SOMA 870 Harrison Street * * * * Zio Ziegler is a Mill Valley, California native and a graduate of both Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design. He has a clothing line Arte Sempre.
Jun 252012
Jun 232012
Fire Station #13 Financial District 530 Sansome Street * Untitled by Henri Marie-Rose 1969 Henri Marie-Rose (1922-2010) born in François, Martinique, the son of Appien Constance Raymonde and Quentin Joseph Marie-Rose Dite Cétoute, Henri Marie-Rose Dite Cétoute, who later simply went by Henri Marie-Rose, was a San Francisco resident for 58 years, living initially in North Beach before settling on Potrero Hill. He attended the École des Arts et Métiers and the École des Arts Appliqués in Martinique. He had three one man shows in 1940, 1942 and 1943 and was appointed Attaché Culturel au Projet d’Urbanisme, Shortly thereafter, he Continue Reading
Jun 222012
Western Addition Steiner and Post Streets Hamilton Rec Center Athletics by Mary Erkenbrack – Ceramic Tile 1955 This glazed ceramic tile mural is of male figures engaged in athletic activities. This tile mural sits between two painted murals names Blues Evolution I and Blues Evolution II . This tile mural has been on the walls of the rec center since it opened. Mary Erkenbrack was born in Seattle, Washington on Nov. 30, 1910, Erckenbrack was raised in Rio De Janeiro, London, and Paris as her father, a shipping commissioner, moved about. While in France she studied art in Le Havre Continue Reading
Jun 212012
Western Addition Turk and Fillmore Streets Northern Police Station * * * This cast concrete panel by Horace Washington depicts the cultural diversity of the Western Addition and its architectural history. The panel also features the likeness of police officers of the past. The piece is part of the San Francisco Arts Commission collection and was produced in 1987. It is 3 feet high by 8 feet long. Horace Washington (who has work on the 3rd Street Light Rail project) studied at Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio before moving to California to study sculpture at the San Continue Reading
Jun 202012
SOMA/The Mission 69 Duboce Between Valencia and Mission Few and Far – Part III * The last of this three part post from Few and Far is by Amanda Lynn. Amandalynn, whos pieces are all over town, takes her expertise in art and painting into an array of applications. She studied at the Academy of Art in San Francisco and received a Bachelor’s of Fine Art with an Illustration major.
Jun 192012
SOMA/The Mission 69 Duboce Between Valencia and Mission Continuing with the Few N Far Crews work at 69 Duboce. Meagan Spendlove – Meagan has murals all over town. Agana is from Oakland. From Few and Far’s Website: Agana is not only a bad ass DJ but she is an art teacher, muralist, jewelry maker, loving/giving friend, always down to paint no matter what!! Agana also films and edits her own videos.. Oooh yes, don’t let me forget to mention… she always has her nails on point every time! Tatiana Suarez is from Miami and New York. According to Tati’s website: Tatiana Continue Reading
Jun 182012
SOMA/The Mission 69 Duboce Between Valencia and Mission This is an empty lot that was taken over (with permission) by Few and Far. Few and Far is a woman’s street art group and this is what they say about themselves on their blog: Few and Far is a movement that brings together talented women who are involved in graffiti, Skateboarding and street art from all over the world. Few and Far connects women by creating social and artistic exchange, by showcasing art on the streets, on walls and in other high profile venues. Few and Far fosters and celebrates the Continue Reading
Jun 172012
Mission District 18th and Harrison P.G.& E. Service Yard * * * * * * * Carnaval by Joshua Sarantitis – 1995 33 X 100 feet Joshua, a Minnesota resident, is a truly prolific muralist. Joshua Sarantitis has been creating monumental professional work in public spaces for over 20 years. His 40 commissioned works include glass installations and mosaic murals located regionally and abroad including San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Phoenix and Tucson. His ability to collaborate successfully with design professionals, arts administrators and community is rooted in a desire to find common language between our everyday lives Continue Reading
Jun 162012
