Golden Gate Bridge

So far this is the only painting I have ever done on site, plein aire.

I had a friend who was in no way an artist, but one day he said "let's go paint the bridge, I've never done that before!" He bought himself a canvas, borrowed an easel from somebody and a few brushes and paint from me, and we set up on the sand on Baker Beach at about six in the morning. We stayed way too long, the light was already shifting shadows far beyond where they had started. It was a lot of fun, though.

Near the end when I was stepping back to evaluate my painting, a sudden gust of wind blew it off my easel face down in the sand. I brushed most of it off, but a lot of sand grains remained, giving a lot of texture to the surface that I hadn't exactly planned on!

It is oil on canvas, 12 x 16"


Here we are on the beach painting.