Urban Fairy Tale Characters of San Francisco: part ONE

As an avid Watcher of People, I enjoyed spending the summer painting some of the colorful cast of characters spotted during my street photography adventures. After work, I toss on a pair of dark sunglasses, grab my iPhone and chihuahua, and wander the streets to see who might catch my hungry eye.  Above:  She wearily trudged down Market Street wearing flip-flops paired with suntan colored support hose and a busted wig worn slightly askew. In my imagination, I named her Mildred. Medium: graphite on paper, digital paint.

If one happens to spot a bearded manboy man dressed as a Toddler Gigantus in the Mid-Market district (home to Twitter, Yelp and vast numbers of tech startups), it's highly likely that he is a "Techie". Techies are very controversial in San Francisco these days, but they don't bother me as I get a kick out of their carefully coordinated garanimal outfits usually topped off with a little matching hat and a cute backpack festooned with cartoon animals, dangling toys, and a solar charger for their iPhones. They can be spotted on Market Street as they toddle between Chipotle and their well-paid jobs at the hottest tech startups. Interestingly, the offices of many startups resemble sleek kindergartens and tree houses. Medium: digital painting

San Francisco's Chinatown buzzes with sensory overload during the Summer months. It is a bustling frenzy of people crowding sidewalks lined with stores full of overflowing tourist tat, produce stands, and restaurants featuring cooked ducks hanging by their necks in the window. The pungent smell of dried squid mingles with the sweetness of overripe fruit. Live toads flop sluggishly in filthy buckets and a fish cut in half still twitches atop a bed of melting crushed ice. Harried fishmongers yell angrily at curious tourists for taking photos of it all. One day I was walking through the neighborhood and noticed a very well-dressed man walking toward me. His smartly tailored, three-piece suit was decorated with a pageantry of ribbons, badges, and a red carnation boutonniere. A jet-black pompadoured toupee perched atop his head like a shining crown, which added to his overall air of distinction.  Our eyes met as we crossed and I wanted to give him a little wink, but was too shy. Medium: graphite on paper, digital paint.

Comments

[Webmasta Pete]

14,
Thought I'd stop by after not having visited for many months - happy to see you haven't given up your people-watching habit - always highly entertained by the results!

[Katie]

Wonderful as always. Glad to see some of your work again.

[Vern]

Mildred or Mickey Rourke?
You decide.

You were wise not to wink 14, Mr. Distinction would not be amused if you mocked the honor of his wig's champion status.

[The Mave]

Wonderfulness Returns! Welcome Back!!!!