Citizen Sketcher

Fresh sketch from this weekend’s paint out with the North Bay Plein Air group (well three of us – maybe a bigger group next time? maybe some USK’ers?). Anyway, I hear a rumor that this is Danielle Steel’s house. It certainly has a romantic wedding cake look to it. I hope it’s true, cuz it’s encouraging to see an author with a weekend retreat like this.

Edit: – Ok – Thanks to Linda, I hear that this structure is the Spreckels Mansion. I really should do some research *before* I go painting :) Here’s a writeup about the famous landmark. Apparently Alma de Bretteville Spreckels also funded the construction of the California Palace of the Legion of Honor. This is what I love about going sketching in this city! There’s so much history to learn.

Not to go on – but here’s a funny blurb I webbed up on Alma, via “Gourmet G”. on Yelp:

“Despite her classy name, Alma de Bretteville was born into an impoverished farming family in what was then a wasteland, the city’s Sunset District, in 1881.

Tired of being dirt poor, at the age of fourteen she set out on her own, her good looks and height – she was six feet tall – making her an ideal subject for artists in need of a model. As such, her claim to fame is the statue atop the column in the center of Union Square, for which she posed bearing a wreath and trident.

But her real aim in life was to be a wealthy woman, and the sugar daddy she snagged was literally that – Adolph Spreckels, heir to the family fortune made in cane sugar. One of her first projects was construction of a cozy home for the couple, a white limestone mansion containing fifty-five rooms, including a Louis XVI ballroom. Fortunately, she wasn’t self-centered enough to stop there – she and her husband donated the Palace of the Legion of Honor, with its spectacular Rodin collection, in 1924. Later, her philanthropy extended to victims of the 1906 quake and relief efforts in both World Wars“.

We were out out on Sunday with the newly coalescing North Bay Painters group. You can find some details on their site: http://nbpleinair.blogspot.com/

It had to be around 90 degrees yesterday. As I was drawing, my shady spot was swiftly shrinking – but the light on the buildings was improving :) I stuck around long enough to entirely overwork the right side of this sketch. S0 – here it is, cropped to the more interesting area :)

This is St. Vincent’s school for boys. Quite an impressive mission style complex – pretty much defining the term ‘nestled in the hills’ a few miles north of San Rafael. It really is a peaceful spot. Old grape arbors, tree lined lanes, and various interesting religious statuary placed among the rocks and trees.

The approach did not have a gate, and there was no sign for private property, so we went ahead and painted, with no complaints from anyone on site. Maybe check out the spot if you’re in the area.

A view of the old San Francisco Public School Administration building.

I believe the date over the front door says 1924. The building’s been shrouded in tarps and scaffolding for a while, as well as showing a lot of sooty fire damage over the windows.

I thought I’d get out and sketch it while we were in town – you never know when restoration leads to re-purposing. It might become a Starbucks or Gap for all I know. We haven’t lived in the SF area that long – but I’m already developing that locals attitude – wanting to preserve everything before its gone.