Pad 39A is the name of my studio space located near Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco. It's been my home the last year as I work toward my Final Thesis. Why "Pad 39A"? Pad 39A was the launch pad used by NASA astronauts for the first moon landing, which took off on July 16, 1969. Apollo 11 safely landed on the moon on July 20. I thought it would be an appropriate name for this studio. I am launching my own mission: twelve paintings for my Final Thesis Project.
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| Pad 39A, Chestnut Street, San Francisco |
My time is coming to an end at Pad 39A. I'll be moving to Laguna College of Art & Design after graduation, assuming I pass the Final Project. I remember the empty wall space the first day I moved in. My paintings began to inhabit the space after a few weeks, amid the chaos of supplies I was collecting: art books, tubes of paint, old shirts, cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, a space heater.
The studio of an artist becomes a piece of art. I love looking at the studios of other artists for this reason. It reveals a lot about the character and work habits of the person working in the space. Are they sloppy or clean? Do they have supplies piled up like junk, or is everything systematically placed on shelves, in drawers? The studio of Francis Bacon, for example, looked like a garbage bin. It reflected his maniacal personality. I think I am somewhere in the middle...organized, but messy. Anyway, Pad 39A has been a great place to work. One small step for an artist, one giant leap for my career.
