Golden Gate

In 1865, the painter Thomas Ross painted San Francisco Bay, complete with jutting headlands opposite, Fort Point in the distance, and folks walking along the beach dressed in their 19th -century Sunday best. In 2022, I found myself in nearly the same spot, inspired by Ross and after having parked at Crissy Field along the Bay. For the next 2 and a half hours, despite my hat and heavy jacket, I endured the biting wind, as I was more absorbed in painting the Bridge that Ross had never even dreamed of when he created his studio piece. This is perhaps one of the most impactful then-and-now plein air paintings I have ever had the pleasure to paint.