No art, today: after almost 20 years together, Mike and I decided to make it official. Surrounded by friends and family (and CBS News, yikes!) we were married in a civil ceremony at San Francisco City Hall, where the same-sex marriage in California began. Ed & Mike, Wedding Day, San Francisco City Hall I hope … Read more
While I was in NYC last week on business, I brought a simple pen and ink set. I draw using a fountain pen with Roting-Brown ink, and a watercolor brush with water to create the wash. I like to sketch people (for some reason, landscape less so). Parks are a good spot. People tend to … Read more
The Fall is the best time to paint the coast here as there’s usually not as much fog. I expected to paint an ocean view, but came across this view of a field and cliff (click for Google Map of the location, just north of Half Moon Bay). I liked the arrangement of shapes and … Read more
Crissy Field is San Francisco’s newest major park, dedicated in 2001. Originally an airfield in 1919, the field was the site of one of the earliest army airfields on the west coast. The western portion of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition was held here, including The Grand Prix. According the NPS website, “The winning auto … Read more
The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco is no longer an art museum–as you might think–but a park and very fun hands-on science museum called the “Exploritorium” . The complex of buildings was built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, just a few short years after the devastating 1906 Great Earthquake and Fire.The Exposition … Read more
Roads and pathwayss are often used as compositional devices by artists (click here for a Google images search result to see some samples). After all, artist’s use principles of design to lead the eye within a painting, in order to maintain interest. A road is an easy way to lead the eye, because we’re trained … Read more
I think my shadows have been overly dark lately, so I’ve been seeking opportunities to “lighten up”. An old reference photo of “China Cove” in Point Lobos did the trick. The photograph was over exposed, so everything was lighter than it would have been otherwise. As I was painting this, the colors in the photo … Read more
We’re having incredible weather this week in San Francisco! I crossed the street yesterday to Buena Visa Park the oldest park in San Francisco on a great hill in the center of the city. I hiked up near the top, where this great view of the bay and neighborhoods below made for a nice light … Read more
Here’s another study of “Lands End” (Golden Hour) I started in my previous post. I created a video of the process, by stringing together still photographs of various stages of the painting. I like this composition. The large tree reflects the strength and gracefulness of the Monterey Cypress, but I’m not sure about my darks…they … Read more
Last Sunday was a beautiful day for walking, and the far western edge of San Francisco (known as “Lands End“) was striking the last hour of the day (“Golden Hour“). A couple of things attracted me to this scene: the light, subject (Monterey Cypress trees, my favorite!) and the shapes made for an interested composition. … Read more