Hyde Street View

Hyde Street View

original oil painting 11x14, SOLD

Studio Gallery

Another painting of the view on Hyde Street in San Francisco. This view is always inspiring to me.  I continue to try different compositions and to play with color combinations.

The painting above is at Studio Gallery in San Francisco and will be part of an annual show called "Tiny."  Details for the show are listed to the right.

I am working on paintings for two other shows. In December I will have new paintings at Elliott Fouts Gallery in their small images show. Also in December, I'm the featured artist at Viewpoints Gallery in a show titled "Santa Cruz to San Francisco."

Bay View on Hyde St, San Francisco

Bay View on Hyde Street

original oil painting 14x11

Viewpoints Gallery
SOLD

Hyde Street has stunning views of the San Francisco bay, Alcatraz and Angel Island. I took a reference photo while I was plein air painting on Hyde Street in San Francisco, which I turned into a painting in my studio.   

I chose this composition because I liked the two cable cars crossing paths on Hyde Street. Also, the dark cast shadow on the tree on the right contrasts nicely with the rest of the bright, colorful painting.  A cast shadow is a darker shadow, created by another object blocking the light- in this case, a building out of the picture frame on the right.

View of the Bay, San Francisco

View of the Bay, San Francisco

orginal oil painting 10x8

SOLD

I was painting in San Francisco and I wanted a photo of a street scene with Alcatraz and Angel Island in the background. I drove around until I found this spot on Hyde Street and then I waited for the Cable Car to crest the hill, into the sunlight. It actually took quite a while. The cable cars don't run that often. It turns out that people driving in cars don't like it when you're standing in the middle of the street to take photos, but I was happy with the composition.

San Francisco Street 3

San Francisco Street 3

8x10 original oil painting

SOLD

Finally, I'm back to painting after the holidays.  The sun is moving higher in the sky and I'm getting direct sunlight in my studio again. 

The painting above is a street scene with a cable car line.  I don't always know the exact location of my photographs, because I'm often taking pictures as I'm driving around San Francisco in my car.  (I do wait until I'm at a stop sign or stop light.)  I like to include cable cars because they give the paintings a sense of place and they make a nice focal point for my paintings.

O'Farrell and Jones, San Francisco

O'Farrell and Jones, San Francisco

8x10 original oil painting

SOLD

I'm back to painting the City.  October is a beautiful time in San Francisco.  After a long foggy summer, the sun is shining in San Francisco.

When painting scenes of San Francisco it can be a little tricky to capture the sun on the streets.  It depends upon the height of the buildings and the time of the day.  Usually artists prefer to paint in early morning or late afternoon light because the long shadows create drama in compositions.  But in San Francisco, it can be better to paint and photograph at noon with the sun directly overhead. On some streets, midday is the only time the sunlight can break through the tall buildings.

The cable car in the painting above is a replica of the old car on the O'Farrell and Jones Street line. I like the red color that the cable car brings to the composition.  I also like the warmth in the street where the sun hits, I've added a little yellow to the cool gray to warm up the color on the street.

Cable Car on Hyde Street 2

Cable Car on Hyde Street 2

8x10 original oil painting

SOLD

My mom and sister were visiting recently and we made a trip to San Francisco to ride a cable car.  It's a very popular attraction for tourists and since it was a beautiful day, the lines were long.

When the cable car was first introduced in San Francisco in 1873, it was state-of-the-art public transportation. Through the early 20th century, the system expanded until buses were introduced and support for the cable car system waned. The cable cars were almost shut down in 1947.

This composition shows the Powell-Hyde line with its views from Hyde Street, with the San Francisco Bay and Alcatraz in the background.  The line, one of three still in service, begins at the Powell-Market turntable and runs over Nob and Russian hills before ending at Aquatic Park near Ghiradelli Square.  It's still worth the price of admission just for the view, even if you really don't have anywhere to go.

Cable Car on Hyde Street

Cable Car, San Francisco

8x10 original oil painting

SOLD

I feel lucky to live so close to San Francisco.  Over the weekend we went with friends to the ACT Theater to see the play "Scapin".  The evening was warm and when we left the theater at about 10:15 pm, the streets were filled with people.  I was inspired to paint a street scene of San Francisco.

In this view you can see the Hyde Street cable car with Alcatraz and Angel Island in the distance.  It was a clear warm day with views across the bay.