Category Archives: Art

Art, Street Fairs

November 2023 Vallejo Art Walk

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We had a lovely evening with friends during the Art Walk and related events like Open Studio this week. Shando and I were actually at the Vallejo Museum for a Town Hall last night (Thursday). However, tonight we met up with some wonderful friends at the Mare Island Tap Room in the Vallejo Verry Building. Afterwards most of us walked through the streets and checked out stunning works, including tables with homegrown artists, which included a 14-year-old illustrator who is amazing. I hope to see more from her in the future.

During dinner, Antonio (in the foreground) was approached by a meandering patron who asked where all of our spouses were. Antonio was happy to reveal that we were ALL there.

Here’s some art from the Vallejo Museum that blew my mind:

Art, California

Vallejo Art Walk October 2023

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Above and beyond the Visions of the Wild event, the monthly Vallejo Art Walk was a lot of fun. We met our good friends Noel and Mark afterward on the gorgeous Vallejo Waterfront for dinner at the Mare Island Tap Room, but not before soaking in the gloaming and taking some sunset pictures from there. We also snapped some pictures in front of my favorite mural in Vallejo at Sacramento and Georgia Streets.

These first two pictures are of a newly displayed statute in one of the storefronts in downtown Vallejo. I noticed right away this Black girl was pledging allegiance to the flag of the USA while giving the Black Power sign. I later found a reference to her online as “Genius Girl.” As you can imagine I thought of my daughter when I saw this, who is now a strong woman of color.

Activism, Art

Vallejo’s Vision of the Wild event honors Local Environmentalist Friends

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During our routine visit to Vallejo’s Art Walk this month, I was pleased to see the anime depictions of at least four of the local environmentalists recognized by the Vision of the Wild event.

Ken Szutu is our friend from kayaking, but was happy to know that he was recognized for his outdoor air monitoring and other endeavors.

Liat Meitzenheimmer is a leader with Fresh Air Vallejo and wrote a wonderful letter in support of the Tobacco Retail License we’re trying to get passed in Vallejo.

Adjoa McDonald is a teacher, was on the Board of the Greater Vallejo Recreation District, a fellow activist against Big Tobacco, and founder of the Vallejo Project.

Doug Darling is the founder of the Vallejo Watershed Alliance. I originally met him while doing shoreline cleanups in Glen Cove, but he also was instrumental in getting the fireworks from Six Flags from shooting their debris over Lake Chabot in Dan Foley Park, where I regularly kayak and pick up trash that floats on the surface. Who knows what kind of damage has been done to the lake at the bottom over the decades.

Art

Neverwas Haul

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Above photos courtesy of Obtaininium Works.

Vallejo is fortunate to be home to Obtanium Works. We got to meet the fabulous Kathy O’Hare, who gave us a tour of the INSIDE of this amazing vehicle, which has three full floors when assembled. One could write a book on its history, but one should check it out online or in person if one can. There are many other art vehicles that Obtainium has done, as she gave us some background of her life with her husband, Shannon O’Hare. What a treasure to have them as neighbors, and how good it is getting to know the artists on Pintado on Mare Island, along with our friends Manny Furtado and Steven Davis, both of whom were featured there as well.

So most of these images are from the INSIDE of the Neverwas Haul.