iT'S STreeTarT THurSDay iN eaST HoLLyWooD! and Malibu pic of the day - Thursday, June 23, 2016

Dear Street Art Lovers and all the rest of you,

Today's offering is no huge or monumental, but it is different from the rough-on-the edges name are we typically see on walls.

Artist Girl Barf, Alien Amidst Plant Life, paint on commercial building (2015).

Why it's a cute little alien with blue eyes and a golden mohawk hairstyle hiding among some pastel colored plants. There's a couple of secondary panels to the side. This almost looks like premium gift wrapping paper.

It would not surprise me if the proprietors of Limited Ink Studios are the ones who painted the very mural itself. I did not knock on the door and ask.

You can find this bit of building decoration on Santa Monica Blvd. west of Hobart on the south side. You'll probably miss as you drive by, but it's nice to notice if you drive this way often. I always look for it on my to and from Hollywood Proper. If you are heading due east on Santa Monica as you approach Western and cross, always, ALWAYS ride the #2 lane. There is nearly always someone wanting to make left turn onto Oxford right before Western (no left-turn lane) even if you get behind a Metro bus. You will get trapped there in #1 for at least one or maybe to cycles of streetlight at Western.

When they built the Hollywood Freeway, they effectively trapped a residential neighborhood of several blocks with only a couple of good entry/exit points. When they did that back in the 1950s, they were probably all small single-family houses on narrow streets so it was probably OK then. But they've since been replaced by multi-family apartment houses, and that area is so dense with people and cars, it's claustrophobic. I rented an apartment in there for about 7 months ... and then I eloped and got outta there. But the rent was cheap. Back then it was about $300 a month for a 1 bedroom, I think $250 for a single. If you needed the services of a porno theatre or adult book store, Western Avenue was lined with them at the time, a veritable shopping mall of vice.

Here's a head-on shot of  the doorway. You can see the treatment of a McDonald's restaurant drinking cup. there in white, yellow, and light blue on the bottom.

And here's the context shot:





This is the oddest corner for a business pod mall. The freeway is right next to this corner, it's really an afterthought, but all these businesses have been here for years. They're not walk-ins for the most part, and I suspect the rent is pretty cheap since it's such a ugly corner.

AND NOW BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED SEASCAPE

Another typical June morning here on the SoCal coast. Twill be hot this weekend though.

If you're in the vicinity of LA Trade Tech this evening, or even subway-close, drop by the campus for a free outdoor summer evening concert on their north quad from 6 to 8ish. My band is participating in the lineup among other fine groups. Should be nice out to eat your almost-weekend supper on a lawn with someone you love. We're playing pop tunes, so nothing heavy or complex.

Love,
Pops