Artist: Sandow Birk of Long Beach, CA. Birk is a local artist fast emerging on the national gallery circuit, and is best recognized for his sharply satirical paintings that illustrate a fictitious rivalry between LA and San Francisco. In addition to Birk's Southern Californian education, he has studied and traveled extensively abroad. While in Portugal, he was inspired by the tile Azulejos that beautifully adorn the city's façades. These murals depict landscapes, religious iconography, and historical events. Birk's City Place murals appropriate this tradition, employing a white under-glaze, majolica, over which the image is hand-painted in brilliant blue.
Location: City Place shopping center. Promenade and 4th
Street in Downtown Long Beach. Project
District: District 1
Description: Two ceramic tile murals made of hand painted
Portuguese style "Azulejo" tiles. The main mural is 16' x 16',
the companion piece is 9' x 9'. The images in the murals reference
the Queen Mary, CSULB's pyramid, and the oil production industry.
While in the foreground Long Beach's multi cultural community
forges a livelihood on surfboard and horseback.
Funding: $50,000.Project funds were generated by the Redevelopment
Agency of Long Beach's percent for art program.
Completion: November 8, 2002
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