Dead Man’s Point Acrylic on Canvas Ala Prima 1/2024.
With my last 11×14 canvas I headed over to China Beach, SF but there was a massive construction site going on probbly to do with it looked like updating the bathhouse. Sometimes I can get into the musique concrete of concrete mixers but I was thinking something more surene so I went up a half mile or so to the entrance of Lands End and hit the trail. Of course I can not be contained by trailmarkers. I mean, what am I supposed to do? I have set up on main trails a couple times but you sometimes can’t get the framing and you have to be in a more social mood as people come up to you for a looksie. This can be fun and performative and a general positive engagement but on this day I had just eaten a gummie and was feeling internal. I came to a side trail down the cliffside which was roped off with signs Warning! Steep Cliffs/Unstable. I discovered another entrance to the trail so I popped over a branch and scrambled down the path where steps where roughly carved into the side of the cliff. Some clever and amazing person/people built a couple platforms in the trees and had ropes hanging for ease of climbing. I had my trusty easel on my back and my small camping seat so it was a little clumsy but I ended up finding a good spot perfectly discrete with a clear and open vista. The cliffside rocks comprise what is called Dead Mans Point. There are a few shipwrecks along that stretch of the Golden Gate so I imagine some awful deadly crash on a thick foggy night of yore. The piece was done in about 2 and a half hours, textural, pointalistic, vibratory, marbleized. Always a practice for next time. I feel like it captures the rugged Nor Cal Coast, a mini SF version of Sonoma/Mendo. As always it was great to be in the ocean air with the sounds of the waves breaking on the cliffside. On my way home I stopped into a cafe in the Outer Richmond for some caffeine. There’s these two kinda freaky guys in front of me in line and one of them asks me if I’m a painter cuz I had paint on my face. He’s an artist too and they invite me over to their very cool studio/gallery/sound lab. Very on the level guys, we totally hit it off. I hope to follow up with a visit to one of their upcoming shows and if I do I will report back to you. Another perfect day of painting!