Homer Brown, or Charlie Simpson? The Coolest Mural in Glassell Park

As seen on Verdugo, this Charlie Brown/Homer Simpson mashup, created by street artist Jerkface.

Free L.A.: The Alley Project Turns "Blight into Bright"

If you can find parking (and it's not easy -- we had to stop in a 7-11 lot and basically take turns looking), Jason Ostro's Alley Project, is a great way to (in his words) see how artists have turned "blight into bright."

The L.A. Times has covered the Alley Project, located in Historic Filipinotown, several times; here's a dispatch from last fall:

Ostro’s the Alley Project has produced more than 75 murals by more than 50 artists, some local and some international. The side-by-side works, a mishmash of colors and styles, cover nearly every vertical surface, including garage doors, window bars, even dumpsters. Three alleys have been completed since April; production on a fourth is planned to start in about a month.

“When we first moved into the neighborhood three years ago, there was so much garbage and graffiti around here,” says Ostro, owner of the nearby Gabba Gallery. "The whole idea was: 'Turn blight into bright.'"

Some pics we managed to shoot around the 7-11 (and hopefully we'll be back soon -- and find a parking spot -- to explore more):

Heisenberg Lives, In Downtown Los Angeles

Spotted in downtown Los Angeles' arts district: Heisenberg Lives!

Weekend Snapshots: Eagle Rock

The Islander Motel Drive-In



Juice Mural



The only other outpost of Chicago's Permanent Records, right here in Eagle Rock.



Formerly Larkin's, the brown bungalow on Colorado Blvd. is now being remade into "Food Beer & Wine." Oops, I thought that sign looked familiar -- it actually is left over from Larkin's. According to a commenter and Grub Street, the eatery Little Beast is taking over the spot.

Swine of the Times

Chuck Taggart spied this bizarre mural near Langer's. It appears to be an ode to the... swine flu. Whaa?

The Wilshire and Vermont Fingernail

With the new housing complex at the northeast corner of Wilshire and Vermont almost complete, painters have (rather quickly) spraypainted two murals on the building -- the sides that jut out at an angle. On one side is a new-agey globe/planet. On the other side is more new-age imagery, topped off by a big thumb. With a rather long, white fingernail.

A huge fingernail. On the side of a large housing complex at the busy Wilshire/Vermont intersection. Ye gods. At least the fingernail is clean.

Have any of you seen this yet? (My apologies for the crappy cell phone pic... email me if you have a better one!)