San Francisco As Seen By Artists Greg Gandy And Jeremy Mann

Principle Gallery in Virginia, recently showed a painting exhibit named 'City Views' featuring the work of San Francisco-based artists, Jeremy Mann and Greg Gandy.

I have long been a fan of Greg Gandy's and am now a new fan of Jeremy Mann's as well. Having grown up in the SF Bay Area, I feel these contemporary artists captured the essence of the unique urban experience and ambiance that is San Francisco.


Greg Gandy:
In Greg Gandy's photo realistic paintings, the golden light of sunrise and sunset (the "magic" hour) is a major element, as it bounces off the sloped hills and city buildings silhouetting, or back-lighting, city buildings, cars and people. Bridges and freeways peek out through sunny glares and midday fog. Even the omnipresent city traffic on the one-way streets is executed in such a manner that it simultaneously summons both attraction and familiarity. Shadows are long and inviting as opposed to being ominous. The city is crowded and active but feels serene and unrushed. His works fill the viewer with a calm glimpse of busy urban life and can be gazed upon for hours on end.


Leaving Broadway:

Morning Commute:

Crossing Market:

Pine and Webster:

Sunrise Over The Bay:

Sunset On Pine:

Sunset Over The Golden Gate:

Sunset Over Twin Peaks:

Afternoon Shoppers:

Sunset On California II:

Clouds Over North Beach:

Morning In Knob Hill:

View From Portrero Hill:

See more Greg Gandy paintings and inquire about the sizes, prices and availability here.


Jeremy Mann:
In Jeremy Mann's work, which is more loosely executed than Gandy's with visible brush strokes and a more frenetic painting style, the seductive allure of the city's rolling fog and rainy wet streets is undeniable. His nighttime scenes, with blurring headlights and streetlights reflecting on the wet pavement, perfectly combine a loneliness with longing. In several of his other works, he captures the 'midday haze'; a mix of activity, atmosphere and the look and feel of heat rising from pavement or mist as it hangs above the asphalt. Bathed in blues, greys and yellows, he immortalizes both the emotion and beauty of the 'City by The Bay'.

The Fog & the City In Silver:

Midday Haze In Blue:

Midday Haze In Yellow:

Pale Morning Haze:

San Francisco Downtown Sunset:

Sutter Street And Rain In Blue:

Evening Lights On Market Street:

Evening In Blues:

Evening In Greys:

Evening Fog In Blue & Green:

Lower Fillmore In the Evening:


See more of Jeremy Mann's work and inquire about the sizes, prices and availability here.

If you have a fondness for San Francisco, or just enjoy urban paintings, these two young artists have managed to capture the essence of a populated city with a calming gestalt. They both work in oils and sizes of the works are as small as 12" x 12" and as large as 51" x 48" .

These two artists were also featured last year in a show of Cityscapes at Studio Gallery in San Francisco which still has some smaller pieces of both their work available.

• Principle Gallery
• Greg Gandy's own site
• Jeremy Mann's own site

Paul Davies' Paintings Combine Modern Architecture, Pools and Palms

above: Empty Pool, Modern Home and Palms by Paul Davies

I've recently come across an artist whose subjects align with more than one of my personal art fetishes. Combining modern architecture, trees and swimming pools - even empty swimming pools to boot (I have a thing for paintings of pools, both empty and full, see here), Paul Davies' work really speaks to me.

I just love the juxtaposition of the strong long low horizontals of the modern architecture with the soaring verticals of the trees (Palms and Aspens).


above: Modern Home, Red Aspens and Snow, Paul Davies, 2008

Apparently, I'm not alone.... his work speaks to many people since all the paintings in his upcoming show- which opens today, have already sold. No, I'm not kidding.

Paul Davies, New Paintings 2009, 28 April - 17 May Tim Olsen Gallery

Sydney artist Paul Davies (not to be confused with another talented Paul Davies) has a new exhibit of his 2009 'new paintings' at the Tim Olsen Gallery, beginning today through May 17 in Australia. Prices range from $7,700.00 to $24,000.00 USD.

His work, which is acrylic on canvas or linen, combines modernist facades with bold washes of color. He cites David Hockney and David Schnell as some of his inspirations, I also see a little Diebenkorn. Rather than describe them, take a look for yourself.

Empty Pool, Sunset:

Two Palms, Aqua and Orange:

Black and Blue, abstract pool:

Modern Home, Pool and Cream Sky:

Night Aspens and Modern Home:

Burnt Aspens and Modern Home:

Night sky, South coast Palms and Modern Home:

Peach Sky and Modern Home:

Snow Trees and Modern Home (diptych):

Bilgola House:

Orange/Blue Seidler:

Centenary Pool, Brisbane:


Paul Davies - ABOUT THE ARTIST


above photo by Benjamin Ong

(Bio from timolsongallery.com)

Sydney based artist Paul Davies has been exhibiting with Australian and international galleries for the past five years.

Raised in Gosford, NSW, Davies learned traditionalist painting techniques from local landscape painter Kell Connell. He then studied toward a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from the University of New South Wales (College of Fine Arts), majoring in Sculpture.

Davies then travelled to Asia, Africa, Europe and North America; and spent several months developing his paintings in England. It was in London that Davies held his first solo exhibition at DK Gallery in Russell Square. At this time he was also awarded a prize from London’s TNT Magazine for excellence in photography.

Returning to Sydney in 2001, Davies held consistent and original solo exhibits with Space3, Knot Gallery and Firstdraft Gallery. His 2005 solo show at 'blank_space' in Sydney was the first sell out exhibition for the gallery.

Largely working with Australian and international modernist architectural facades and interiors, Paul Davies work features the use of delicate hand-cut paper stencils, that provide a perspective, content and detail within a painterly abstract environment. These stencils are created using both Davies’ own and researched photographs.

The buildings in Davies paintings remain vacant of people to reinforce the original idea of its architect, allowing the viewer to experience an “open plan living” ideal. Davies work looks at both the restored and forgotten modernist buildings in a way relevant to today rather than isolating them in their time. In creating this unique style of landscape painting, Paul Davies sights inspiration from some of the world's greatest living artists such as Peter Doig, David Hockney and David Schnell.

Davies' work appears in private and corporate collections both here and overseas and has been commissioned to create works for a diverse range of companies including; Historic Houses Trust, Stockland and BYL Companies Philadelphia. Recent publications include Art & Australia, Art World, Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Belle, Wish, Inside Out, Urbis, and Yen magazine as part of the China Heights Collective.

See more of his work at Tim Olsen Gallery here.