Weekend of acrylic ink joy

Yes, I still love my Montana Markers.  

Yes, I did go out and buy the 15mm wide tipped versions of my two favorites, white and silver.  

Yes, using a wide marker DOES change the way I use the ink and make the differences between negative and positive space ambiguous.

Also, I did some drawings on some interior office windows that people kept trying to walk into, and the ink sticks beautifully to clean, smooth glass.  Yes, my colleagues all came by and touched it (gently), and it held up really well.  Yes, I am afraid I'll buy lots of transparent films and draw on those now - thanks for asking!

San Mateo-Santa Cruz August Lightning Complex smoke

I went out to drop my mail in the mailbox, and looked off to the right to see a WALL of smoke.  So, I took a walk to see how far it has spread.  The answer: far.  So far.

You can see a panorama and some other photos of the smoke from a hilltop in my neighborhood here.

Tender greens and pinks

Some of the old giant eucalyptus have been taken down, and around their stumps are gorgeous sprouts in lovely pastels...  Yes, I took too many photos.  No, my friends don't understand why, as if I'm the only one who things that green-to-red transition is MAGICAL.  (But it is!)

Before blooming

I've never noticed these buds on acacias before...  What's confusing right now is that the acacias around Lake Merced seem to be experiencing every possible season: there is new growth, there are drying up branches missing lots of leaves and covered in seed pods, and there are these.  WHEN ARE WE?

Busy as a bee

She seemed very busy! And big!  (I was going to guess she is a carpenter bee, but I don't know enough about bees to be sure.  I think carpenters have a dot in the middle, and she doesn't?)  

Nearby: very red rose hips, and more blooming climbing roses.

Color scraps

These are little artifacts from my monotype printing projects.  

Monotype printing and acrylic ink drawing have sustained me while my darkroom is packed up.  I still need to figure out how to share or organize my output...

Fan-fold Facade

Massive housing developments in Mission Bay continue to sprout up, trying to keep up with overwhelming demand in a city bound on three sides by water.  We can't sprawl, as other cities have, so we redevelop and go denser.  

For those of us who like New York City, this isn't a bad thing - this is nowhere near the density of Manhattan! - but accommodates more people and does allow us to grow.  It's good when a city has variety - NYC has brownstones AND highrises!  We have a collection of housing styles going back to the Mission era, with a great stock of Victorians AND very new/contemporary styles.  I enjoy the variety in texture.

Bayless

San Francisco's old Victorians were known for their "bay windows," which are usually three-sided and part of an extension over the sidewalk below.  It's a local version of the historic "oriel window," and gives a room a bit more of a view than a flat window would.

Here's a modern take on that, popular in the Mission Bay neighborhood generally.  

Bay Bridge, as always

I adore this bridge.  Even just parts of it, even backlit...

Colorful Coit-like tower

I enjoy the many temporary sculpture installations we have along our bay-facing public waterfront.  We've had everything from giant spiders by Louise Bourgeois to enormous local sculptures destined for display at Burning Man by welding artists from Oakland. 

I <3 public art!

Growing stack of building

This stacking-box style of buildings has been popular in other cities (think of the New Museum in New York City) for a while, but I haven't seen much of it here.  Vertical windows have been popular in Europe for a while, while alternating-width windows are still catching on here. 

Cupid’s new neighbors

It's always nice to see this sculpture, and now (after months away from it), I can see it has a new backdrop!  San Francisco is a VERY dynamic city, and real estate prices have meant that new office buildings are always going up, so I shouldn't be surprised.  But I am!

I think I'll need them to finish the building before I can make a new postcard of it from this side.