MY LIFE AS AN ARTIST
	OCTOBER 2003

by Bill Weber

No artist, I think, ever had an experience more extraordinary than the one I had in San Francisco in 1976. I was painting a mural in the City and a little kid selling firecrackers came up and stood by me for a while watching me paint. Finally, he said, “When I grow up I’m going to buy buildings and hire you to paint them.” Eleven years later, in 1987, the kid, now grown to adulthood, contacted me. He had sold so many firecrackers that, by now, he actually owned three buildings in North Beach and commissioned me to paint all three of them. The man currently owns more than 30 buildings. The ways of the universe really are stranger than fiction.

Weber Mural on a building in downtown San Francisco — Broadway Street at Columbus. This mural is the one that Bill began restoring in September.

By the way, I saw the man a few months ago and he asked me how much it would cost to paint a giant salami on the side of a new deli he had built. I turned down the commission. (I don’t usually paint pictures of processed foods.)

Learning from the best
The pages in da Vinci’s notebooks are crammed with information about art, inventions, philosophy, science, and botany. He was, perhaps, one of the five greatest geniuses who ever lived. He came closer than any man, I think, to achieving the status of an actual Renaissance Man — that is, a man who knows everything important to be known about every important topic.

Da Vinci’s brilliant unresting mind drove him to delve deeply into many fields of inquiry on philosophical, theoretical, and intensely practical levels. Da Vinci invented, among other things, a machine gun, a helicopter, and a 3-speed transmission. He became a one-man Pentagon — inventing and supplying the weapons for all of his country’s wars. As an artist, da Vinci’s knowledge of his craft carried him immeasurably far beyond the limits of every other artist of his day. Da Vinci brought art and science together in a wonderfully appropriate symbiosis. He understood color and light as a scientist understands these things.

I learned techniques from the old artists, especially da Vinci. I carried his notebooks around with me and read them all the way through at least a dozen times — probably more. For a period of time in my life I read them constantly, starting over immediately when I reached the end.

I tried to follow da Vinci’s advice that artists should learn everything they can from the masters. Only then should they begin learning from nature. For example, I learned about glazing from him. This is a technique in which the artist applies paint in as many as 40 transparent layers onto a white background so the white illuminates the colors as they reflect through the overlying coatings. The viewer is actually looking into rather than at a picture. The effect is almost like looking at a color slide. Aerial perspective is another interesting technique I learned from da Vinci’s writings. The technique is based upon a principle that the greater the intervening space between a color and the viewer, the lighter and bluer that color becomes. In other words, when viewed up close, the reds, greens, and other colors in a work of art are crisp and bright. From farther away, however, because of the effect of the atmosphere, colors shift towards blue giving a sense of depth and perspective to the picture. I learned a number of techniques like this from da Vinci that I use many times in my own work.

Striving towards transcendence
All creative effort can be judged by the standard of whether or not it lends itself to a vision of human life that transcends the mundane gray world of mere unreflective existence. I believe humankind to be the proper goal and measure of an artist’s work.I feel that I’m painting something worthwhile only to the extent that it glorifies mankind’s existence in a worthy manner. I share da Vinci’s encompassing embrace of life and have great regard for any work of creation that elevates the humanity we share — whether a Duesenberg or the Taj Mahal. Several of my paintings brought me great satisfaction. One of these displays a curious tableau focusing on the head of Albert Einstein. All over and around Einstein’s head people from all walks of life — soldiers, lawyers, doctors, poets — are examining Einstein’s mind, ostensibly seeking knowledge for understanding the universe and dealing with questions that humans have been asking since the dawn of time.

A challenging task of re-creation
I created a mural on the corner of Columbus & Broadway that sits right at the intersection of Chinatown, North Beach, and the old Barbary Coast sections of the City. In the mural I tried to depict the history of those three areas — showing, for example, a scene of the Barbary Coast from the 1930s. I included pictures of the recent mayors stretching back to Alioto (in the ’60s). After nearly three decades of exposure to the elements the mural, of course, is beginning to show its age. I began a commission of restoration in September. This will be more than a simple restoration, however. For example, I plan to add Willy Brown’s picture to the collection of mayors and add Gene Krupa to Benny Goodman’s trio.

A number of people are joining together to support the project. Since the mural includes a picture of Benny Goodman, his daughters are providing heartfelt endorsements. One of them wrote these kind words about my picture of her father:

I’m always stunned at the likeness Bill created. Without question it is one of the best portraits done, an uncanny resemblance... I always look up from my steering wheel and say a quick hello to Daddy.

Willy Brown is giving his complete support.

Masha Zakheim, the reigning authority on San Francisco murals, is also endorsing the project. Her father was one of the main artists who created the murals in the Coit Tower.

Masha gives tours of murals and of Diego Rivera art in San Francisco.All the money for the mural is being donated by companies and individuals. For example, one company, Precious Cheese, gave me $15,000. Larry Flint gave me $1,000. I’m going to begin in September and will finish next year. Bringing art to East County residents I currently am serving on the Brentwood Arts Commission, which has the goal of bringing art and culture of all kinds — including paintings, plays, and music — to East County residents. For example, a main event sponsored by the Arts Commission is the Art and Wine Festival held in the park October 11 & 12, under the direction of Chris Robinson. This is the second year for the Festival. Last year the turnout was excellent and we got a lot of good comments from people about how nice it was to stroll around with a glass of wine in your hand looking at works of art.

One of the current goals of the Arts Commission is to put up some statues around town. The first project, of my own design, will be a bronze statue of a farmer sewing seeds, symbolizing the growth of the town. Another statue, showing Becky watching Tom Sawyer as he fishes, will be erected in the water park. We intend the statue to celebrate childhood, and to subtly point to Brentwood as a good place to raise children.

Venue for local artists
I am Curator of the Brentwood Arts Commission Gallery, which is located in the Brentwood Business and Technology Center. The gallery provides a place for all local artists to exhibit their work. Any local artist is free to show between one and four pieces. We don’t judge the artwork, but provide this as a service to any local artist who wishes to present. I usually have four pieces of my own work on display.

The Arts Commission Gallery also provides a venue for displaying the artwork of guest artists. Currently, for example, we have an exhibit of Frank Lloyd Wright’s works. We recently displayed works of Diego Rivera. I’m planning to bring Maxfield Perrish’s works to Brentwood sometime in the next year or so. I really enjoy putting these shows on. I take delight in seeing people enjoy the artwork that we have displayed!

I share the position of gallery curator with Mary Hannigan. I couldn’t be successful without her. Mary does all of the paperwork required for the gallery (a job I neither understand nor wish to learn). She also organizes all of the local artists and hangs their work. My role is with the guest artists’ displays.

Mary and I make a good team, each doing parts of the job that the other person wouldn’t care to get involved with. Ron Beatty, President of the Commission, drives hard to promote excellence in all of the Commission’s activities. Ron is an accomplished artist himself, specializing in painting landscapes, especially with southwestern themes. I have a lot of respect for him. Even though he is a man of drive and passion, Ron is really easy to work with. He is always there when people need him.

Happy compulsion
I love to see and to create things that have never been seen or created before. There is a magic about real art because it always involves bringing into existence some object or performance that has as its source the imagination of the artist. Frank Lloyd Wright and Salvador Dali are examples of people who, using very diverse media, could let their imaginations run free. Both men created never-before-seen-or-imagined realities.

When I paint my own surrealistic canvases I try to do that. I try to create something new and hopefully wonderful that has never before been seen on our tired, warn planet. Doing that always feels right to me! There is a vitality about it! Life at that point really does become more than making a living.

I’ll always be passionate about this! Who wouldn’t be?