Panorámica del Fortín…

Oaxaca, even in these days of Covid-19, is always alive.

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Modeling mask behavior

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Health, People, Travel & Tourism, tagged Batman, Benito Juárez, coronavirus fallout, COVID-19 fallout, cubrebocas, Elise Rubin, face masks, masks, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, press conferences, stencils, street art, tapabocas, urban art, wall art, Yescka on April 23, 2020| 6 Comments »

It’s official, face masks (cubrebocas/tapabocas) are mandatory. At today’s press conference, the governor of Oaxaca announced the steps the state government is taking now that Mexico has entered Phase 3 of its Covid-19 emergency plan. I must say that I was impressed by the visuals as I watched — reporters, the governor’s team of experts, and even the governor at one point were modeling good mask behavior.

And, street artists have been plastering the walls of the city with mask-wearing messages.

A medical masked Batman says, “stay in the house” — by the artist, Yescka.

Former Governor of Oaxaca and beloved former President of Mexico, Benito Juárez rocking a mask.

Not sure this couple is practicing proper mask protocol, not to mention, sana distancia (physical distancing) — by artist Elise Rubin.

Unfortunately, this last image represents what I have observed in my wanderings through the empty streets of the city. On today’s outing to my neighborhood produce truck and then to various tiendas (corner stores) in search of mineral water, eggs, and butter, at least 30% of the people I encountered were not wearing masks. For the most part, it’s not because they are not available. They are selling for ten pesos each (40¢ US) and there are numerous projects making and distributing free cloth masks, including those spearheaded by my amiga Norma Schafer over at Oaxaca Cultural Navigator. I brought a couple of extra masks with me and offered one to the gal at the produce truck, but she declined, saying she already had one. I responded that it was really important that she wear it, but she just shrugged. It’s frustrating!

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I need a haircut!

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Callejón Hidalgo, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photos, street art, urban art, wall art on April 16, 2020| 6 Comments »

I think I’m not alone…

Callejón Hidalgo, Oaxaca de Juárez – (Signed by, “Prost”)

If you need a haircut, raise your hand.

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Just say no!

Posted in Buildings, Creativity, Culture, Signs, Travel & Tourism, tagged abandoned buildings, blog 10th anniversary, blogging, crumbling buildings, dilapidated buildings, DNL UNKLE, murals, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, street art, wall art on March 28, 2020| 35 Comments »

Remember the Not for sale! building at the corner of Matamoros and Crespo? It’s been one of the buildings in a “mal estado” (bad state) since long before my first visit to Oaxaca in 2007. A portion of the Crespo facing wall finally collapsed at the end of an extremely wet 2012 rainy season. And, following the September 2017 earthquakes, what remained of the wall gave way, necessitating a barricade along the sidewalk.

As last Sunday’s stroll in the time of… showed, the barricade was in the process of getting its own facelift. It’s finished and it looks terrific.

However, as the owner, with the help of the artist, continues to make clear, the answer is NO. The building is not for sale!

By the way, while trying to locate the oldest photo I have of this wall, I discovered that I had missed the tenth anniversary of View From Casita Colibrí. It was March 25, 2010, with the post, Awake at 4:30 AM, that I began this blog. Its last line reads, “Whatever the reasons… here’s hoping I become a little braver in revealing myself, don’t let my perfectionist streak get in the way of posting and I stick with it!” I’ve definitely stuck with it, have overcome my fear of the writing and photos not being perfect (though I try to maintain my librarian commitment to accuracy), and have hopefully allowed a bit of “who I am” to be expressed in these ten years of blog posts. Here’s to another ten!

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Sunday stroll in the time of…

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Flora, Food, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, tagged breakfast, Dama de noche, Epiphyllum oxypetalum, flowers, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, Primavera rosa, street art, trees, wall art on March 22, 2020| 16 Comments »

Sunday mornings have always been my favorite time to wander through the neighborhoods of Oaxaca. Traffic is light, sidewalks are mostly empty, and the city seems nestled under a blanket of tranquility. Thus, in these days of an abundance of alone-at-home time, a long peaceful walk with my neighbor (maintaining sana distancia/social distancing, of course) was just what the doctor ordered.

Out the door and up the hill, we went.

“Hola, buenos días” greetings were exchanged with the few people we encountered — many walking their dogs.

Though we weren’t planning to eat, we stumbled on a lovely garden restaurant – Ancestral Cocina Tradicional — and couldn’t resist sitting down in their sun-dappled courtyard for a quesillo and huitlacoche quesadilla, washed down with a healthy jugo verde. Everything about the restaurant was done with care and attention — including being mindful of COVID-19 concerns.

Emerging from the restaurant, we continued our ramble, admiring architecture, street art, and the beauty of dry season flowers.

This Dama de Noche (Epiphyllum oxypetalum) stopped us in our tracks!

