ART IS GOOD FOR YOU
Murals of La Jolla 7777 Girard Avenue, La Jolla, California 2023-2026
7777 Girard Avenue at Silverado Street Photo by Philipp Scholz Rittermann
ART IS GOOD FOR YOU was commissioned by Murals of La Jolla in 2023 and located downtown at the intersection of Girard Avenue and Silverado Street where it joined fifteen additional, outdoor works “by a roster of internationally renowned artists.”
My inspiration for the 15 x 100 feet, hand-painted mural came from an empty box of Atomic Fireballs candy I picked up from the sidewalk outside the door to my Columbus, Ohio, studio. A message printed inside the folded flap to the box suggested: “Candy is delicious food. Eat some every day.” Soon afterwards, I made a set of give-away cards reading: “ART IS GOOD FOR YOU. MAKE SOME EVERY DAY.” Later, I painted the message “ART IS GOOD FOR YOU” on an exterior wall of my art studio (aka the ART MARKET™) which has since become a neighborhood landmark.
In February 2026, the mural at Girard Avenue in La Jolla was permanently covered over by the building’s new owner, JPMorganChase.
Concept sketch
Postcard available upon request
Related reading Murals of La Jolla New Mural in La Jolla Takes a Stance on Benefits of Public Art, by Ashley Mackin-Solomon in La Jolla Light.