The Marina Green Near the end of Fillmore Street * * * Memorial to William C. Ralston by Haig Patigian 1941 William C. Ralston made his fortune in Nevada’s Silver Comstock Lode. He was one of the richest and most powerful men in California, founding the Bank of California and building the Palace Hotel. In 1875, after a combination of the expense of building the Hotel, his attempt to buy and resell the Spring Valley Water Company and the effects of the Panic of 1873, which crashed the stock value of his Bank, his body was found in the Bay. Continue Reading
Jun 152012
Telegraph Hill Coit Tower WPA Murals * * * This pair of canvas’ are also in the elevator alcove. The depict the farmlands of the Santa Clara Valley and the hills of the East Bay. The artists was Rinaldo Cuneo. (1877-1939). Cuneo was a native San Franciscan from North Beach where he maintained a studio. He was educated at the Mark Hopkins Art Institute as well as in Paris and London. He taught at the California School of Fine Arts and was a prolific painter. This is the last in a series of the murals of Coit Tower. There are Continue Reading
Jun 142012
Telegraph Hill Coit Tower WPA Murals * This is the second of the murals in the elevator alcove, It is titled San Francisco Bay, North and is by Jose Moya Del Pino (1869-1969). The two young men represent Moya del Pino himself watching as fellow artist Otis Oldfield sketches what he sees below him. If one looks closely you can see the former prison on the island of Alcatraz. This too is oil on canvas. Jose Moya del Pino was born in Priego, Spain. By 1907, Moya was studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid, and associated with Continue Reading
Jun 132012
Telegraph Hill Coit Tower WPA Murals * In the alcove, where visitors wait for the elevator are four more murals. This one is titled San Francisco Bay. This is an oil on canvas, and was painted in the artists studio. The two little girls are the artists, Otis Oldfield’s, daughters, Rhoda and Jayne. as they look down on the waterfront from their father’s Telegraph Hill studio. The larger island they are peering at is Yerba Buena Island. That is the island that the present day San Francisco Bay Bridge goes through. Treasure Island, which would have been attached on the Continue Reading
Jun 122012
Telegraph Hill Coit Tower WPA Murals News Gathering by Suzanne Scheuer Scheuer worked with assistant Heve Daum on news gathering for her panel in Coit Tower. Suzanne Scheuer was born in San Jose, California on February 11, 1898. She moved to San Francisco in 1918. She studied at the California School of Fine Arts and the California College of Arts and Crafts. She then taught for three years in the public schools of Los Banos and Salinas. In 1940 she joined the art faculty at the College of the Pacific in Stockton and taught there for ten years. She then Continue Reading
Jun 112012
Telegraph Hill Coit Tower WPA Murals The Library by Bernard B. Zakheim The Coit Tower murals were painted during a particularly disruptive period in U.S. History. Depression related economic challenges led to much discussion about alternate forms of government. A four day general strike (Bloody Thursday) accompanied by widespread rioting in San Francisco triggered an eighty-three day 1934 West Coast Waterfront Strike. Coit Tower muralists protested and picketed at the tower when Rivera’s mural commissioned for Rockefeller Center in New York City was destroyed after he refused to change an image of Lenin in the painting. The opening of Coit Continue Reading
Jun 102012
Telegraph Hill Coit Tower WPA Murals * Stockbroker and Scientist by Mallete (Harold) Dean Their are six figures that stand alone in the Tower. (You can review the first four here). The stockbroker/banker is thought to be A.P. Giannini, founder of the Bank of Italy that later became Bank of America. The Scientist is Nobel Prize winner, Albert Abraham Michelson. He holds an interferometer and a scroll and stands near a picture of the James Lick Observatory which is on Mount Hamilton in San Jose, California. Notice how the door of the observatory is a light switch. * Mallete Dean Continue Reading
Jun 092012
Telegraph Hill Coit Tower WPA Murals The Meat Industry by Raymond Bertrand * Notice the clever use of the window Raymond Bertrand (1901-1986) was a native San Franciscan. He studied at the California School of Fine Arts where he later taught Lithography. Bertrand was primarily a landscape panter, a critic once commented that Bertrand used “freezing blues, whites and greys” in his oil in a “small but icy collection of arctic landscapes”. His name is used as the “author” of the book titled Rape, Mayhem and Vagrancy in the law library scene at Coit Tower.