After three hours, we returned to our homes feeling refreshed, appreciative of Oaxaca’s many gifts, and feeling like we can get through this — despite the puppet masters.

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A day without women

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Politics, Protests, Travel & Tourism, tagged #ParoNacionaldeMujeres, #UnDíaSinMujeres, #UnDíaSinNosotras, A Day Without Us, A Day Without Women, art, Día Internacional de la Mujer, International Women's Day, Mexico, National Women's Strike, Oaxaca, photos, political art, political commentary, protest, stencil art, street art, urban art, wall art, women's rights on March 8, 2020| 4 Comments »

Today, March 8, women around the world are celebrating International Women’s Day with marches, forums, exhibitions, and more. The mass media is filled with stories about extraordinary women and companies catering to women are using references to International Women’s Day in their advertising, though, I might add, very few mention its revolutionary past.

However, it isn’t today’s demonstrations, expositions, and other special events that has women in Mexico talking. It is the call for women to disappear for a day to protest the staggering amount of violence perpetrated against them. Government statistics report that 3,825 women met violent deaths last year, 7% more than in 2018. That works out to about 10 women slain each day in Mexico, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world for females. Thousands more have gone missing without a trace in recent years.

Using the hashtags #ParoNacionaldeMujeres (National Women’s Strike), #UnDíaSinNosotras (A Day Without Us), and #UnDíaSinMujeres (A Day Without Women), organizers have reached out to the women of Mexico that on Monday, March 9, nothing moves: Don’t go out, don’t shop, don’t go to school, and don’t consume — become invisible, simulating the thousands of women who have been murdered or disappeared.

As three female legislators wrote in an article expressing their support for the strike, Women are responsible for about half of the compensated economic activity in the country, and relied upon disproportionately for unpaid work in the home, which is roughly equivalent to 15% of Mexico’s GDP. In exchange, our rights are impaired or ignored. Women have become the protagonists of thousands upon thousands of stories of violence and impunity at the hands of men who, in public and in private, feel they have a right to decide over our lives and our bodies…. That and many, many reasons more are why Mexico’s women will march in protest on March 8, and stop everything – stop working, stop asking, stop accepting – on March 9.

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A goat and sheep walk onto a wall

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged goat image, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, sheep image, street art, urban art, wall art on February 19, 2020| 4 Comments »

There is a new mural in town. After five years, The gods are watching mural (my name for it) has been replaced by the watchful eyes of a goat and a sheep.

Together they stand outside La Madriguera taller on Tinoco y Palacios (between Morelos and Matamoros).

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Not for sale!

Posted in Buildings, Creativity, Culture, Signs, Travel & Tourism, tagged abandoned buildings, crumbling buildings, dilapidated buildings, murals, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, street art, urban art, wall art on February 7, 2020| 14 Comments »

I am, at long last, back in home sweet home Oaxaca. The weather is warm, the garden looks great, and the building at the end of the block that has looked to be on the verge of collapse since I first laid eyes on it thirteen years ago, has had a new paint job — announcing in a very creative way that, despite its dilapidated condition, it is not for sale.

And, don’t just take my word for its neglected and decrepit condition. There is a precaution notice from the city of Oaxaca warning passersby that the building is in a bad state.

All one has to do is peek through one of the broken windows to see there isn’t much there, there.

Located at the corner of Crespo and Matamoros, it is one of the more than five and a half thousand historic structures in the state of Oaxaca listed by the Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Historia (National Institute of Anthropology and History).

There is currently a building boom going on in the city, especially of upscale hotels, to meet the snowballing tourist demand. I suspect that restrictions and costs related to remodeling these cataloged buildings is why the much-needed renovation to this one hasn’t happened.

However, the owner of this building, whoever she or he may be, has let it be known, in a variety of designs, fonts, colors, and in no uncertain terms, that it is NOT FOR SALE!

The artwork covering the building is quite an improvement. However, I can’t help thinking of one of my grandmother’s sayings, “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”

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Murals of Jalatlaco

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Barrio de Jalatlaco, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, street art, urban art, wall art on January 8, 2020| 8 Comments »

The Jalatlaco neighborhood always yields artistic surprises…

November 13, 2019

October 22, 2019

Happiness is wandering the streets of Oaxaca.

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Collage of murals

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged art, artisan markets, farmers' market, markets, murals, Oaxaca, organic market, photos, Pochote Organic and Artisan Market, Pochote Xochimilco Mercado Orgánico y Artesanal, popular travel destinations, wall art on December 28, 2019| 4 Comments »

Hidden behind community tables and surrounded by food stalls, produce, textiles, and artesania, is a wall of murals at the newest location of the Pochote Xochimilco Mercado Orgánico y Artesanal.

This incarnation of the Pochote Organic and Artisan Market is located in Colonia Reforma at Calle Almendros #417 (between Manuel Ruiz and Heroico Colegio Militar) and is open Friday through Sunday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.