Neighborhood Pride

On Saturday, March 16, 2024, I had the opportunity to join Clockshop for their walking tour of Cypress Park — the neighborhood my partner & I have lived in for nearly a decade. Clockshop's neighborhood walking series was led by Maryam Hosseinzadeh & is part of their Take Me to Your River project. We walked along Cypress Avenue & visited local legacy businesses, street murals, & more.

Having explored Cypress Park on foot for so many years, it was remarkable to meet the artists behind the murals I've seen in the neighborhood for the last decade, & also learn about murals I'd never seen before! It was also lovely to learn about the historic buildings and architecture that preceded our time here, such as the original Cypress Park Library, La Morenita (a former bakery), & the old firehouse.

I didn't get pics of it all, because I also wanted to learn & take it all in myself, but here's a few snaps of the event through my eyes. Funny thing is, some people thought I was there working. One of the artists thought I was a reporter & some other folks thought I was working doing photography for the event. Sometimes Capricorns do stuff for fun, too, not just for business... 🤣

Click on any image below to enlarge. Best viewed from a computer for the full experience.

Details of Vistas de Harmony (1997) mural by Leo Limon. Located behind Metro bus division 3, by the Cypress Park Rec Center.

Speaking is Joe Ibarra, who shared his memories of assisting Leo Limon with the mural (alongside other artist assistants), as he also worked as a library clerk at the original Cypress Park Library at the time.

Program host Maryam Hosseinzadeh speaking by Leo Limon's Vistas de Harmony mural.

Peter Quezada shared about the barrier put up in the 1990s due to gangs using it as a cut through by the Cypress Park Rec Center.

Growing up in Pico-Union for many years, I was surrounded by MS13 gang activity. I'm no stranger to streets with barriers, since the street I grew up on myself had one & so did 3 other nearby streets going along Pico.

Rodolfo Kardona and his daughter Ximena Kardona shared how he works with local businesses, selects colors and themes for each business, and his regular inclusion of the Virgen de Guadalupe. He's painted multiple murals at Cypress Park establishments such as Lupita's Mexican Restaurant & Divine Savior church, & also St. Ann's just across the river in Frogtown.

​Here we were opposite Lupita's Restaurant by the Metro bus division. Unfortunately, I didn't cross the street to get a pic of his Virgen mural, but I encourage you to check it out in-person & get a meal at Lupita's Restaurant any time on Idell & Avenue 28 (90065)!

These detailed pencil drawings were drawn by Manny ​(pictured in the red shirt), who would like to start creating murals in the community. He shared his artwork with us after finding us along the tour route.

Northeast Los Angeles and Neighborhood Pride (2012) murals by Peter Quezada.

​Peter talked about his process of painting in alleys close to neighbors and kids, his use of Olde English, cartoon characters and experimenting with other lettering. I appreciate that he also shared why he chose to paint "Northeast Los Angeles" instead of "Cypress Park". "Cypress Park" is the name of our local gang, & he mentioned the mural would have been scratched out instantly. Painting "Northeast Los Angeles" instead was inclusive of all the neighborhoods that make up NELA.

These murals were new to me — I'd never seen them before this tour! Sadly, I can't remember where exactly they were at, just that they were close to the Divine Savior church. If you happen to know their location, feel free to leave a comment & let us know.

Details of murals by Rodolfo Kardona at Lupita's Market. Located on Cypress & Merced.

Rodolfo spoke about the Aztec warrior he painted on Lupita's Market in 2018, his own repair process, use of high quality house paint that doesn't fade, & the wood carved signs inside & 3D artwork, including this image of Juan Diego with the Virgen de Guadalupe on his cloak.

I love Lupita's Market! For years I always wondered if Lupita's the market & Lupita's the restaurant were related or if they beefed it over the name. 😂​

Flintstones (1997) by Peter Quezada.

This mural was painted by Peter with kids from the neighborhood, whose names are included on the scroll. It is a neighborhood artwork. I got to connect with Peter while we were visiting this mural, & he told me Pebbles & Bamm-bamm were references to his kids, & Fred Flintstone is holding the Land Before Time book because of the movie series that was out at the time.

I have probably walked by this Flintstones mural at least 100x & have always wondered about it. It was so cool to meet the person who painted it!

Murals & signage painted by Rodolfo Kardona at El Quetzal Bird Shop.

For many years, we ate at the original Tierra Caliente restaurant formerly located across the alley adjacent to the bird shop. I never knew multiple neighborhood murals were painted by one man. I'm personally scared of birds, but I still think this is a fun amenity to have in our neighborhood. 😅

Andres of Arvia LA (left) & the owners of Cypress Liquor (right).

​This family is local to the neighborhood & has been serving the community for years. Whether you're looking for beer, liquor, wine, a lighter or a snack, stop by & support Cypress Liquor, the last oldschool business standing on the 1200 block of Cypress & Alice.

LAST STOP: Arvia LA with Andres, Clare & Richard (the cat).

Andres shared how his detailed multimedia mosaics not only changed the alley visually, but also recorded the passing of time for him. The further he created down the alley marked a certain time period or memory. Whenever I have friends visiting, I love taking them to check out what's new or ongoing at the Arvia LA alley. It's always fun to look for easter eggs & see what hidden features are around.

You can access the Arvia LA murals through the alley entrance on either Cypress or Isabel, between Arvia & Granada. Keep your eyes peeled for Andres' mosaics around the neighborhood, too!

If you made it this far, THANKS!

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Click "READ MORE" below if you're interested in hiring me for photo work!

These fancy photos were made with my brand new Nikon ZF digital SLR (using a 40mm lens) & it was my first time taking it out for a spin. This is my first real DSLR investment. My partner was generous to get me started with my first DSLR for beginners in 2016. While I still consider myself fairly new to digital photography, I don't consider myself a beginner anymore (maybe beginner-intermediate at best, haha!), & it was def time for an upgrade.

After years of researching & setting aside the funds, I finally found the camera for me. And I am so happy with the results. This is also my first & only Nikon camera in my collection so far. I always found Nikons to be so expensive, but I've also never been loyal to one brand either. I'm happy to report I'm officially part of the Nikon Nation. I love this camera. 🙌🏽

That said... This investment was not cheap. I got all the accessories, bells & whistles you can think of. 😅 If you have any photo needs for artist portraits, documentation of your events or workshops, I am accepting work for mid-late May, mid-late June & I am currently free all of July through end of August. I'm only available on weekends. I'm booked early May & early June & I can only accept 2 photo gigs a month. After that, I will not be accepting work starting September 2024 through January 2024, possibly February. Email me at [email protected] if you have any photo needs!