Street art manifests itself on the walls of Los Angeles

When art lovers speak about the best places to see art in Los Angeles, they usually give locations that are well-known museums like Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Getty Villa.

Communal artwork · Some of Los Angeles’ best artwork can be found painted on local stores, buildings and even sidewalks — an indication that art media is constantly undergoing change and improvisation. - Eva Recinos | Daily Trojan

But you don’t always have to brave obnoxious L.A. traffic and parking rates to get exposure to some exciting, modern works. In the streets near USC lies a hidden creative energy in the form of impressive, innovative street art that showcases some veritable urban talent.

Pulsing through Vermont Avenue, Jefferson Boulevard, Adams Boulevard and other major roads near campus is an artistic spirit manifested on walls near homes, businesses and schools. You might not realize it, but there are plenty of artists around USC creating public art pieces as small as a postcard or as large as the side of a building.

One of the simplest forms of street art is stencil art, a medium that involves making a stencil beforehand and placing it on the ground before quickly spray painting over it. It’s all around us. Keep your eyes on the ground as you walk down The Row near University Avenue, and you might spot the face of a girl with long black hair looking up at you from the sidewalk with a big smile on her face. And if you ever find yourself walking back to campus toward McClintock Avenue from The Row, keep your eyes on the ground near Hoover Boulevard right across from Wendy’s and you’ll spot a giant spray-painted unhappy face looking up at you.

But this is only the start — as it turns out, the streets surrounding our campus serve as an artistic playground for a spectrum of aesthetic tastes and personalities.

Traveling on Vermont Avenue, you can walk around the corner of Celaya Bakery and encounter two large murals, both shockingly intricate and bold. On one wall there is a piece depicting a passionate guitar-wielding Carlos Santana next to the list of bakery items. His guitar has the words “una pa’l corzaon” in white cursive letters, a phrase that translates to “one for the heart.”

The mural is done in a painterly style, the thick brushstrokes creating a passionate facial expression on the guitar legend. I spoke to one of the workers inside the bakery who told me the artist, who goes by the name of Guactemoc, frequently paints murals with the bakery owner’s permission. The mural previously pictured Michael Jackson after his death.

Across the way is an even larger piece with the words “Hate Free Community,” framed by the faces of Jimi Hendrix and Che Guevara. The bold colors are expertly chosen and paired with clever details like swirls, small birds and dark figures.

Drive down Jefferson Boulevard and you can find a variety of other street art, including an astonishingly huge piece entitled “The Knight” created by the well-known Los Angeles graffiti artist Retna, whose style is distinguished by skillful portraits and visually complex backgrounds.

And if you ever plan on making a trip to the In-N-Out in Culver City, take a little detour and make a quick stop on Arlington Avenue and Washington Boulevard.

The walls of Bob’s Automatic Transmission serve as the canvas for many artists’ works, including Guatemalan graffiti artist Cache, known for including chickens in his pieces. Two sides of the building are entirely covered with everything from a snowman holding a scroll with the words “graff artist wish list” to a deranged face holding a spray paint can with an open mouth.

The best way to find these works is to just drive, walk or bike down the streets and keep your eyes open. Though the neighborhoods might seem intimidating, standing in front of one of these works is thrilling.

You can see the craftsmanship and time spent on these pieces in the brilliant combination of colors in tags, the graffiti artists’ chosen street names and the creativity and quirkiness of characters created by the artists. Some pieces also contain striking resemblances to some people you might even recognize.

Though Los Angeles and USC foster artistic communities, the city contains hidden gems that require patient discovery.

Explore the nooks and crannies of the city to find intriguing art and witness works from artists unafraid to push the boundaries and make the city their canvas.

Eva Recinos is a junior majoring in English. Her column “Art Box” runs Thursdays.