Jacksonville's Street Art

I had lots of fun hunting for Street art and stopping to admire the different colors used by artists here in downtown Jacksonville. Street art is amazing to explore and this city has so many talented artists that express themselves through the art of painting. Street art is one of the things that brings life to Jacksonville. Whenever you drive by downtown, Jacksonville, be a little more aware of your surrounding and you will enjoy seeing the different forms of expressions that will catch your attention.

Butterflies:

When I first saw the butterflies as I was going from downtown college campus to Kent I said to myself, “This art I must add to my blog”. This image is painted on the parking space of the building of Volunteers in Medicine Jacksonville and I personally love how simple it is in colors other than the fact that I love butterflies. Whenever I see butterflies I think of freedom. Of how one time in their lives they were caterpillars and now they are free to fly wherever they want without restriction, while people like me admire their beauty. This Image though, has something unique. The painter gave these butterflies shadows in order to make them seem as they are really flying by and not just painted in a wall. Overall, I enjoy seeing this painting every time I drive by.

Buildings:

Close to the street art of butterflies is the image of the buildings in the parking space of Burrito Gallery in downtown Jax. My first thought was “New York!”. This image really brought me back to my first trip to NY, Manhattan back in 2011. All I did was look up in amazement of the city as I took video and photos of how amazing it looked. That’s how you know someone is a tourist in NY, just look around and see who is looking up at the buildings. Looking at this image gave me the same emotion as what I felt in New York, I felt so small as the buildings seemed like huge giants creeping in all around me. I also felt important and sophisticated, New York makes you feel physically small but personally important. I believe that New York, as well as the building's image in downtown Jacksonville, has this same impact on any human being once they stop to look and admire its beauty.

Colorful and Unity:

This Street art image is my favorite because there’s so much to it, from the variety in colors used to the words it expresses. The image is located on the right hand side of the parking lot of Carmines Pie House, where they also serve delicious pizza. What got my attention was how colorful it was and I loved the message it gave of self-worth, friendship, justice, love and freedom. I felt Joy when I saw this art and I know that if someone has had a bad day and passes by this place and sees this image, I’m sure it will brighten their day and put a smile on their face. Sometimes we all have bad days but when we are reminded of the little things in life that matter, we smile and give thanks for another day we breathe and have life. Expression by using a bright variety of colors that has a positive impact on everyone who sees it is the art that I love most. This image is a reminder to be kind to one another, to love as we live, and to respect one another even with our differences and to just be happy to make our world a better place.

The dragon and the fish:

This art is what I call crazy cool! This image has a creepy yet nice look that can be seen as you are driving down the busy street of Riverside Avenue. This art is on the side of the restaurant of Burrito Gallery Brooklyn. Seeing art all around Riverside Avenue is something one can enjoy seeing here in Jacksonville. When I first saw this image I thought of an alligator drawn to look like a dragon, with details to make it seem tough, while chasing its meal, a fish. What I enjoyed most was the many types of colors used by the artist, they worked out so well that makes the gator and fish stand out as it is seen from the street.

Arepa please:

This art was in the parking lot of Arepa please, a contemporary cafe. I personally like the color combinations used here, it makes it stand out, attract clients, and it gave me a good vibe when I first saw it. Most of the art I saw has been on parking lots of businesses, which I know it’s a nice strategy to make their business stand out. I like this method of using street art because it gives local artists an opportunity to express themselves, as it shows that Jacksonville is a city full of talented artists.

Camouflaged Art:

Located on the parking lot of Whiteway Delicatessen, hidden, this image was quite hard to see from far away because as I drove by, I thought it was part of the trees and the building around; therefore, I had to really look at it to notice that there was a painting there. I believe that it was the point of the artist for this art to be camouflaged, to trick your mind into thinking it was supposed to be there. All I can say is that if you trick my mind, you’re talented and this artist is talented.