Thomas Kinkade - San Francisco, The Presidio

"There is a special golden moment on a San Francisco spring morning when the sun seems to break through with such clarity and radiance that it is as though you’d stepped through the gates of Paradise. When I set up my large easel in San Francisco’s richly historic Presidio, I was blessed with just such a glorious morning. Shadows danced on the foreground and the ancient
chapel seemed to come alive. The Presidio is one of San Francisco’s oldest districts; since the Spanish occupation in 1776, it has been the site of Spanish, Mexican, and U.S. naval and military operations. The region, with its nearly five hundred historic buildings, splendid hiking trails, and spectacular natural vistas became a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1994.

Plein air painting allows the spirit of place to literarily take hold of my brush. As I worked, it seemed that the ghosts of history swirled around and my brush was charged with a special energy that was equal measure history, inspiration, and the golden morning sun. I was joined by a number of my dealers as I worked on this piece; I decided to release San Francisco, the Presidio to share the moment with those who couldn’t be there."

- Thomas Kinkade

Available in the following size: 16x20

Points of Interest:
1. San Francisco, the Presidio was painted in honor of the Thomas Kinkade Signature Dealers, on site at the famous military outpost that has been in operation since 1776, serving first Spain, then Mexico, then finally the United States since 1848.
2. This image was painted en plein air, or in the open air, one of Thom's favorite pastimes.
3. San Francisco, the Presidio has been released in canvas in an edition size of 295.
4. The chapel depicted in San Francisco, the Presidio, was originally built in 1864, out of wood. The current structure was built in the 1930's in the Spanish Colonial Revival style popular at that time.