In 1967, my friend S. and I rode the train from Ohio to San Francisco. Our tiny apartment was on Nob Hill for $75 a month. Often I would take my newsprint pad, pastels and ink out sketching. I still have a dozen or so sketches, of course quite yellow and fragmented. But a darned miracle they still exist. Here, Golden Gate Park. I think I captured the hippie ambiance well. I like the freedom of style here.
We lived on the third floor of an adorable building at 1146 Taylor. A sketch of the back garden. See the photo in my sidebar of the front of 1146 Taylor that Robin kindly took for me last year.
I wonder if this fire station still stands? It was so cute.
No idea where this was. These photos came out dark in my photo program and I think I lightened them too much. They are more vibrant than this shows.
China Town I like the way I combined the colors on the bottom with the black and white on top. As a real artist said to me awhile back when I took a class from her, "I wonder why you didnt become an artist."
In 1967, my friend S. and I rode the train from Ohio to San Francisco. Our tiny apartment was on Nob Hill for $75 a month. Often I would take my newsprint pad, pastels and ink out sketching. I still have a dozen or so sketches, of course quite yellow and fragmented. But a darned miracle they still exist. Here, Golden Gate Park. I think I captured the hippie ambiance well. I like the freedom of style here.
We lived on the third floor of an adorable building at 1146 Taylor. A sketch of the back garden. See the photo in my sidebar of the front of 1146 Taylor that Robin kindly took for me last year.
I wonder if this fire station still stands? It was so cute.
No idea where this was. These photos came out dark in my photo program and I think I lightened them too much. They are more vibrant than this shows.
China Town I like the way I combined the colors on the bottom with the black and white on top. As a real artist said to me awhile back when I took a class from her, "I wonder why you didnt become an artist."
21 comments:
You are an artist Suki. It is self evident. Love seeing your old sketches. I bet they bring back some wonderful memories.
What?! You are most definitely an artist Suki!!!!
You are an artist. So glad you photographed these drawings. Love the hippie one especially...all that nice line work depicting something flowing and energized.
These are utterly delightful! They really do capture a time and place and feeling. Thank goodness you kept them, and can preserve them now digitally.
Nice to see these sketches...1967 was a very good year for you on your SF adventure. How long did you live here? You easily captured the 'feel' of the times...you are an artist!
How rude, (and ignorant)the comment on being an artist!
I, too, am a large fan of the Hippie sketch.
Free, spontaneous,,,and so well speaks of a place in time.
Aren't you glad you kept these? We are!
I think you DID become an Artist. What a stinky thing to say to you. Nice you kept these.. They are fun mementos and priceless.
The woman who said that was a highly professional New York City artist. I guess I took it as a compliment, yet it did make me look back with a frisson of regret that I did not follow the artistic path rather than the writing path. Whatever I might mean by that, I dont even know myself.
Thanks everyone!
I'll ask DH which street that is pointing down to the pier. I know this area so well. We drive down that street to get to Hyde St. Pier.
I came back from Israel in 1966...to think we might have met then.
I'm sure we dressed alike..both wore berkies, long skirts, long hair parted in the middle? That was me.
These all have such charm. funny we are both recapturing memories of our youth right now. Me with my 1961 journal and quilt making of those times and adventures and you with yours. ;-)))
PS and hey! we BOTH became artists!!!!
These are fabulous sketches and wonderful memories too! Great that you have kept them Suki.
Suki - these are so vivid and full of youthful fire! The one sketch of the hill amd the piers could be Hyde Street....
I love them all....and you ARE a Writer and an Artist....you embody all of that to me!
Love,
♥ Robin ♥
p.s. I am so hapy I snapped that photo for you!
"I wonder why you never became an artist"
I'm sorry but that irks me ....
Anyhow, here's proof of the artist within .... Sketching for the fun of it :)
I love the sketches. They are very free and loose. I definitely get the feeling that you were inspired by what you saw around you!
Awful comment - she should be ashamed. These are wonderful, spontaneous, colorful, delightful!
Oh Suki! these sketches are just wonderful! I wonder if you could carefully cover each one with a matte medium finish to protect them? Then, they really, really need to be framed. They are so fabulous! I LOVE them! Of course you are an artist! Silly woman :)
(hey)Jude
Nice walk down memory lane. So, why didn't you become a "real" artist, whatever that is? I thought people who see beauty in the world then paint it or write about it were artists.
Suki, thank you for leaving such an informative comment at my blog post on Hiroshima... your sketches are so colorful and free and I am sure bring back wonderful memories.
what fun to still have these. they must bring back so many memories! they feel like they really capture a time and feel the young artist you alive and vibrant in this work.
How interesting that an "artist" of such a high calibre would say something like that?! However, I do know what you took from that - that you followed the written word more loyally than paint.
These pictures are wonderful, Suki - so humorous and quirky - rather like totally personal snapshots of another life.
Arohanui, Lesley.
Your sketches look wonderful Suki :) such beautiful feeling comes out of them !!!
Just this week, I pulled out some of my old college sketches from the mid 70s...they were brittle and yellowed. In fact, your first one looks very much like one I did.
Post a Comment