Jessalyn Aaland
LightNews LightNews
banner
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
Jessalyn Aaland
@jessalynaaland.bsky.social
82 followers 77 following 71 posts
🙂 San Francisco Bay Area visual artist
✨ co-publisher @CurrentEditions.bsky.social ✨
https://linktr.ee/jessalynaaland
Posts Replies Media Videos
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
Sadly, in the 2010s, a series of rebrandings aimed at modernizing Orean’s led to less satisfying versions of the sign (the last photo is probably from our final visit in 2014, at least they kept the train!).
A view of Orean's The Health Express orange sign with green and black text in serif and bubbly fonts. The bottom of the sign reads Total Vegetarian in a green serif font with white outline. The sign is a street view featuring the iconic a-frame building with red roof to the right, a lamp post in the left foreground and in the right background, and a view of Pasadena's Lake Street to the right. Illuminated nighttime sign for Orean's vegetarian fast food restaurant reading "Total Vegetarian" with image of a plant-based burger, fries, and the brand's red train logo.
August 4, 2025 at 12:18 AM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
The perpetually peeling yellow sign with its train hauling an assortment of veggies was also iconic.
Bright yellow vintage sign for "Orean... The Health Express" featuring a cartoon faded red train carrying a veggies, advertising a vegetarian fast-food drive-thru in Pasadena, California.
August 4, 2025 at 12:18 AM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
While in Pasadena for the LA Art Book Fair with currenteditions.bsky.social, we naturally had to pay our respects to Orean’s Health Express on Lake Street (RIP!).

Founded by Orean Curtis Thomas in 1979, Orean’s was the first vegetarian fast food restaurant in the United States.
Woman with long brown hair in a purple shirt making a peace sign, posing in front of an abandoned building with iconic green A-frame architecture, chain-link fence in foreground, sign reads "Tierra Mia Coffee"
August 4, 2025 at 12:18 AM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
The show includes collages from 2017–2025: flowers, rocks, shells, stickers, and hand-cut shapes in spirals or quiet scenes. The title comes from a beautiful Connie Converse song I love. 🌼💗
A work surface with a green cutting mat covered in collage clippings including two white and clear trays full of colorful miscellaneous objects, a clear tray of cut flowers. The mat is littered with clippings of flowers and textile objects like macrame. Also visible is a pair of orange handled scissors, a purple Xacto knife, a pencil, a metal ruler, an and sheet of colorful prismatic lotus symbol stickers. On the right side is a collage in progress: a wildflower bouquet in a tall thin colorful handmade vase on a brown paper background pressed to look like a wood tabletop, and a white background wall.
June 29, 2025 at 10:22 PM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
Excited to share that my solo show Tell Me How to Be a Lily opens this Thursday, July 3, at Yorba Gallery in Sutter Creek, CA. Come by if you’re in the Sierra foothills this summer!

