Holiday Exhibition: New Paintings of Italy, Oakland & San Francisco
Join me in my studio the weekends of
Dec 11-12 & 18-19 from Noon to 5 PM
View my recent work and enjoy
wine, cheese and cappuccinos.
351 Lewis St. Oak. 94607
510.836.1681
Cinque Terre Through My Window, oil/canvas, 45" x 35" Unfinished
My ongoing Global Warming Series led me to an interest in the depiction of water. I took full advantage of the breathtaking, blue-green waters of the Ligurian Sea during the five days I stayed in Portovenere, Italy. This port faces the Bay of La Spezia which was a playground for the Romantic poets. Italy is a touchstone for me. Here I can reflect on most of western history and also paint reflections of that history in its landscape and its buildings.
The waters of the Pacific enter an ultramodern port along Oakland’s shores:
Winter Light Port of Oakland, oil/canvas, 24" X 48" Unfinished
“I started painting at Berth 10 in the port of Oakland this afternoon. Across a trapezoidal space of green-brown water, maybe a third of a mile away, lie freighters more than 900 feet long. “If you stood one on end” a tugboat captain remarked “ it would be taller than any building in San Francisco.” I tried to visualize a freighter balanced on its stern. It looked big across the water, but not that big. The problem is that the scale of these ships, and cranes, is almost impossible for us, who are ants by comparison, to grasp.“ Diary 11.14.2010
The Chronicle A Year Later, oil/plywood, 20" X 24", 2010
I decided to return and re-paint the Chronicle from a slightly different angle than just over a year ago. Last year I spent March and April painting the building as more than a hundred employees left the struggling newspaper. My stimulating exchanges with reporters, editors and other employees (as well as that painting) may be viewed at News in the News Pt 2: The Once and Future Chronicle in the archives of this blog.
View many more paintings like these in my exhibition.
I look forward to seeing you!
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