Dandelion 1
Beneath this building, there are several urban weed spots that I kept an eye on during the many months in which I worked nearby on my mural about the Tenderloin of San Francisco. There was a tenacious dandelion that kept growing on Jones street at the foot of my mural, despite an obsessed neighbor who kept kicking it repeatedly until no leaves were left, every time it grew back. How odd, the way we choose things that bother us.
On Christmas 2011, my acquaintances at the Islamic Society on Jones Street kindly let me take refuge on the roof of the Masjid Darussalam mosque, where I spent 3 days painting this piece in 1/2 inch increments to make an animation, dedicated to that patient dandelion by my mural nearby.
From my roof nest, I enjoyed the most incredible pink and golden hazy winter light, gorgeous lavender sunsets, and as you may see in one of the photos, the dramatic sky from one of the worst fires to hit San Francisco in years.
With thanks to Khaled Olaibah and the Masjid Darussalam mosque, San Francisco.