Excerpts from my Journal: Part 1. Written on November 11, 2018 and edited 2021. We have been going to paint the construction of the new bridge since the last day in August, 2018—a little over two months ago. The day Yu Ji had a memorial for Domenic Cretara there was a film, including some of… Continue reading The Bridge Project: How it all Began
The Top of the Bridge
Excerpts from my Journal: Part 2. Standing on the top of the bridge is a spectacular experience and painting from it is surreal. We have been so privileged. Right now the two highest pillars of the bridge, which will form the suspension part, have not been joined to the east and west ramps. The ramps… Continue reading The Top of the Bridge
Under the Bridge
Excerpts from my Journal: Part 3. I love the belly of the bridge as much as the top. From the time we painted in the parking lot at Connolly Pacific to now, it reminds me of Brueghel’s Tower of Babel. There are staircases that climb up the sides of the bridge pillars, made of metal tubing and… Continue reading Under the Bridge
Those who build the bridge.
Excerpts from my Journal: Part 4 There has been a lot of curiosity about what we are doing and enthusiasm for our project. Every day, one or two workers stop by to see our work. On some level, our project is a validation of their project, or at least a confirmation that the public appreciates… Continue reading Those who build the bridge.
Technology
Excerpts from my Journal: Part 5. In drawing and painting the bridge, so many associations from history creep in. Technology really does build upon itself. As one engineer pointed out, the laws of physics do not change. So, I look under the bridge and see the Tower of Babel. The top calls to mind old… Continue reading Technology
The Day of Fire and Wind
Excerpts from my Journal: Part 6. Written November 9, 2018; edited 2021. Kathryn and I, on the east ramp. We knew it was going to get hot—86 degrees—but we did not know the winds would be so fierce, up to 77 miles per hour! Kathryn insisted we get there before sunrise, but there was a… Continue reading The Day of Fire and Wind
Echo Pier
ECHO PIER: Excerpts from my Journal, Part 7. Written April 20, 2019; edited 2021. The image above shows Kathryn under the structure of our imploded tent. From mid-December to mid-March we took a break. Holidays first, then weather. An unusually cold and wet winter, much needed rain but not conducive to outdoor painting. Echo Pier,… Continue reading Echo Pier
During the Coronavirus
DURING THE CORONAVIRUS: Excerpts from my Journal, Part 8. I stopped going to the bridge sometime in the last half of 2019 and began to compose large images based on the observational sketches completed on location. When we went into the first lockdown for Covid19 on March 17, 2020, I began an imaginative painting… Continue reading During the Coronavirus
Memories, Dreams, and Reflections
During the Coronavirus, 2020. Oil on canvas. 48 x 72 inches. Unlike the other paintings in this harbor series, “Memories, Dreams, and Reflections” focuses on emotion and ignores the actual perspective and construction of the bridge. I wanted to paint a night scene, so William and I drove to the harbor to refresh my memory… Continue reading Memories, Dreams, and Reflections
Foggy Morning
House paints on paper, 2019. 55 x 98 inches. This is the top of the new Long Beach bridge while it was being built. It reminds me of the old clipper ships. When I mentioned this to one of the engineers, he replied, “Well, the laws of physics do not change.”