Wedged in between City Lights Bookstore and Vesuvio the Bar, exists this alleyway, once traversed by the original beater, Jack Kerouac.The city of San Francisco has done a wonderful thing; They've preserved his legacy by making the alleyway open for pedestrians only, and imbeding in the concrete some significant quotes by other writers and poets of note, like Maya Angelou, and John Steinbeck.
I painted this sketch on location this last Saturday night, from eleven until one o'clock in the morning. It felt safe and groovy; like I was witnessing a movie. Meeting the local homeless and artists/poets like Osirus, or Lenny, the North Beach neon sign maker, both characters helped make up of the fabric of this rich city suburb.
I myself provided the passers-by with something to ponder and wonder about. I was like a street performer lurking in the shadow of a tree, balancing on the curb precariously. As most people passed, they were moving too fast to notice my act, and in a relative flash like Jack, I too was there, then gone.
None of us are really here for long.
Jack Kerouac Alley
8"x6" oil/board 2011
Collection of the Artist
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