Art Town: Untitled and Unsure

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On the Crate and Barrel building downtown, across the street from Pinstripes on S. Main Street, there is a new mural painted on a large, indented, white brick canvas. It caught my eye when I was heading to my holiday party for work recently and I’ve been trying to find more information on it ever since!

I think, after much digging, I at least know the artist’s name. It is signed with the username or tag @caseyoconnell_. According to this brief Beyond the Creek write-up (they love it too!), the artist has an Instagram account. From there, I was able to find Casey O’Connell’s artist website. Based on the looks of her other work, this is definitely her mural!

It does not feature as a mural on her website, but it may just not have been updated since this mural was created in Walnut Creek. Also, on her Instagram page, there was a photo of a piece called “The Red Panda Moon Is Honoring Me” that bears a striking resemblance to the mural. There are subtle differences between the two, but it’s clearly the same theme.

I really just love how it looks when viewed in full, but then you get closer and there is so much little detail in the shadowy trees and the reflection of the moon in multiple places at the bottom (I presume, in water?). This is one thing I really love about where we live: we take our public art seriously!

Tiny Houses & CB2

With the trend towards tiny homes (see my recent blog!), I found it interesting that Crate & Barrel has started marketing some lines of furniture to mini-living. This trend was reinforced from a coach, philosopher, and student of learning who built a tiny home with no electricity but did have running water and truly lived off the grid.

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Since the trend is turning towards more urban living (especially in bigger cities), and towards tiny homes, furniture needs to be on a smaller scale, too. To satisfy those trends and to play to the tiny home-loving millennial market, stores like Crate & Barrel (CB2) are making furniture for a smaller scale living space.

I find all this very intriguing and a smart way to live, especially as I get older, am an empty nester, and don’t need the expense of watering 1/3 acre or heating a 2,000-sq. ft. home.

The coach I mentioned is Michael Lorence. He lived in a tiny home in the woods and called his home the “Innermost House.” It was 12-by-12 feet in size, in a world lit only by fire. It served as a private meeting place of forest nature, fine traditional craft, fundamental thought culture, and cosmopolitan spirituality. In our class and various conversations, it got me thinking about how much space we really need and the importance of communing with nature.

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Another insight into tiny homes was when my friends the Lore’s, who are very handy at remodeling, helped their oldest son, Ryan, remodel a small 450-sq. ft. studio he bought in the city and created a very chic and modern living space that was featured in Houzz. It is a trend that I believe will become the norm as it has been in Europe and Asia. It also links to my past blog on the number of older people selling their McMansions and moving into small city condos.

Check out the links andI would love to hear your thoughts.