Valley Artist Creates 45-foot Long Urban Art Landmark in NoHo

Heavy metal has come to Vanowen Street. Not the music but rather the latest in urban art from mosaic muralist Renee Howard. The new 45-foot wall and sidewalk mosaics are part of Howard’s sixth public space project in the Valley. Earlier installations were in Valley Glen, North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks and Burbank.

The new creation is at 11112 Vanowen on the south side between Vineland and Fair Avenue.

What was once a non-descript sidewalk and a blank concrete wall gets frequent traffic now as people come to see a spectacular 8-foot high, 45-feet-long abstract mural made up of thousands of recycled Sierra Nevada beer and LeCroix soda cans, CD’s, hex nuts, 150 feet of rope lighting, miscellaneous hardware and tools, 200 pounds of scrap metal, broken mirror pieces, children’s toys, electronics, computer parts, pennies and other discarded items.

The adjacent sidewalk which she describes as a “rock and roll river” features musical instruments, blue and green glass pieces and stone.

Starting in January, Howard began her project by locating a blank concrete block wall whose owner gave her permission to use the surface as her canvas.

She then began collecting materials from scrap yards and accepting what she calls “random gifts” from people cleaning out their garages.

For the past nine months, you could find Howard working diligently on the wall armed with a supply of Lipton’s Ice Tea and containers brimming with the kind of stuff most people throw away.

“I like the idea of using recycled materials, trash and cast-offs to create something beautiful. It’s inventing something from nothing,” said Howard. “And as the wall has taken shape, people have been bringing me things to incorporate. It’s been a labor of love.”

Howard is not a trained artist. She taught herself how to work with concrete, plaster and glue and how to cut glass and other challenging materials. Her work is reminiscent of the style of the Watts Towers in South Central Los Angeles. She had done work in private residences before tackling public art projects.

When she is not working on the wall, Howard runs BBA, a longtime talent agency in Burbank, and also manages a specialized services company called It’s No Problem. She started her artistic venture, Pastiche Gardens, in 2010 because she wanted to create art that used recycled materials and objects. Her website, pastichegardens.com, shows more of her work.

Now this coming Sunday, September 16th, Howard and community members will celebrate the completion of the wall from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. There will be a classic rock band and refreshments.

For more information, contact Renee Howard at 818-810-0499 or renee@pastichegardens.com.