Frescoes at the Spinster Sisters

If you happen to be passing through Santa Rosa, CA in the next few months swing by the new wine bar and restaurant the Spinster Sisters. Art exhibits are held every two months. The food and wine selection is excellent!  I've got a bunch of portable frescoes hanging there, most of which I painted this summer.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Spinster-Sisters/242956329103180

 

 

Frescoes to Visit in San Francisco & the Northbay

Detail of a mural by Diego Rivera, City College, San Francisco

If you are in California it's worth a pilgrimage to the St. Seraphim church in Santa Rosa where you can see the creation of large scale frescoes, which are still in the process of being painted. Another place to visit is the fabulous Diego Rivera fresco at City College in San Francisco. Not many people know about it. Most people go to the San Francisco Art Institute to view his other fresco but the painting at City College is much grander in scale.

Mural by Diego Rivera, SF Art Institute, San Francisco

Detail of a mural by Diego Rivera, City College, San Francisco

Detail of a mural by Diego Rivera, City College, San Francisco

The Fresco Process

Detail of a larger fresco in the Museo Nationale Romano

 I love the loose, sketchy imagery you can find in the background of ancient Roman frescoes like the detail above shot in Rome.

If you are curious about the process of painting a fresco take a look at the development of this painting.  When I paint a fresco I only do the last step which is called the intonaco. If you are painting a large scale fresco on a wall you will need to do many more steps.