San Jose Street Art

I spend a lot of time in the neighborhood of Willow Glen. Besides all of the great shops and restaurants in the area one thing that has always caught my eye are all of the fun, colorful murals on buildings.  These murals bring culture and art to the neighborhood. They are transforming blank walls from Willow Glen to Downtown San Jose. 

Three years ago Black Sheep Brasserie opened on Lincoln Avenue and brought a bit of France to Willow Glen, serving updated French classics. Of course I was exited about this new addition since I love everything French. On the back wall of the restaurant they have a beautiful mural with wine, cheese, flowers, veggies, and a black sheep titled "Le Moutor Noir".  Every time I see this mural it makes me happy.  It is so bright and cheery to look at. 

While searching for murals on my San Jose Street Art Blog Adventure Day I found one behind the BevMo building on Lincoln Avenue called "Life in Willow Glen". I walked over and took a bunch of photos of this beautiful and colorful mural.  In this fun rainbow hued interactive piece the artist Lila Gemellos illustrates the culture of Willow Glen. She tells the story of Willow Glen's past and present taking the audience on a trip through time. I started researching Lila Gemellos and discovered that the bicycle mural that I love so much on the Peet's Coffee building in the Rose Garden neighborhood (see my recent Rose Garden blog) is also by the same artist. Gemellos was raised and trained in San Jose. She started her mural business seven years ago and brings a local creative force to the area. 

Another fun and cheerful mural that I love in the Willow Glen neighborhood is on the building of the bakery Flower Flour. This is a "lovely little neighborhood spot" which is off the beaten path from the downtown strip on Willow Street. The colorful walls are covered in a French inspired painting. Everything about this place is French including the decor, food, and even the music playing inside. This little European patisserie and flower shop owned by Mimi Brown is cheerfully decorated and offers pastries, lunch, custom cakes, along with floral arrangements. When I went inside I was greeted by a very friendly women that suggested trying the Spinach Pie for lunch. It was a perfect warm and cozy meal on a rainy day. I let her know that I was checking out local places for my blog and she let me take photos inside. She even helped me stage an Instagram photo of the delicious "Flower Flour Choco Slice" of chocolate cake that I enjoyed. This cake is layered with chocolate mousse and chocolate ganache, a chocolate lovers dream!

Moving on from the Willow Glen area I headed to downtown San Jose which has a large variety of murals. After researching I picked the one that called out to me and went to take a look. Since I love colorful and cute things the one that spoke to me the most was the Panda Mural on 1st Street and San Fernando by the "Panda Cafe Bakery". It was a little tricky to get a parking spot to take a photo of this large mural.  It's on a one way street with the light rail running by often. After driving around the block a couple times I was finally able to park and get a good look. This fun mural by Phoung-Mai Bui Quoung and the P.M.Q Studios was created on February 3, 2015. This large scale pice of art brings whimsy to Downtown San Jose. Since there won't be any retail space any time soon on this block it entertains drivers along 1st Street. Even though it is tricky getting over here it is worth taking a trip to the busy side of town to see this great mural. I will have to make a trip back to check out the "Panda Cafe Bakery" since I am always on the look out for new bakeries. Seeing this fun and cheerful mural was a great way to end my San Jose Street Art Adventure day.