Early February 2022

Introduction

I enjoy finding, photographing and sharing images of street art I find. In this post, I’ll share some new findings, revisit some not so new works, and say good bye to a few more. I’ll arrange the images more or less by location this time.

Calle Loiza

The Calle Loiza neighborhood is undergoing gentrification, changing from a gritty urban neighborhood to one with boutique bars, coffee shops, upscale restaurants. It is an ongoing process, slowed by Hurricane Maria and its aftermath, and then the covid pandemic. Still, many of the start up businesses have survived and the process, while slowed, is still happening.

And the area is rich with street art. Here are a few examples.

Two by theamazingske

The work above dates from 2021, so it is new to me as of this year. It replaced another work, shown next.

Compare the two works above. Both are signed by the same artist, theamazingske. I looked the name up on Instagram. The artist is a woman, and has exhibited works locally and internationally. If you have access to Instagram, see some of her work at @theamazingske. While you’re on Instagram, check out some of my images at @jmilohas. By the way, I notice common elements between the two works. Do you?

Billiards

I really like the work above. It has aided me with my Spanish vocabulary. I now know that billar means billiards. I won’t soon forget that. And it is nice to have a strong visual image to better understand the idiomatic expression to be behind the eight ball. Again, go to Instagram and see other works by this artist at @Kau.Tvrs.

Build Your Dream

I wasn’t able to identify the artist for the example above. I do like the wide ranging palette and the upbeat message.

Plantain?

The work above, just off Calle Loiza, is similar to one I had seen earlier, just off Avenida Juan Ponce de Leon in Santurce. I think it is in my post about eyes in street art. Check it out here.

Three on Screens

The colorful rooster is on a screen that opens and closes as the business it protects does. These screens are often a good place to find street art. Of course, you have to be there when the business is closed and the shutter is down. Here in San Juan, that is less of a problem than you might think.

Here are two more examples of street art on screens.

I found the example above in Condado. It has since disappeared.

The pineapple shown above is on Avenida de Deigo, near Avenida Juan Ponce de Leon. The business it protects has changed; the pineapple remains.

Calle San Agustin

Calle San Agustin is a side street that parallels the main routes in and out of Old San Juan. I sometimes walk along it as I go to and from the old city. While not rich in wall art, it does have some interesting examples.

I found the disembodied face above along Calle San Agustin, near our apartment building.

I discovered this mural along Calle San Agustin. The Spanish translates roughly as The Union Makes the Force.

Condado

Condado, the main beachfront tourist area in San Juan, is not rich in street art. However, I have found an occasional example.

This is one of the rare examples of street art in Condado. That it expresses a clear political message might well be the reason it is there.

Parc Escambron

Parc Escambron is a public park in the Puerta de Tierra section of San Juan. It has a fine beach, protected by off shore reefs. It is also home to an underwater park, in a section of the ocean protected by Punta Escambron and the remnants of Spanish fortifications.

The two examples above are on retaining walls near the abandoned Hotel Normandie. They promote the underwater marine park in protected waters in Parc Escambron.

Goodbyes

Street art is anything but permanent. I’ll now show a few examples no longer exist – painted over, on walls torn down, whatever. I won’t comment on them. They speak for themselves.

Conclusion

There you have it – more examples of street art. Stay tuned – plenty more where these came from.

Notes and Sources

All the images are mine. I use a Sony digital camera and edit the images with Adobe Lightroom and/or Photoshop. These images are minimally edited. I’ve cropped them when necessary and adjusted levels and sometime brightness and contrast.