At last, I paid a visit to Wauwatosa (Tosa) to see their 2019 mural project, consisting of seven impressive murals. Standing in front of them made me appreciate them even more. They are bold, unique, and joyful. You can find these gems along North Avenue between 64th and 70th Streets. They make up the North Mural Arts District, otherwise known as NoMAD. Hats off to all these talented artists! "Taste the Sweetness" by artist Eric Brometheus   Located at the Nobleman Barbershop, 6831 W North Ave "A Life of Gold" by artist Ivan Roque Located at Tosa Yoga, 6734 W North Ave "Tiger Godmask" by artist Adam Hernandez Located at BelAir Cantina, 6817 W North Ave "What Blooms is Us" by artist Christina Persika Located at 6434 W North Ave "Whoopsie Daisy" by artists Matthew Mederer and Max Komarov Located at Voline Garage Central, 6902 W North Ave "Myth Spinning: The Fiery Bythos and the Forgotten Salmacis" by artist Nykoli Koslow Locate...

I usually ignore the account suggestions that Instagram offers me; however, I’m glad I chose to act on one of them. I was instantly captivated by Morning Do . Morgan Sayers uses her face to unofficially collaborate with artists who have public art in place. What a clever and fun concept! I didn’t waste any time beginning my search for her portraits. It started on a rather disappointing note, as the first two I was after had been removed. It’s common knowledge that public art can be short-lived, so you adapt and move on to a new area. Morgan told me the two in Wicker Park were still there, so I jumped on the blue line train. I found both of these near the Damen stop (one at the Violet Hour and the other across the street). I love the mix of urban decay and various street art techniques. I find this project so fascinating that I asked Morgan to share some insight into how it came about. Here’s what she had to say. “This project has been developing for several years since my introduction ...

My heart has been heavy given the recent events in this country, and looking for street art is a healing distraction for me. I recently traveled to Pilsen, one of my favorite neighborhoods in Chicago. I can easily spend hours here wandering due to its rich culture and beautiful outdoor murals. I was interested in a particular mural and found a handful of others, so I felt content. This new masterpiece is at El Coyotes, 1451 W. 18th St. I had to make several attempts, as the sun and nonstop traffic made things tricky. The mural is brilliant with exceptional details and the photo doesn't do it justice. Artist Matr The next three murals were discovered along Damen Avenue between W. 18th and W. 23rd Streets. Artist Sentrock Artist Megan Kind Artists Sentrock , Birdcap  and Natasha Deluna This mural is located at 1916 W. Cermak Road. Artist Fosil Muralista I came upon this beauty at W. Cullerton and S. Wood Streets. Artist unknown Whether or not you consider yourself a "mural hunte...

Mural by Amy Zaremba  in Madison, WI Cheers to Mother Earth! What would we do without her? There is SO much beauty on this planet. It's the only one we have, so we need to do better. Much better. The pollution and litter are enough to make me want to scream daily. Are you living as sustainably as possible? While there is always room for improvement, here are the ways I contribute: I don't have a car. I use public transportation, bike, and walk. I carry reusable bags. I try not to buy food wrapped in plastic. If I do, such as a loaf of bread, I reuse the bag. I don't buy plastic water bottles. I have reusable bottles and recycle my Kombucha glass bottles for to-go beverages. If I'm traveling and I end up needing to buy water, I buy the boxed style. I recycle pretty much everything including the tins that mints come in. They make great little travel containers. I consume a vegan diet. I buy organic. I do just about everything online including paying bills and buying gift ...

I'm excited to share my first artist post featuring Milwaukee-based artist Drew York. I met Drew when he was live painting at Bridge Battle Alley. He introduced himself and gave me some cool stickers. He also shared his Instagram handle, and I have been following him ever since. I'm always eager to find his murals when I'm in Milwaukee. As you can see, Drew is a versatile artist who can paint just about anything. His largest mural is that of a fantastic "Hoptopus" painted on an exterior corner at Mobcraft Beer  (see cover image). I highly recommend getting a few cold ones at Mobcraft while sitting outside to appreciate this art. You can admire and purchase some of Drew's work hanging at Beard MKE . With the arrival of spring and summer approaching (🤞), I bet you can find him live painting at one of many pop-up events in the Milwaukee area. Drew also sells pirate rabbit stickers and enamel pins, which are available  here . A sign of spring at For Martha Drew ...

Seeing the war unfold in Ukraine has brought horror, disbelief, anger, and sadness. Like many others around the world, I have felt depressed and helpless. What is happening to innocent people is unacceptable and should not be tolerated.  I have been a couchsurfer for more than a decade with ties to Europe, including Ukraine. This is one of the reasons it's so upsetting. I hosted one of the most delightful humans from Kyiv. Thankfully, he and his family are safely living in the Netherlands. They are working with their local government to house refugees, and he will be hosting a Ukrainian family.  There are many organizations providing assistance and I am sharing some of them here. Please do what you can to help the people of Ukraine. Shelly Tygielski ( @mindfulskatergirl ) is heading to the Ukraine/Poland border to provide emergency aid to the fighters and families. She and her team are looking for donations (I easily donated via Venmo) and volunteers. Razom  is a non-prof...

"The Cultural Context of a Fox" by Cheryl Holz I'm craving art in new places; however, I'm still not ready to be crammed into a plane. So, I devised an alternative by looking for cities along the Metra train lines that would be good art experiences. Metra makes it easy to legally train hop by offering 11 different lines out of Chicago. Download the Ventra app, which allows you to purchase inexpensive one-day or weekend passes.  I caught wind of the impressive art embellishing downtown Aurora, so I decided to start there. I only had to see a couple of photos to yearn for a trip sooner than later. I boarded the Metra BNSF line to Aurora on a bitterly cold day. I'm used to being outside during the winter, but wow! I wimped out and only photographed seven murals. It's not a total loss, as I will return as soon as it warms up. A big thanks to Jennifer Evans, Director of Public Art , for answering my questions and providing me with a handy map of the installations...