The Surfin' Bird mural, depicting Santa Cruz life.

The Andy's Auto mural, depicting car culture from a bygone era and the founder of Andy's Auto Andy Mekis and his family.

Local artist and teacher Kathleen Crocetti led a project with middle schoolers to create and install 59 mosaics on the Water Street bridge crossing the San Lorenzo river.

Each mosaic features a species from the river's watershed.

The Streetlight Records mural.

Vaguely ominous architectural detail of wreathed rams heads adorning the Rittenhouse Building, an edifice sporting a classic, one might almost say, atavistic, vernacular.

The Ultramat Mural welcomes you to the Downtown Historic District.

The mural on the side of The Starving Musician musical instrument shop.

The mural on the side of the Poet and Patriot Pub, depicting the namesake poet, Pádraig Pearse, and James Connolly, the patriot and founder of the Irish Labour Party.

Jazz alley leads to the Kuumbwa Jazz Center, and the mural by Marvin Plummer depicts musicians Christian McBride, John Scofield, Regina Carter, Roy Hargrove and Betty Carter.

A sculpture commemorating the people and places lost in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

The Four Muses, as depicted in a four panel series on the side of the Old Theatre Building.

A compass embedded in the sidewalk in front of the Cruzio Building, dating back to when it was the Sentinel Building and home of the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

During the renovation of Abbott Square, a new mural, designed by artist Thomas Campbell, was painted on the side of the Museum of Art & History.

The Food Love mural on the side wall of the Toadal Fitness building in downtown Santa Cruz.

This is the location of the downtown Farmer's Market, and the mural is part of a project dedicated to enriching the farmer market experience.

The planter boxes along the side of the Santa Cruz Police station are inset with 12 inch squares with little ceramic figures set in mosaic cement, a project of local elementary school kids and sculptor Susana Arias.

The Felix Kulpa Gallery with the mural on the side of the Elm Street Mission looming overhead next door. I like this mashup, because in Christian theology, the sin of Adam is viewed as a "happy accident" (or, felix culpa, in latin) because it led to the blessing of the Redemption.

The little mural of Einstein, the original Spokesman himself, on the side wall of The Spokesman bike shop in downtown Santa Cruz.

Mural covering the whole back wall of The Spokesman bike shop in downtown Santa Cruz.

The Downtown Santa Cruz is That Way mural, on the side of the Beach Street Boutique across from the Santa Cruz Wharf.