Night Sketching at the Palace of Fine Arts
Our drive home from the city takes us past the Palace of Fine Arts – which we’ve drawn many times during the day.
I’ve always wanted to come back after dark and draw the spotlights on the sculpture. I found a good view from the ‘far’ side (opposite the Exploratorium entrance) where the lighting makes a great light-on-dark-on-light counter changed silhouettes.
If you’re out here Friday nights you might meet a crazy group of skaters that descend on the place with a mobile sound system. (Link: The Midnight Rollers).
Here’s a snapshot of my new night drawing setup. An LED bike light taped to an ultralight tripod, and a fisherman’s ‘ball cap light’ clipped to my hat brim…makes drawing in places without streetlight a lot easier. Added bonus – it makes raccoon eyes glow green. A little creepy at first.
Halloween in Colma
Spent part of the Halloween weekend sketching with some friends. It seemed appropriate to visit the cemetery :)
There were a few people out taking a gothic stroll – but really, it was such a nice day – was hard to feel very spooky.
The Knives Come out Again
10 am – View from Mount Vision
2pm – View at Chimney Rock Trail
5:30 pm – McClure Beach
Just back from two more days painting at Point Reyes. Same as last session – 9×12 oil paint on panel, all knife work.
The thing I like about the palette knife – every stroke is clean color. No loaded brushes messing up your pigments. I can’t imagine cleaning my brushes between every stroke out in the field. You’d need solvent, and you’d end up making bags of waste paper towel. None of that is a problem with knives.
These sessions were either incredibly windy, doused in surf spray, or plagued with flies – so anything that gives you the color you want with less fuss is full of win.
I guess the bottom line is – I love the texture you get. I try not to get too artsy here on the blog – but I have to say, I’m mesmerized by the expressive marks! It’s like begin back in art school.
Painting with Knives
Sea Lion overlook, just next to Point Reyes lighthouse.
Trying out something different here. Painting on location, oils on panel – 8×10″, working entirely with palette knives. It’s probably not for everyone, but I enjoy the really juicy surface.
Up on Mount Tam, looking at SF. This one is became a bit too abstract, but you’re looking down at Tiburon and San Francisco from 2500 ft.
That’s one thing about this technique. You have to sacrifice any desire for minuscule detail, in exchange for pure color and luscious surface texture.
North Beach Sketchcrawl
Spent the day sketching at the North Beach Italian Festival. Topped it off with incredible pasta at Pomodoro on Columbus.
Orpheum Theater
Just a quick street sketch of the Orpheum Theater on Market Street.
Light wasn’t great today, but I went at it anyway. Once you’re out there with your stuff, you might as well get to work. I notice my perspective is getting very strange lately. I’m doing a bunch of retro video game graphics at work, it must be affecting my eyes. I’m seeing in isometric perspective!
Sketching Samurai at the Asian Art Museum
Went down to the SF Asian to see the Art of Samurai show. I’m a big fan of the museum – but their exhibit space is so small! I always come away from the special exhibits wanting more. But that’s just greed I guess – the shows are always quality over quantity.
I love drawing this stuff – in fact, Japanese armor was one of the very first subjects I ever drew. It has that combination of gothic subject matter and intricate detail that I find very satisfying.
Sketching the Necropoils at Colma
Last weekend we took a stroll through the vast necropolis at Colma CA.
In places you can turn and see rows and rows of monuments spreading out like a miniature city.
Wikipeda says: “With much of Colma’s land dedicated to cemeteries (17 for the interment of humans and one for pets), the dead population outnumber the living by thousands to one. This has led to it being called, “the city of the silent,” and also has given rise to a humorous motto among some residents: “It’s great to be alive in Colma!
Sketchcrawl at the Palace of Fine Arts
This Saturday was World Wide Sketchcrawl at the Palace of Fine Arts.
I have mixed feelings about this monument to industry. It has a kind of artificial atmosphere – like walking through a huge (beautiful) stage set.
Though you have to be impressed with the sheer chutzpa of its’ life cycle. Originally built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Expo, it was part of a 600 acre artificial city that dominated the Marina district for one year.
Architect Bernard Maybeck planned from the beginning that the structure would be allowed to fall into disrepair – he felt that every great city needed picturesque ruins.
I doubt California will be making that kind of symbolic gesture with public monies any time soon.
Subsequent generations have had to raise funds to restore Maybeck’s folly – preserving its idyllic ruined state. It’s main social function today seems be as a backdrop for wedding photos in the day time. and glow-in-the dark hula hooping videos at night.
On related note, I highly recommend Erik Larson’s book “The Devil in the White City“.
It’s an engaging history interweaving the break-neck public works project that was the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, against the parallel true-life story of serial killer H.H.Holmes, one of America’s earliest recorded mass murderers.
The book isn’t about about San Francisco’s Palace – but story of the rise and fall of the White City must have been similar in scope.
Views from Alamo Square, San Francisco
This row of multicolored houses, seen from Alamo Square is certainly a popular photo-op.
Every few minutes a bus load of tourists pour out on the lawn and take their matching snapshots.
Apparently these are the houses from Full House – a well-loved early 90’s television show that for the life of me I can’t remember.
After getting this second sketch (the reverse view up hill), we drove over to check out that red roofed building.
Turns out it’s a Jesuit school (SFU) – next to a huge cathedral (St. Ignatius) – both excellent subjects for future paintings.
Citizen Sketcher 