A brief history of Sutro Tower
A look at one of my favorite painting subjects!
Updates about my upcoming events and a look into the history of one of my favorite painting subjects: Sutro Tower.
This past month, I’ve been working behind the scenes organizing events and classes as well as painting commissions that I can’t share yet. Pop back to last month’s newsletter for my perspective on the importance of learning new skills, especially hands-on creative skills, as an adult! As with every month, read all the way through to the end of the newsletter for a new photo of my cat, Ruby.
As of this writing, there are just two spaces left in my upcoming gouache class with Kate Rado! We are busy preparing to teach gouache painting to twenty people through still life and plein air. Talking through our differing and similar techniques, practices, and mindsets has been such a joy.
I am also happy to announce that Art Jam is sold out. We have an exciting lineup of sessions and I am looking forward to a weekend of community and creation.
You can still find out more about Art Jam and donate to get a hand printed t-shirt and to help the event succeed!
If you have followed my work for long, you may have noticed that I have an affinity for Sutro Tower. There’s just something about its shape, and the way that you can see it from all over the Bay Area. Part of the attraction is that it has an ugly/ungainly edge. If it were only beautiful, then it wouldn’t be so interesting to me.
Sutro from Willard
Sutro from Tiburon
Sutro Tower also has a fascinating history. Before the current tower, there was a mansion built by Adolf G. Sutro, grandson to the San Francisco mayor and real-estate investor of the gold rush era for whom many places in the city are named. The mansion was sold to American Broadcasting Company and used to both produce and transmit television shows.
Due to San Francisco’s topography, many homes were unable to receive television and radio signals, which became more and more of a problem as these technologies were increasingly in use in more households. To solve this, a higher tower had to be built near the middle of the city and on high ground. The existing ABC property was perfect for it. Like any construction project in San Francisco, it was heavily contested, but the need for entertainment won out in the end.
Sketch of Sutro Tower and Twin Peaks from the Liberty Steps
To this day, many people find the tower visually offensive, but it also has something of a cult following. It appears in tattoos, merchandise, photographs, and of course, artwork. You can find my Sutro Tower bookmarks, stickers, and prints available here.
My lino print of Sutro Tower in the fog
Last year, I made an experimental piece called Sutro Tower Junk Painting, which is currently on view at The Drawing Room on Valencia for their show “Consumed.”
As a mural artist, I have often encountered obstacles on the walls I am painting. I have become fascinated with figuring out how to wrap the painting around the objects that are in the way, such as pipes, poles, and bolts. To explore this idea further, I used found objects such as abandoned building materials, parts of other art projects, and recycling to create an entire panel of obstacles. Some things are recognizable, like an egg carton and a takeout container, and some are more difficult to identify. There is a cut-out repurposed from another project in the shape of the Transamerica Pyramid. I chose Sutro Tower both because I love to paint it and because I thought it would be extra challenging to have the lines of the tower warping around the objects. The tension between the image trying to hold onto its cohesion and the objects trying to get in the way is exciting, and the painting changes dramatically depending on the light conditions it is displayed in.
I am far from the only artist to be fascinated by Sutro Tower. Illustrator Paul Madonna, famous for his Chronicle series All Over Coffee, is currently creating a series called Anything with Sutro. He also writes a thoughtful newsletter, so make sure to check that out.
Speaking of recommendations, clear your calendar for this month’s CROONERS. The theme will be “Crooners Breaks Your Heart.”
Join host Chester Vanderbox at 7 or 9pm on February 23rd for an evening of jazz standards and smoky ballads, in the sumptuous atmosphere of the Blue Room! Queer elegance abounds, with Chester’s cunning co-hosts, drag luminaries EnSeanTé and Polly Amber Ross. Put on your sassiest duds and reserve a table today– seating is extremely limited.
Bonus Sutro Tower content: I made a zine from drawings in my sketchbook of Sutro Tower. If you read the whole newsletter and you see this, I’ll mail you a copy! Just email me your mailing address and ask for the zine: nathaniel@njbice.com
Thank you for joining me for another month! While you await the next newsletter, you can check out my website to see my portfolio of plein air paintings, still lifes, block prints, figure drawings, tiny scale model houses, murals, and you can also find information on commissions! Please feel welcome to email me and ask about any ideas you have that aren’t covered on my commission page, I’m always willing to discuss.
Stay tuned for next month, and let me know what you’d like to hear about in the newsletter in the future.
Lastly, as always, here's Ruby!
Thank you!
-Nathaniel J. Bice
he/him