The Silver Spring Penguin

Credit: R. Pace/SSP.

Editor’s note: Penguin photog Ron Pace first spotted this piece of street art going up outside Fenton Village’s Kefa Cafe in early June, but the real eye grabber was the artist’s tricked-out car.

At first glance, some people notice bright colors and broad faces beaming from the dingy alley off Bonifant Street. Others notice the kid carrying an AK-47 over his shoulder.

Either way, the mural sprouting outside Kefa Cafe in Fenton Village has drawn the neighborhood’s attention. Each figure on that brick wall has a story to tell. So does the guy painting them.

Joel Bergner has painted murals in San Francisco, Chicago and The District, most with a nod to the immigrants who make up those neighborhoods. They also reflect his peripatetic life, as he rolls from one city to the next in his pimped-out ride. (more…)