Dancing birds, weeping clowns, old ladies, skeleton baseball players. As I scanned through the 1,000 photos I brought back from California, the coolest images were clearly those of Los Angeles street art, murals, and graffiti around town.
Here’s a quick summary of some of the best scenes I encountered! Check out some of my favorite artistic sights from the City of Angels.
Echo Park Graffiti and Street Art
I find this image so striking. You rarely see street art portraits of the elderly. They capture every detail of her face, every wrinkle, every line.
The awesome neighborhood of Echo Park is home to a lot of street art, from crazy clown faces to dreamy, colorful murals.
Echo Park is where you’ll find Dodger Stadium, so it makes sense to see an L.A. Dodger mural on a wall. Don’t ask me why legendary manager Tommy Lasorda is depicted next to a skull face.
This is just a plain wall with graffiti, but it’s fun to look at. I love the way the pink, aqua and yellow letters look against the white wall. It’s a cool color scheme. Well done, spray paint bandits!
In case you somehow forget where you are:
Sometimes art is used by a clever business to promote its product, which in this case is spiritual psychic and astrological readings.
Los Angeles Street Art Elsewhere Around the City
The art in Santa Monica is just a bit more vibrant and beach-centric:
This piece in Silver Lake was obviously professionally-done. I’m pretty sure that the bird is listening to Miley Cyrus. Because why not?
Silver Lake also has a lot of faces painted on electrical boxes.
L.A. is all about looking pretty and glamorous, even if that means faking it. In the Hollywood Hills, there’s a large water or septic tank that has trees painted on the side in an attempt to make it blend it with the scenery.
How many stars can you identify in this Hollywood mural of famous actors and actresses?
West Hollywood has the gay rainbow flag everywhere – even in the crosswalks.
Often my favorite street art is the stuff that was clearly created in about two minutes. Like a suspicious face with a phrase I don’t quite understand.
Imagine having a giant face outside your front window.
Art among palm trees on Venice Beach.
Attention, sharks: Your presence in Venice Beach is not welcomed!
This just represents a small fraction of the street art and graffiti that can be seen around Los Angeles at any given time. Many of these areas are accessible without a car, so you can easily visit them.
Get your phones out, take those Instagram-worthy shots, and spread the art! This art was created for people to enjoy!
Here’s a good resource for finding similar street art in the city. And here’s more of an explanation on the origins and cultural acceptance of street art itself.
Do you have any favorite spots to see Echo Park graffiti or Los Angeles street art?
Looks awesome! I have never been before but always wanted to go!
The art in LA is amazing to see.
Cool stuff. I actually quite like the one of the trees on the septic tank. Looks like a shadow.
Yeah, apparently when you look up from the city the tank just blends in with the trees. That’s a creative solution!
I’ve never been to L.A. I wonder if one or two of these could be gang related, like that shark one. We see a lot of that in Memphis. I do like how more cities seem to be embracing, or at least tolerating street art.
Yeah good call on the shark. There were definitely all different types of art, from the professional mural to the spray can.
They have some pretty cool art in downtown, too. Kind of like the one in Echo Park. I love it. Gives LA a little extra. =)
Yes, I wish I had spent more time downtown because I bet I would have found a lot more to add to the post!