Transcript

1. Art/Official

   I'm briefed on Cliff House . 1902 as the second work in A Colorful History, painted in 2015, a year after Cliff House . 1863 founded the series. I know the founding piece well — Richard Hamilton reference, t-shirt transfer method, the nine-work French collector sale — but I'm going in blind on what happened in the year between 1863 and this one, and why you returned to Cliff House itself rather than a new subject. If anything in that framing is off, correct it now — otherwise let's go. Before we look at it together — is this a recent work, or something you've been sitting with for a while?

2. Artist

   This was a bit of an older work, one of the ACH when I was making them for the city art gallery in SF, so middle SF series and right when the technique was hitting its stride

3. Art/Official

   Good — that places it right in the early run, past the founding experiment and into the technique finding its footing. Question two: Is this part of something ongoing, or does it feel more like a standalone moment?

4. Artist

   Was right in the middle of the SF run of the ACH

5. Art/Official

   Makes sense — squarely inside the run, not a bookend piece. Question three: Where were you when you made this one?

6. Artist

   Was made in the backyard studio in SF

7. Art/Official

   Good — same setup as the founding piece, then, working in that backyard space. That's the three orientation questions. Last one before the image: I'd like you to describe this work to me first, before either of us sees it.

8. Artist

   The painting is of the cliff house in SF at ocean beach, an old black and white photo is transfered to canvas and the viewpoint is from below on ocean beach. You can see seal rock and the ocean and a reflection on the water with some 19th century people wading in the water.

9. Artist

   [image upload: 1000020684.jpg]

10. Art/Official

    The Victorian chateau Cliff House sits perched on the rocky headland, black-and-white photo transfer against flat acrylic color fields. One divergence from the blind description: the framing reads head-on/elevated rather than steeply from below. Medium/support: Acrylic photo transfer on canvas — correct? Dimensions 66cm x 66cm (26in x 26in), Year 2015, Series A Colorful History, BB-ACH-2015-019.

11. Artist

    Yes those match

12. Art/Official

    What made you pick this particular photo of it?

13. Artist

    It's a striking photo and also you're right the Victorian house is the iconic one I grew up seeing, so in the first painting was interesting to see that there was a building before. Can you try and find the photo?

14. Art/Official

    [web search identified a Rare Historical Photos image captioned 'Beach walkers near Cliff House. 1902' as a candidate match]

15. Artist

    Yes that's the one, is there more info about the photographer and the photo

16. Art/Official

    [searched Library of Congress] Two LOC records look like strong candidates, both ca. 1902. Neither names an individual photographer.