Carlsbad Art and Culture

Zandra Rhodes (pictured above), a world famous fashion designer, has been creating glamorous textiles and designs since the 60’s. Her personality is as bold and beautiful as her fashion and she continues to inspire all whom she interacts with.

As an artist, you not only constantly scribble ideas in a black book or transfer your thoughts into your chosen medium, you surround yourself with inspiring like minds. You seek out those who also are passionate about their art and you feed off your shared interest in the creative process. As an artist, you constantly seek inspiration.

Bryan Snyder was invited to be interviewed alongside a group of artists for ArtRocks247’s live radio station. A variety of creative and entertaining personalities filled the green room including web masters, traditional artists, jewelry designers, a musing fashion designer and two energetic radio hosts.

Click HERE for the archived audio of the show!

Thanks Lu and Alexandria for your drive to connect art, culture, music and fashion. Hope you enjoy the painting!

Their horse ran as strong as a locomotive and their destination was a mystery to them and to all whom they left behind. Their bags were packed with the necessities and their ambitions were as limitless as a cloudless sky. Hand in hand, they set out in search for unfamiliar streets, nameless faces and new found adventures.

They laughed over long plains and slept in undisturbed fields. They joked and listened to oldies and sang when the radio snoozed. The sun greeted them each day with a hearty handshake and the infrequent downpour washed the dust from their sail.

Days rolled into months and many years were stashed away in a box of memories. The future was uncertain, but their tank remained full and their wheels rolled like the first pedals of a Christmas morning ride.

The endless road, the horse which never rested and the hearts that pumped in unison was only an illusion.

When have you seen something clearly, but later found out it was fake?

Balboa Park is a 1,200 acre urban cultural park  densely populated with a large variety of trees, scattered with many museums and animated with people from all over the world. Many of the parks attractions are lined along the El Prado, a long road that runs through the center of the park. Grouping of students sit under shady trees and eat lunch while others sketch on flimsy easels.

The many gardens and San Diego Zoo of Balboa Park invite relaxing strolls under the sun and many museums, theaters and shops welcome with open doors. The Spreckels Organ Pavilion is the world’s largest outside pipe organ with free shows every Sunday at 2:00 PM year round, and on Monday evenings at 7:30 PM during the summer. The San Diego Museum of Art boasts an impressive collection of art including works by Dali, Cassatt, Miro and many other influential artists.

Located in the northeast corner of the park is the Morley Field Sports Complex. Included in this complex is the largest tenant of the park, the Balboa Park Golf Complex with an 18-hole golf course and a 9-hole executive golf course, the San Diego Velodrome, baseball fields, the USTA awarded Balboa Tennis Club, archery ranges, the Bud Kearn Swimming Pool, and a disc golf course.

Balboa Park offers a perfect balance of outside observations and inside studies. Free admissions into museums are often and food vendors are fast with a smile and a snack. Culturally laden communities scatter the surrounding areas and the SD harbor is just a stones throw away.

What is your favorite attraction at Balboa Park?

There isn’t a designated location where ideas are created. A thought can enter your mind at anytime and anywhere. The trick is to be open and observant at all times!

What observation have you made recently?

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Life is full of accomplishments and failures, rewards and perils and loves and heartbreaks. Your outlook on life is molded by the events of your days and your thoughts mirror those with similar interests. You crawl down your village streets exchanging complements to friendly neighbors. A handful of conversations are rambled before you past your first block and ideas are shared as often as roadside weeds sprout. Your local streets are always welcoming, but a desire to get lost is always just a wander away.

The Anza-Borrego State Desert Park, located in the North East part of San Diego county, is void of stoplights, large chain stores and the hustle of the city. Its year around beauty attracts visitors from near and far. The village of Borrego Springs is a sleepy community where the sun shines bright and tumble weeds animate the dusty roads. Something about a this village makes it hard to leave. Maybe it is the Christmas Circle round-about at the end of the main road or the unrealistically giant burritos from Jilbertos. For those seeking the simplicity of the desert, this village was just a fading reminder of civilization.

With bellies full of rice and beans, we exited the sleepy village and found ourselves bouncing down the sandy wash in route towards a sunset view high above the Badlands. Our caravan rattled bolts and slid through pockets of soft sand as a thick dusty cloud rose above the rocks and high into the desert sky.

Font Point boasts a view Zeus would be jealous of. The Borrego Badlands stretches South to East as far as the eye can sea with surroundings mountains in the distance. The Salton Sea can be seen shimmering of salt and fish and the sun sinks behind the mountains like a dusk dunk into the Carlsbad sea. Other visitors marvel at the same alien atmosphere and small chatter and camera clicks are the only sounds to be heard.

To be LOST we didn’t need any crashed airplanes, black smoke, hostile others or mysterious hatches, we blackened S’mores, shredded a skate park, climbed boulders, explored lost campsites, caught scorpions, taped flashlights to dirt bikes and all returned safely to our village by the sea smelling of campfires.

Happy Birthday Steve!

Your passions have the power to dictate your daily schedule, your emotions and your desires. Your love for that passion encourages you to express your ideas. You drip paint on blank white canvases, pluck melodies on a favorite guitar or rambles poems about a loved one. No matter your medium, you perform what you soul breathes and what your heart loves.

When John Lennon lived in the nearby Dakota, this was his favorite area in Central Park. The area was named Strawberry Fields Forever after the famous song. The musician’s widow Yoko Ono later made a donation to maintain the 2.5-acre piece. Today, numerous visitors come to Strawberry Fields to pay tribute to the artist, bringing flowers and candles.

Strawberry Fields at West Side of New York’s Central Park between 71st and 74th Streets was dedicated in 1981 in honor of John Lennon. Droopy trees provide breezy shade during hot Summer days and crowds constantly surround the center mosaic. Flowers scatter around the central word Imagine and tears tumble down cheeks as local musicians jam their favorite Beatles songs. Children dance to their favorite songs and a hearts open to the harmonious feeling of peace.

“Imagine there’s no Heaven- It’s easy if you try- No hell below us- Above us only sky- Imagine all the people Living for today.”

How have you expressed you passions, your love lately?

Happy Valentines Day from carlsbadcrawl