"Looking North on Polk"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #15

"Jones at Glover"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #13

"Last Light, Downtown"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #12

"Narrow Street, Telegraph Hill"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #11

"View of Alcatraz from Hyde"

6x6" oil on Gessobord - sold

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #10

"Hyde and Lombard"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" # 9

"Crossing Grant"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #8

Every painting is an act of faith. I'm finding that especially true with these little cityscapes. You have to have faith that if you keep going and trust your instincts the painting will probably work out. I think it was Richard Schmid who said you should be able to stop at any point during the painting and it would look good. Interesting idea, but that certainly isn't how it works for me.

"Electric Bus"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #7

"Mission Alley"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #6

The alleys in San Francisco are interesting in that they allow you to see the backs of the houses. Many houses have unusual additions which make for inspiring shapes to paint. This particular house had lavender colored garage doors, what more could you want?

"Last Light, Side Street"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #5

"Cranes over Polk Street"

6x6" oil on masonite

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #4

"Tree Lined Street"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #3

Some city scenes are easier than others to break down into simple shapes. I think there are less than ten in this one. The idea is to get the shapes in place and then add just a bit of detail.

"Alley Shadows"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #2

One of the nice thing about doing small panels is that it encourages experimentation. There was something about this scene that appealed to me but I wasn't sure I wanted to try it on a larger canvas.

I bought some small brushes for this project (size 4 and 6 princeton 6300 brights) but I'm finding them frustrating to use. I'm mostly using a large brush, size 8. The smaller brushes don't hold enough paint! The 4 is good for windows though, so I guess it's good to have.

"Corner Market"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #1

This is the first of my paintings for the "50/50" show at the Sanchez Art Center. This corner store is located in the Russian Hill area of San Francisco. I remember seeing a Tim Horn painting of this building many years ago and thought it would be a fun subject to paint. I knew it was in San Francisco but had no idea where. I stumbled upon it by accident and quickly pulled over to snap a few photos. I wonder if the owners know that their aqua sign is attracting painters.