Kathy and Karol take on South Street in Philly!

Have you ever heard of Philadelphia's Magic Gardens?  Have you heard of the artist named Isaiah Zagar?

Well, if your answer is no to both questions, you must go check it out. 

Philadelphia's Magic Garden is located on South Street in Philadelphia.  The neighborhood is full of tattoo parlors, cheesesteak restaurants, consignment and antique shops.  My kind of neighborhood!

 Isaiah Zagar has and is creating mosaic murals like no other.  The Magic Garden is his work of art.

Every turn reveals something new and different.  I just love this sideways bird!

Ceilings, floors and walls are all mosaic! (look in the far back and note the archway made with bottles)

 There are so many words to describe it...remarkable, fascinating, incredible, overwhelming, beautiful, thought evoking, green, masterpiece, delightful  magical, inspiring, re-purposing, life's work, artistic....I could go on and on.  I've never seen anything like it.

This is a ceiling

Nothing is off limits; mirrors, glass, tile, bottles, bicycle wheels, statuary.  You name it, you can probably find it!

This is a stairway that leads to a labyrinth. 

     He bought the property in 1994 and works on it daily.  This space is his biggest accomplishment, but he has done several very large mosaic murals in over 100 spots in the city.  His goal is to mosaic the entire city.

 Do you see Karol in the distance?

 this says: I built this santuary to be inhabited by my ideas and my fantasies

 I love these blue bottles and

 there are figures everywhere!

Here is a wall with so much embedded in it, it is hard to see it all!

A little hiding place to just sit and think...

You can find mosaics all over the neighborhood.  Each one is unique and beautiful!

Karol and her new friends.  How many faces can you find?

This was on a wall in a parking lot...

and this is the wall of a building.  I found his work to be so inspirational.  I have all kinds of new ideas for my classes in the fall. 

I want this on my doorstep!

Field trips are a wonderful way to recharge our creative batteries! 

Of course, you can't go to Philly without having a cheese-steak for lunch, and we did!