Big turnout for the S.F. Urban Sketchers this weekend thanks to two big highlights – the always-so-sketchable Golden Gate Bridge and a well loved sketcher/blogger/teacher/author visiting from Australia, Liz Steel. Apparently last time she was in town the fog rolled in and obliterated the bridge show, so she needed to give it another try. And this time the fog and wind and sun all conspired to make for a dazzling display of the bay and bridge in all its orange-gold-red-purple-hazy-clear-appear and disappear glory!
I found a spot at the end of the pier in front of the Warming Hut where the fishermen were busy and the dock was covered with crab shells and cigarette butts. Some children were screaming Octopus! Octopus! when a small one was pulled up in a crab net. As usual I was excited enough about being there myself that I started putting in all the things I don’t get to see at home, like the S.F. skyline with the Salesforce building and Transamerica Center and the Bay Bridge and sailboats. . .
And then realized I needed a foreground element and started sketching the fisherman who was directly in front of me. When he saw me looking his way he apologized and started to move out of the way. So I had to fess up and tell him that he was my subject. He loved that! So he resumed his position and let me finish. Meanwhile I got to find out he was from Fiji and it was his first time fishing for crab!
I did eventually join the throngs of familier sketchers in this iconic spot below the bridge and did my obligatory sketch of the bridge, putting in another fisherman and leaving out the scores of tourists standing right in front of me taking their selfies!
Then my sketches joined the other bridge scenes, each of which expressed a unique viewpoint of our beloved bridge. A memorable day with the best of company in my favorite city.
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