View of the Bay Bridge

View of the Bay Bridge

original oil painting 36x36 $3,000

Viewpoints Gallery

A view of the Bay Bridge from Pacific Avenue in San Francisco. The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge spans the San Francisco Bay and connects Yerba Buena Island to San Francisco. It has one of the longest spans in the United States. Pacific Avenue has a great view of the Bay Bridge.

Golden Gate Bridge at Sunset

Golden Gate Bridge at Sunset

original oil painting 12x12 SOLD

Viewpoints Gallery

My show is hung at Viewpoints Gallery. "Golden Gate Bridge at Sunset" sold on the first day. My reception is Saturday, December 5, from 2-5 and open to the public.

I liked the view of the bridge from this angle and the warm light at sunset. I used alizarin crimson mixed with ultramarine blue to paint the sky in the distance.  I don't use alizarin very often because it's a cool red, but it worked in this painting. 

Real Food

Real Food

original oil painting 12x12, SOLD

Studio Gallery

While I was painting for an April show at Studio Gallery, I walked along Polk Street in San Francisco looking for interesting compositions.  The Real Food Company in Russian Hill had great colors - oranges and yellows.  I also liked the depth created by the darkness inside the market, contrasted with the bank of lights.  An old gray El Camino was outside on the street along with a motorcycle.

This painting is part of the "Delicious" show at Studio Gallery in San Francisco. The show runs August 27- September 14. The reception is Sunday August 30, 1-6 pm a 1641 Pacific Avenue, San Francisco. Stop by to see the work, it's a fun show!

Union and Taylor, San Francisco

Union and Taylor Street, San Francisco

original oil painting, 12x12, SOLD

Studio Gallery

This painting is in a show called "Huge" at Studio Gallery. (Although the painting is only 12"x12".) Looking North on Taylor Street you see the Bay, Alcatraz and Angel Island.

There is a concurrent show titled "Tiny" which includes three of my 6x6 paintings.  Stop by Studio Gallery in San Francisco to see the beautiful new gallery space on Pacific Street. You can chat with owners Jen and Rab who are super nice.

Ellis St, San Francisco

Ellis St, San Francisco

original oil painting, 14x11 $400

Viewpoints Gallery, Sept 2-27

 

A view on Ellis Street near Larkin on a sunny day in San Francisco. The Hotel Essex is the gray building on the right.  It has a cool sign that lights up in neon at night. This is the Tenderloin district, which has been historically kind of rough.  This particular part of the street looks like it's been evolving or gentrifying, or at least it looks pretty good to me.

California and Polk, San Francisco

California and Polk, San Francisco

original oil painting, 11x14

Viewpoints Gallery
SOLD

I started this painting about a year ago for a show in San Francisco.  I was intimidated by the complex composition, so I set it aside.  I picked it up again a couple of weeks ago.  The wide asphalt street, the grooves for the cable cars and magenta building on the right were challenges . . . but I finished and I really like the painting.

It's on display at Viewpoints Gallery in Los Altos.

View of Coit Tower

 

 View of Coit Tower

original oil painting, 8x10

Viewpoints Gallery
SOLD

 

The view on Filbert Street in San Francisco has the Bay and Coit Tower in the background.  Coit Tower is a classic icon of San Francisco. Built in 1933 the tower is 210 feet tall, art deco style and located in the Telegraph Hill neighborhood of San Francisco.

San Francisco Street 5

San Francisco Street 5

original oil painting, 16x20

$850

Painting cityscapes can be a color challenge.  In this composition, the red cable car contrasting with the dark shadows in the tree on the left, make for a strong focal point.  The different greens in the trees add a splash of color to a city scene of a San Francisco Street.

I did a smaller version of this painting, an 8x10 and I liked it so much, I decided to paint it larger.

California Street, San Francisco

 

California Street, San Francisco

original oil painting, 8x10

SOLD

 

California Street is over 5 miles long and one of the longest streets in San Francisco. It has a number of important landmarks including the Fairmont Hotel, Mark Hopkins Hotel and Ritz Carlton. The view in my painting is the eastern portion of California Street which runs from Market to Van Ness Avenue.  You can see Polk Street in the foreground and the cable car lines in the street.

 

You may have noticed that I like to paint streetscapes.  It makes for challenging compositions.  Part of the challenge is deciding what architectural elements to paint and what to leave out.  Simplifying the color palette brings harmony to a city scene that can be full of bright garish colors on signs, buildings and cars. 

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.

Mission and 2nd Street, San Francisco

Mission and 2nd Street, San Francisco

original oil painting, 24x30

SOLD

I took the photo for this painting, after I had been to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art with my friend Alicia.  We were on Mission and New Montgomery Street waiting for a bus, when I pulled out my camera to capture this composition.  I liked the F-line rail car with the Ferry Building in the background.

This painting is 30x24, the largest size oil painting that I've done to date.  I used my t-square to get the vertical building lines parallel in the background.

Pacific Heights 2

Pacific Heights 2

8x10 original oil painting

SOLD

Pacific Heights offers panoramic views of the city, with all streets leading to the San Francisco Bay.  I want to paint large street scenes of San Francisco, so I'm practicing with small paintings to try out different compositions.  Not all small paintings make good large paintings, but it's the best way to start.

Last week I was chosen to participate in an exhibition at the Sanchez Art Center in Pacifica, CA.  The show is called "50-50 Show III."  Each artist will paint 50 small 6x6 inch paintings in 50 days and then exhibit the paintings in August.  My theme is "Endless Summer," so expect to see some beach scene paintings during the next couple of months as I prepare for the show.

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.

Nob Hill, San Francisco

Nob Hill, San Francisco

6x8 original oil painting

SOLD

Nob Hill is an affluent district of San Francisco centered at the intersection of California and Powell streets.  It is one of San Francisco's original "Seven Hills."  Because of the views and its central position, early on Nob Hill became an exclusive enclave of the rich and famous, including Leland Stanford, founder of Stanford University.

Driving in San Francisco may be challenging, but it's nothing compared to parking.  Carry plenty of quarters, give yourself extra time to find a parking space, and always curb your wheels when parallel parking on a hill (unless you like tickets).

Although this piece may appear to be about parking, actually I was attracted to the composition because of the sloping angle of the street against the tall building in the background.  The unusual way the cars are parked provides a focal point for the composition.

San Francisco Street 2

San Francisco Street 2

8x10 original oil painting

SOLD

Steep rolling hills, a dense eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture and stunning views of the Pacific and Bay, make the roughly seven mile square that is San Francisco, one of the world's most visually interesting cities.

I have long been drawn to street scene compositions. I have always been intrigued by the juxtaposition of the natural and the man-made. I find that the contrast of the tall buildings, and the long shadows that they cast, with the softness and color of the natural elements, like trees and bushes, brings both tension and harmony to the composition.