Interpretations of Richard Diebenkorn

Street Scene, colored pencil, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

All of my interpretations of Diebenkorn's Cityscape I  have a similar palette. I simply cannot get away from the greens, blues, and touches of yellow or rose. They're all so San Francisco to me and so Diebenkorn. He grew up in Berkeley so he knows the colors of San Francisco!

Cityscape I is very geometric, but I have such a hard time being THAT geometric in the shapes I use. I had to give them a little more curve. It's impossible for me to make perfect angles and lines. My hands won't let me.

Curved Geometry, chalk pastel, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

The blues of the sky and bay, the greens of the hills, redwood and eucalyptus trees, and the bits of warm colors from the buildings, Sutro Tower, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Now I fully understand why red was the chosen color for that bridge. It's the perfect compliment to the cool greens and blues surrounding it.

Wire, watercolor, copyright Nina Leung, 2013

The lines of those intricate and amazing electric bus wires. LOVE! One of my favorite things is to watch the bus drivers get out of the bus to reattach the bus to the electric wires. Sometimes they spring off making a fantastic, almost cartoonishly exaggerated spring-y sound. The whole process is so San Francisco.

Gio's Colors, chalk pastel, copyright Gio Leung, 2013

These last two are by my 4 year old son, Gio. He did a marvelous job capturing the colors of Diebenkorn's Cityscape I. He remembers seeing the painting during a visit to SFMOMA. The museum educators had a puzzle of the painting out on the bench in front of it and invited Gio to try to piece the puzzle together using the painting as a guide. He really had to study the painting and so remembers it quite well, especially considering he saw it 4 months ago.

Filled Colors, watercolor, copyright Gio Leung, 2013