Jun 082012
Telegraph Hill Coit Tower WPA Murals * ( * Industries of California by Ralph Stackpole This is a vast expression of the industries of California at the time. Stackpole painted several fellow artists in this mural as well. Tom Lehman, a local artist, pours chemicals into a container while William Hesthal bends over a table, notebook in hand. Helen Clement Mills is one of the women working on an assembly line. * * Ralph Ward Stackpole (1885-1973) Stackpole grew up in Oregon. He worked with scepter Arthur Putnam and painter Gottardo Piazzoni and the went to Paris to study at Continue Reading
Jun 072012
Telegraph Hill Coit Tower WPA Murals Department Store by Frede Vidar This mural depicts the interior of a typical 1930’s department store with soda fountain and wine shop. Some items of interest are the fact that the waitress wears a cap with a Star of Dave, (which is surprising as Frede Vidar frequently expressed pro-Nazi sympathies and even scratched a swastika on a windowpane when he worked on the project) and the fact that one of the clerks is holding a box with the SS logo on it. Notice the Bing Crosby music in the background as well as Roman Continue Reading
Jun 062012
Telegraph Hill Coit Tower WPA Murals * Cowboy and Farmer by Clifford Wight These are four of six single standing figures in the collection. They represent the very essence of California. The Will Rogers Style cowboy (that many friends of Wight said was a self portrait) and the farmer, that looks an awful lot like artist Ralph Stackpole. * These two are Surveyor and Ironworker. There are three windows between these two figures. Over the central window Wight painted a bridge, which had the NRA Eagle in the center. Over the right hand window he stretched a segment of chain, Continue Reading
Jun 052012
Telegraph Hill Coit Tower WPA Murals * * * * City Life by Victor Arnautoff is one of the largest murals in Coit Tower. It is a wonderfully vibrant street scene taking artistic license with the various city landmarks and their geographic positions. * * * Some things of note, the fire engine is Number 5, which was Lillie Hitchcock Coit’s beloved Knickerbocker Volunteer Fire Department. Newspapers that include New Masses, Daily Worker, Time, Argonaut and Screenplay, with Mae West on the front. The San Francisco Chronicle is noticeably absent, causing quite a stir at the time in the local Continue Reading
Jun 042012
Telegraph Hill Coit Tower WPA Murals * * California Industrial Scenes by John Langley Howard This mural gives us several juxtaposed scenes indicative of any society, but especially poignant during such difficult times. There are the solemn workers of the May Day demonstration, a woman doing laundry on the rocks, and an elderly woman sawing logs by hand, while the great symbols of hydroelectric power are there in her sight. There is a migrant family with their broken down Model-T next to a group of observers with chauffeur and furs. Notice the hobo on the train trestle, and the worker Continue Reading
Jun 032012
Telegraph Hill Coit Tower WPA Murals * The California Agriculture Industry by Gordon Langdon The dairy business is represented in this mural as well as several of the artists friends. Gordon Langdon was assisted by Helen Clement Mills on this mural. Fellow artist Fred Olmsted and his assistant Tom Hayes Fellow artist John Langley Howard holding a pitchfork * Fellow artist Lucien Labaudt showering a cow Gordon Langdon did not stay long on the Coit Tower project. His friends remembered him as a “handsome young man”. His other murals in San Francisco include Modern and Ancient Science over the main Continue Reading
Jun 022012
Telegraph Hill Coit Tower WPA Murals * * * * This mural is titled California and is by Maxine Albro. A wonderful depiction of the bounty of the California agricultural industry from Mt. Shasta Almond Orchards to Napa Valley grapes. * * The “gentlemen farmers” are actually the artists friends. Ralph Stackpole is in the checkered shirt and Albro’s husband, and fellow artist Parker Hall is by the tray of apricots. The NRA (National Recovery Act) eagle is found on the ends of the lugs of oranges. The NRA was the primary New Deal agency established by U.S. president Franklin Continue Reading
Jun 012012