🎊 Reception July 19, 5–7pm.
Smiling woman in sunglasses, a floral print t-shirt, jeans, and off-white sneakers flashed a peace sign while kneeling. She is surrounded by boxes contained framed artworks in the bottom of a white brick stairwell in an industrial building.
June 29, 2025 at 10:22 PM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
@sahotchkiss.bsky.social in the spirit of a scientific investigation I am revisiting this beverage to give it a proper review. I would say the overall taste is like a smashed packet of Skittles with a slight skew towards lime and an unexpectedly weird undertaste of coconut
A hand holding a can of Sunshine La Croix against a white wall. The person holding the can has light skin and a light purple metal enamel bracelet.
June 27, 2025 at 6:39 PM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
As someone that has been to both a lot of protests AND noise shows in someone’s garage, this is legitimately one of the funniest things I have ever seen
June 7, 2025 at 11:38 PM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
My ebay seller just checking in
Four sheets of brown stickers in leaf shapes titled “Autumn Leaves”. They are small and seem to be a school supply style. They are fanned out on top of an open card that says Thinking of you… in an italic serif font.
May 31, 2025 at 10:26 PM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
A casual eBay search for embroidered bird patches has led me to possibly the greatest listing title of all time
Screenshot of an eBay listing for an embroidered patch showing a cartoonish mad scientist with wild hair holding a green test tube, standing on stylized block letters spelling “JNCO.” The listing title reads: “Junco Jeans Patch Never been used. It was my sons who got killed five years ago.” The price is $60 with free shipping. Seller has one review and 100% positive feedback.
May 24, 2025 at 11:39 PM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
May 6, 2025 at 1:39 AM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
A couple of his songs for you to enjoy!
May 6, 2025 at 1:39 AM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
🪺ROBIN REPORT🪺
I’m obsessed with our local robin, who for the second year in a row now comes to perch on the parking garage across the street from us. He regales us with his song between 5:30-7 am & pm daily.
A large busty robin sits atop a metal post, his mouth open mid-song. The wall below him is covered in his droppings. A large busty robin sits atop a metal post, looking out into the distance.
May 6, 2025 at 1:37 AM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
Something in America that doesn’t suck is you can find mushrooms in the ground for free and sometimes you can eat them
(shout-out to my state mushroom)
A hand holding a large California golden chanterelle in golden light, against a background of green and brown leaves in a forest
March 12, 2025 at 3:21 AM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
Honk if you live that compost lifestyle 🥑🍌🥬🧅🥕🍓🥒🍠🍎🌽
A green compost bin with a “Parental Advisory: Explicit Content” label on the front
March 11, 2025 at 5:45 PM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
Help what do you do with a practical joke amount of jalapeños (5 pounds!)?!?!!???
A hand with a small squiggle tattoo holds a stainless steel bowl overflowing with about five pounds of fresh green jalapeños. In the background, a white refrigerator features a screen-printed sign with gold ink reading “FOOD SUX,” an upside-down American flag magnet covered in paint, and a postcard artwork from a friend held by a clip. A large paper cutter sits nearby in an industrial-style space, with a speckled floor reflecting colorful rainbow light.
March 2, 2025 at 6:49 PM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
Something in America that doesn’t suck is in February the cherry blossoms on my street come out
Macro shot of delicate pink cherry blossoms with intricate stamens and deep red buds. Close-up of cherry blossom tree branches covered in pink flowers against a pale sky. Detailed shot of a small cluster of pink cherry blossoms with dark red stems, set against a blurred tree trunk. Cherry blossom tree with intertwining branches filled with pink flowers and dark bark.
February 19, 2025 at 3:11 AM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
Can any Flightradar24 heads explain what is up with this air force plane’s extremely weird flight path?!!?? (speculations welcome! wtf)
Flightradar24 screenshot showing a U.S. Air Force Boeing KC-46A Pegasus (GULF78) flying from Sacramento to Sacramento, with a mapped flight path over California and Arizona, including loops near San Diego Flightradar24 screenshot zoomed in on the same aircraft’s flight path, highlighting loops over the Pacific Ocean near San Diego and Baja California.
February 14, 2025 at 5:14 AM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
Something in America that doesn’t suck is watching a Great Egret take flight
A white great egret flies over brown marshland in Northern California. The sky is blue and there are gently sloping green hills in the background due to recent rains. Its wingspan makes it looks majestic. Another photo of the great egret flying over brown marshland in Northern California. In this photo the egret is in the left of the frame. In the bottom right of the photo there is a rainbow. A great egret before taking flight, looking into reeds in a Bay Area marsh. It’s standing to the left of a flat dirt hiking trail. The sky is blue and there is a small amount of green grass between the trail and the reeds where the egret is looking.
February 12, 2025 at 2:29 AM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
Surprise woodchip morels from my afternoon walk ☔️🍄‍🟫☔️
Cluster of wild morel mushrooms growing among green grass and fallen leaves. Hand holding freshly picked morel mushrooms with textured, honeycomb-like caps.
February 7, 2025 at 1:26 AM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
A selection of today’s finds from my favorite mycorrhizal plane with whom I have a deep emotional attachment
A vibrant red-orange mushroom (Amanita muscaria) partially buried in soil and plant debris on a forest floor. Its cap features characteristic white, wart-like patches and is surrounded by green grass and dried leaves. A cluster of large, cream-colored mushrooms with textured, bumpy caps (likely Amanita magniverrucata), emerging from dark soil amid dried leaves and twigs. Their irregular surface pattern suggests a mature growth stage. A large, whitish mushroom with a wide, flattened brown cap (likely Amanita pantherinoides) covered in dark soil and scattered white patches, standing on a grassy patch mixed with fallen leaves and debris. The cap’s cracked surface and dirt indicate exposure to environmental elements. A whitish mushroom with a wide, upturned brown cap covered in scattered white patches, standing on a grassy patch mixed with fallen leaves and debris. A road is visible in the distance indicating the photo is taken from atop a hill.
February 4, 2025 at 6:38 AM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
MUSHROOM UPDATE: we’re two months late for chanterelle season in the Bay Area but I’ll take late over nothing.

If you need to find me now through April, I’ll be digging under oak duff looking for mycelium.
A person holding a large chanterelle mushroom (Cantharellus californicus) in their hand, showcasing its distinctive wavy, golden-orange cap and intricate gill-like ridges underneath. The mushroom appears freshly foraged, with small specks of dirt still clinging to it. The person’s hand, with fair skin and neatly trimmed nails, is partially covered by a burgundy-colored jacket sleeve. The background consists of a blurred forest floor covered in green moss, fallen leaves, and twigs, indicating a woodland setting. A small, partially exposed bright orange mushroom (Cantharellus californicus) growing among decaying brown leaves and sticks on a forest floor. The earthy surroundings highlight its vivid coloration.
February 4, 2025 at 6:38 AM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
For the record, my relationship with this log predates its pumping out pleurotus big boys
A close-up of a hand holding several large oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) with their gills facing outward. The mushrooms have a delicate, fan-like shape with tightly spaced gills running down the stem. The person’s hand, which appears slightly dirty from foraging, is partially visible, and they are wearing a red sleeve. The background is blurred, consisting of earthy tones, likely a forest floor. A cluster of oyster mushrooms growing on a decaying log in a forest setting. The mushrooms have smooth, slightly convex caps with a light beige to off-white coloration. They are arranged in layers, characteristic of their growth pattern. The surrounding area includes fallen leaves, moss, and natural debris, emphasizing the mushrooms’ habitat on decomposing wood. The log itself shows signs of decay, with small fungi growing inside a hollowed-out section.
February 4, 2025 at 2:49 AM
jessalynaaland.bsky.social
Shout out to my neighborhood for taking advantage of PG&E’s recent utility pole undergrounding
The phrase “ACAB” is written into fresh concrete
February 3, 2025 at 5:30 AM