The Summer Fog

This image of the Golden Gate that I have been playing with is haunting me. I tried several sketches and decided to put some fog under the bridge. It is simplified and has verticles large and small. The curves of the fog add conflict. I like the composition and hopefully it tells a story. I used to live on the Bay and watched the fog come in under the bridge. It was always a spectacle.

Racing with the Fog

This the 75th birthday of our grand landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge.  I painted the scene from Fort Baker which is below the bridge and allows a view of the lighthouse underneath and the fog rolling in off the Pacific.  During the summer months the fog is very regular in timing.  It comes over the hills from Stinson Beach and rolls down over the highway and over the bridge.  It is thick and stays in a mass and then starts to have parts break off.  There are places on the Bay that seldom get covered by the fog.  When living in Tiburon, I could witness this daily summer event because we were the last to be covered. 

San Francisco Summer

Next May marks the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge. I love painting it from the Sausalito side and looking up from underneath at Fort Baker. Summer in San Francisco has a lot of fog which rolls in off the Pacific Ocean and eventually occludes the Golden Gate. It is pretty much a daily occurrence. The bridge and city are scoured and cleansed so that it can sparkle. There is a small light house under the bridge which I put in this painting. While the breaking fog covers the bridge and city, the east side of the bay including Sausalito, Tiburon, etc are spared until the very end.

Fog Over the Golden Gate

I painted this yesterday while standing in Fort Baker in Sausalito. The temperature was around 60 degrees and I just left home in Davis, CA where the temp was in the 90's. What a change. When the valley heats up the fog rolls in off the Pacific and San Francisco gets a daily bath. It comes right in over and under the Gate. It is a sure sign of summer in San Francisco. A brave sailor was out there under the bridge. Sailing on San Francisco Bay is only for the proven. I have been out there with the wind, cold and wet. When I return to my Berkeley mooring, it is in the 80's and I dry out and warm up in no time. I love the Bay and this painting site is a favorite. Next year, 2012, the Golden Gate will be 75 years old. Next year, the Bay will also be the venue for the America's Cup race.