An underwater world of adventure is hiding behind a couple of beautiful trees.  The shadows of the trees create a fascinating complement to the painting.  It adds movement to the scene which was gracefully painted by an artist named Laurah. Be sure to click on the pictures to make them larger. There is so much detail among the shadows.  Notice the diver between the crossed tree shadows with a school of little fish at his feet.

You can find this large mural on the side of the Aqua Adventures Unlimited building at 2120 W. Magnolia Blvd. at the corner of Myers.

On the Naomi St. side of the Aztec Financial building located at 2624 W. Magnolia Blvd are these fantastically painted window treatments. Inside the office in the lobby are incredible murals of Aztec Indian life.  I am hoping to get permission to show those in another post.  

Toot toot! 

At 1030 N. Hollywood Way you can find a Santa Fe train chugging along past a mission through the desert on the front windows of The Train Shack. 

The train is cleverly painted to continue from one side of the entrance doors to the other. Janet is the artist named at one corner of the window. Thanks Janet, great job!

I'm excited about this beautiful mural. It seems it has been around since 2005 and yet somehow it was only recently that I saw it for the first time.  It is on the curved side wall of Choza Mama, an express restaurant of Peruvian cuisine, located at that funky intersection of Olive and Alameda at the corner of Ontario and right across from NBC studio. The address is 3121 W. Olive Ave.              (click on images to make them larger)

I just adore the way the artist has described the people as so musical, joyful and colorful. I am fond of his use of painterly strokes. It is a marvelous scene, well suited to the curved wall.

Mariscos Costa Azul is at 2001 N. Buena Vista at the corner of Empire. The mural is on the backside of the building facing the parking lot. I usually see this building from the other side so recently I was delightfully surprised by this mural while riding with a friend and coming from the other direction.

I took pictures on two different days. The first time the sun was shining and caused that diagonal shadow you see in the bottom photos, but it helps you can see how vibrant the colors are in the painting.

Stepping into the rotunda of City Hall one is greeted with this outstanding mural. It is 24 feet tall and 8 feet wide. It is called "Burbank Industry" and was painted by Hugo Ballin who also created other magnificent paintings found inside City Hall, the Griffith Park Observatory, and other well known places around Los Angeles. He also created 26 murals for the Wisconsin State Capital. 

City Hall was built in the early 1940's and over the years 'improvements' were made. Including removing the bottom third of this mural in 1964 to make a doorway to an adjacent building. The section seen below was in storage for 37 years! Fortunately at the turn of this century the building and it's murals were restored to their new and improved original condition. 

The painting pays tribute to the community and it's most famous industries.  It has a base of resourceful, caring individuals surrounded by agricultural beauty then above that the film industry, the power plant, and aviation.

Burbank City Hall is located at 275 E. Olive Avenue in Downtown Burbank.

"Burbank Evolves" is becoming the victim of evolution! It is being overgrown with plant life. Go see this amazing piece while you still can! This monument stands at the corner of Third Avenue and Angeleno Street by the Courthouse parking structure.  It describes in a kind of timeline and by way of a variety of individual pictures an historical account of early California, the valley, and the development of Burbank.

The work was created by a technique called concrete form lining.  John A. "Tony" Sheets is the artist who designed and executed the piece. You can just barely see his name in the bottom right photo underneath the figure with the clapperboard. Click the pictures to make them bigger.

There is a photo of the piece without the over growth at the City of Burbank's Art in Public Places page.

Last week I happened to be in downtown Burbank and needed to mail my mom's Mother's Day card. So I stopped in the Post Office at 125 Olive Ave.  Besides being a beautiful mission style building, there are wonderful historical murals inside.  The first one you see to the right as you walk in commemorates the impact that the flight industry has played in Burbank. The second one to the left depicts the entertainment industry. 

I wasn't able to find out any artist's names but I did find out that the post office, which is now called the Bob Hope Branch, is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The building was built in 1939 in the Mission Revival Style and includes original Spanish tiles and beautiful wooden beams. 

Yesterday afternoon was spent enjoying and officiating the Burbank Art Association's 2012 Spring Member Show. Sixty two incredible pieces of artwork fill the lobby of the Geo Systems Building. The space has been dubbed the Geo Gallery as it hosts alternating exhibits about every six weeks of work by artists in the Burbank Art Association and select others.

The Geo Gallery is "around" Burbank, meaning it is actually just outside of Burbank by a few blocks in Glendale. The address is 1545 Victory Blvd. between Western and Sonora. Artwork is available for public view Monday-Friday from 9-5. Park and enter at the rear of the building. The Spring Member Show is on display through June 15th.

The Spring Member Show features one or two pieces of artwork by 40 artist members of the Burbank Art Association.  A variety of styles and mediums and skill levels are represented. There is something for everyone! Below is just a taste, there is even more artwork on display. I hope that you will be able to go and see the exhibit for yourself as each and every piece is deserving of attention!  

Take a visual trip to the mediterranean with your patio dining at 164 E. Palm Ave. #3. The sign says Greek and Mediterranean Cuisine but according to the menu it is named Golden Chicken. There are many more decorative paintings inside the restaurant that were all painted by a Greek artist who has since returned to Greece. 

This quaint little place is located in the Burbank Entertainment Village beside Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and behind Sweety's Candies.