Photos and text by Marlow Harris. Art by Martin Sanchez.
Restaurant-owner and folk artist Martin Sanchez has created an urban oasis, a garden of Eden, hidden behind shrubs, trees and a wrought-iron fence inside Martin’s Tio’s Tacos restaurant on Mission Inn Avenue in Riverside, California.
Detail of the exterior of the beer bottle chapel dome.
Relatively undiscovered, Mr. Sanchez has been working on his creation for almost 10 years. Patrons of the restaurant can walk underneath cooling streams of water flowing from a fountain garden made of broken pieces of clay and old pipes, discarded bicycles, dolls and other items. While we were there, we found Mr. Sanchez’ relatives helping him work to expand his garden paradise.
Using beer and soda pop bottles, Sanchez has created a light-filled folk art chapel, with his version of “stained glass”.
Detail of the interior of the chapel, resplendant with Virgins, crosses and saints.
There is topiary wire filled with Barbie dolls, perfume bottles and pipe elbows. There’s an incredible path through an archway lined in tubing pumping water, creating an obstacle course of water, where one can walk without getting wet.
Inside the restaurant, Sanchez has created tile mosaics of sea creatures such as lobsters and marlins. The mosaics are everywhere, covering the tables and floors.
Detail of beer and soda pop bottles imbedded in the walls.
Detail of the hand-painted bottle chapel dome.
RIVERSIDE CALIFORNIA FOLK ART INSTALLATION
LOTS MORE PHOTOS – CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE TO PAGE 2
All artwork by Martin Sanchez. All photos by Marlow Harris and JoDavid.
5 Responses to “ Riverside California Folk Art ”
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[...] Unusual Life » Riverside California Folk Art Restaurant-owner and folk artist Martin Sanchez has created an urban oasis, a garden of Eden, hidden behind shrubs, trees and a wrought-iron fence inside Martin’s Tio’s Tacos restaurant on Mission Inn Avenue in Riverside, California. (tags: architecture art design) [...]
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[...] Riverside California Folk Art – Folk artist Martin Sanchez art installation, built from, and filled with, found materials, curiosities, and oddities. [...]
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[...] Here’s where the idea hit us.. and we ventured yet further into Tio’s gardens to find a water display where you could walk amidst gorgeous streams above your head and greenery all around without getting wet or eaten by the hose anaconda above, further still was an event area with various junk dinosaurs and yet more sculptures! Just when we thought the perfection of this site couldn’t be beat we passed a topiary statue birthing a doll to find a small chapel made of bottle caps, complete with a mini Sistine like ceiling, and green and yellow pews! YES!! Just enough blasphemy for perfection! Add in the music background from a GOB Bluth Illusion extravaganza and you’ve got my dream wedding! Check out more pictures of all the amazing artwork of Martin Sanchez from this great blog Unusual Life. [...]
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[...] State Historic Park and, since it was Sunday and his companion was hungry, our friend recommended Mariscos El Tío’s on Mission Inn Avenue, with its funky decor, for lunch — despite the fact that we [...]
I had lunch there one weekend and the ordered a Carne asada burito. The meat looked like someone had chewed it up and spit it out. It was so hard to bite into the burito I just gave up and did not eat it. My kids left their food too because the meat was discusting. I like to support my hispanic vendors but this restaurant does not deserve the A grade.