A dragon is born in Burbank

Assisted by a crew calling itself the "mosaic mafia," and working out of a movie prop yard in Burbank, Los Angeles artist Jolino Beserra is breathing life into a 30-foot cement dragon.

The Trust for Public Land commissioned the artist to craft a mosaic play structure for Maywood Avenue Park, a park and playground we're in the process of creating in southeast Los Angeles. 

Local journalist Emily Green—who chronicles western conservation on her blog Chance of Rain—reported on Beserra's efforts in a recent blog post (Read: "Through a Dragon Brightly"). 

She also shot a lovely photo essay documenting the painstaking progress. Click through some of our favorite images in the slideshow below.