Picturesque, picture-rich and colorful walls in the northern district of Midtown, south of downtown Reno, Nevada (November, 2013)

Reno is art town. You may get your first exposure of Reno's art outdoors on the city streets, alleys and plazas. For example, at the site featured above, where memories and fantasies melt into urban reality.



You can't miss the oversized, antique-looking photo camera on the wall that is coming into view when walking or driving along California Avenue and approaching its junction with South Virginia Street in the northern part of Reno's Midtown. Adventuring into the square enclosed by Stewart St., S. Center St., Moran St. and S. Virgina St., you will encounter a diversity of interesting pictures and motifs.



Faces and portraits unfold along the rollfilm. Continuing around the corner, people and animals intermingle in an ocean-side landscape with an uplifted backdrop of urban architecture. A curious killer whale is showing his presence while a sun-tanning woman in a red-and-white-striped bathing suit is napping next to scary-black palm trees. There is something to make anyone laugh—or be scared—in this wild panoramic assemblage. Just notice that even the sun (or is it the moon or a flying octopus?) is wearing sunglasses.