An unmistakable profile

How can you mess this one up? Over the years, I've been lucky enough to visit a number amazing cities that sit on or against a body of water from Hong Kong to New York, Sydney and Rio De Janeiro, all with unique and remarkable attributes. The views from the top of Victoria peak of Hong Kong and across the harbour to Kowloon are fantastic. especially at dusk. When approaching Manhattan from JFK, you are immediately blown away by the necessity of a wide angle lens to take in the expanse of the island and its endless silhouette of buildings and bridges. Sydney is best viewed from the Taronga park zoo across the bay,with views of the Opera House and harbour bridge. and Rio from Pau de Acucar or Cristo Redentor,provides aerial views without leaving the ground,stay for the cable car up sugar loaf. All of these cities have left in me indelible memories, though my stays were all to brief. I can picture these skylines,but not at all well enough to attempt to paint them. This place, San Francisco, I've seen thousands of times,from an equal number of view points.

This painting is acrylic on canvas 36" x 36" "City Night"

What I did on my summer vacation.

The excruciating wait for the afternoon school bell on a Friday in some late spring, in some year of my youth, was mercifully over. The evening would see my brother and sister arrive by bus with suitcases and sleeping bags in tow. The small car was packed,trunk filled,passenger compartment equipped with car sickness bags and pillows. The Rambler was ready.
The evening before, we would all, spend the night in the living room,as per and in anticipation of a clean, 6am wake-up ,sans bathing and bed making.
To be up before the sun as an adolescent was rare and welcome,for what lies ahead, in the time before seat belts, was a 5 hour dash up u.s 101, a two lane super highway,that would bisect every town from Novato through Santa Rosa,Ukiah and concluding with great fanfare at our destination,our aunt and uncles Summer home on the Eel river. The Heart of the Redwoods.

This Painting acrylic on canvas 52" x 52"

This bridge I run too...

About 3 days a week, I throw on my shorts and running shoes,and battle the headwinds of the Marina Green and Crissy field in effort to reach one of the 7 wonders of the engineering world(documented,I think) The Golden Gate Bridge. Up until the Building of the Veranzano narrows bridge spanning the entry to the ports of New York City and New Jersey, the GGB had the Longest single suspended span of roadway between two towers. Built in the 1930's, at the cost of extraordinary amounts of money and workers lives. The wonder, still stands today as an incredible testament to mankind's ability to dream up the impossible and carry it through to its completion. The Bridge stands as the most photographed and visited landmark in North America.
And I can throw a rock at it. These paintings represent my impressions thus far of a sight I've never tired of. The smaller(Bridge Dusk) is acrylic on hand stretched canvas 33" x 18"
The Larger (Golden Gate Dawn) is also acrylic on canvas with wax 54"x 54"

Chartres Cathedral and Joseph Campbell

About five years ago,I was sitting around one evening watching the local public t.v station KQED, They were presenting,with occasional pledge breaks,the fascinating interview of the scholar and writer Joseph Campbell. It was hosted by the great journalist Bill Moyers. The interview was conducted at the Lucas ranch in Marin county. the evening was a wonder to say the least. For those of you unfamiliar with J.C's scholarship He was and remains posthumously the preeminent expert on ancient and modern mythology. He has written at least 10 books and edited a number of others surrounding the subject. This interview was titled "The Power of Myth" covering among other things, the "first story tellers". It was in this section,where he goes in to detail using his own fantastic ability to tell a story, his initial visit to the cave network in south central France in the town of Lascaux. He tells of entering these dark places and coming upon these exquisite paintings on the walls and ceilings , paintings of animals and in particular a bull some 20ft long on one wall, It wasn't until his visit to a comparatively modern cathedral in Chartres,that he realized fully the significance of the efforts, that this group of ancients endeavoured to create. This amazing church near Paris, houses some of the most fantastic carved figures of saints covering the walls. he couldn't help,but to be brought back to Lascaux and the walls and the pictorials of the hunt. This was their church. Chartres was his.

signs

I had always wanted to shimmy up a pole or hang out over a busy freeway to confiscate some of my favorite signage. In place of that,thinking better for it, I decided to paint a few.

sold!......

Granted, I blocked the door to the gallery,held the potential customers hostage for several minutes until the checkbooks came out. They seem happy, and so was I.

The Dome of the Palace of Fine arts ,is 20" X 20" acrylic on canvas. 2007

Coit Tower is 30" x 24" ,acrylic on canvas 2009