Telegraph Hill Coit Tower WPA Murals The little seated boy looks at a book whose page shows the date of Coit Tower (1933) and the date of the WPA projects at Coit Tower (1934). * Animal Force by Ray Boynton These are the first frescoes that one sees when entering Coit Tower. Boynton chose to portray animal power in Agriculture. As often occurred he included fellow artist Gordon Langdon leaning on a horse. Ray Boynton was an Iowan, after studying art in Chicago he came to California to become the first California Fresco artist. His first project appeared in a Los Continue Reading
May 312012
Telegraph Hill Coit Tower WPA Murals * This law library has some interesting book titles when one looks closely. There are the usual Civil, Penal and Moral Codes, but also the Law of Fresco Painting, Counterfeiting, and Laws on Seduction. A fun one is Martial Law by Brady, he was the VFW caretaker who watched over the project and lived in the Tower’s apartment. The man on the left with the pipe is thought to be, patron of the arts, William Gerstle. The Stock Exchange. Notice the downward movements of the market. Federal Reserve Bank. It is thought that the Continue Reading
May 302012
Telegraph Hill Coit Tower WPA Murals * * This is the beginning of a series on the WPA murals of Coit Tower. When the Great Depression hit, like everyone, artists were not finding work. George Biddle, a prominent lawyer turned successful artist, a member of a socially prominent family from Philadelphia, and most importantly, a Groton and Harvard classmate of Franklin Roosevelt, went to the President with an idea. He suggested that America hire American artists to paint murals depicting the social ideals of the new administration as well as the American way of life, on the walls of public Continue Reading
May 292012
Telegraph Hill Coit Tower To understand Coit Tower you must first understand Lillie Hitchcock Coit. A nice tale is told here from the Virtual San Francisco History Museum written by: By Frederick J. Bowlen, Battalion Chief, San Francisco Fire Department. One of the most unusual personalities ever connected with our Fire Department was a woman. She was Lillie Hitchcock Coit, who was destined not only to become a legend but to attain that eminence long before her life ended. She came to this city in 1851 from West Point, where her father had been an army doctor. Seven years later, when only 15 Continue Reading
May 282012
Lands End 48th Avenue Parking Lot In 1942 the cruiser USS San Francisco attacked a vastly superior Japanese force off the coast of Guadalcanal. It was the most brutal close-quarters naval engagement of World War II. The San Francisco took some 45 direct hits and sustained heavy damage while sinking one Japanese ship and seriously damaging two others (including a battleship). One hundred and six sailors, including Rear Admiral Daniel Callaghan, were killed and 131 more wounded. Despite it all, the San Francisco safely made it back to port. This savage battle is commemorated by an unusual memorial in Land’s Continue Reading
May 272012
The Fillmore Center Western Addition * Hard Bop by John Atkin Hard bop is a style of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or “bop”) music. Hard bop incorporates influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano playing. In 1942, during World War II, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which relocated all interned people of Japanese origin to internment camps throughout western United States. The vacant homes in the Fillmore attracted African Americans migrating northward to work in the shipyards, as well as musicians, and artists. Soon, many nightclubs (the likes Continue Reading
May 262012
* * Sailboat wind indicators mounted at on 3-foot intervals on a flagpole at the east end of Fort Mason illustrate how the laminar flow of wind changes with the height. This variation is often more complex and dramatic than expected. Along the San Francisco shoreline, for example, the difference of only 20 feet in altitude may mean a 90 degree difference in the wind direction. This is part of the Outdoor Exploratorium. It was created in partnership with GGNR (Golden Gate Recreation Area) and the Fort Mason Center. The interactive exhibits are designed to help visitors notice the subtle Continue Reading