Blondie's Pizza at Powell and Market
San Francisco, California, USA
Claes Oldenburg, in his "manifesto" statement for his show at the Martha Jackson
Gallery in New york in 1961, wrote that he was "for an art that did more than sit on
it's ass in a museum." When I read this ten years later as a young artist it made a
great impression on me and I took it very seriously. After all, there I was living in
a store front on New York's lower east side just a half a block away from where Oldenburg
worked, in a store front (long since demolished) and wrote those words. I was as
perplexed as he seems to have been as to the role of this thing called ART in a
culture such as ours. The steel work you see on this web page I created in the year
2000, and I believe it has not just sat on it's ass in some museum for the last
fifteen years. It's good, hard working, signature Bulwinkle cut and painted
steel sculpture that don't know from the scolding of "don't touch the art works."
The location, near the corner of Market and Powell Streets, is one of the busiest
retail commercial sites in the world. Considering the countless human hands
that have pawed and kicked and scratched and chipped away at these Bulwinkles,
I think they all have soldiered on most admirably. Fine, uncomplaining work
horses are they. In fact, the artist, me, admires the lovely patina of pizza grease,
spilled coffee, dust and ice cream, and Cokes created by years of hard use. Indeed,
this art has not just sat on it's ass in some museum, while Mr. Oldenburg's
art has accomplished exactly the opposite. Lando'goshen, go figure.
Powell St., at the intersection of Ellis.
Powell St. Cable Car.
Tourist-toomucheous in August of 2014.
Inside Rasputin's Records.
Cable car stairs and big legged woman on wall behind signs.
Him n' Her in the Tenderloin.
Dick nose.
Skate boy.
Pedestrian Traveler.
Cable Car Clutch girl.
Bay bridge, wave fence.
Swimmer.
Whale.
Sailing.
Tanker.
Clutch girl other side.
California sun. Always.
Lover Girl from Orinda/Moraga.
Rockers.
Retail, retail, retail.
A truckload of crap.
Russian Revolutionary Rockers.
The Tsar and leader of the Rockin' Royals.
Wormlips.
Detroit iron.
The Mad Monk.
The Russian Navy behind UPS.
Rasputoneers.
The Duke.
Blacky the Royal Horse.
Rasputin on a Toyota hood.
Retail Art. The Russian Royalty Band.
The Duke.
Looking east.
Ellis and Powell cable car.
The basement Cafe. A refuge from the throng.
Scrap Steel pizza. My specialty.
Ms. Cappucino.
A nice day in August on Powell Street.
Down to the Cafe.
Looking in from outside.
Our friend, Ms. Dairy Cow.
A pickle vine.
Transamerica tower split by a plane. (Plane removed after 9/11).
Mister Latte.
Mr. Mushroom tree.
Mr. Cheese.
Ms. Tomato.
Olive tree(with pimentos).
Pickles.
Mr. Poppy Seed Bagle.
Food signs and Mr. Poppy.
The Cafe downstairs.
Beautiful floor. Artist/craftsman now doing 25 to life. Brilliant work. So many artists
in this culture just cannot make it on the outside.
Food railing.
Powell Street Cable Car.
Blondie's Pizza. San Francisco.
The End