A NOTE:

A Note: I fractured my right "artist" wrist and have not been able to paint for this blog...I did practice with my 'left hand' and also my 'right braced-hand'...see paintings on my other blog deliapacheco.blogspot.com

Golden Gate Park Mounted Police Stable

On our 2009 Vacation to California by a coincidence we ended up at the Golden Gate Park. Being close to the Police Stable we looked for it. The roads all had changed in the Park, quite a challenge to say the least, but fate had it and we found it. It was very different, but the building still was there with the original arena. I met some very nice Policemen this day and a tour guide that was very helpful showing us pictures, and talking with us about all the old time photos. I recognized the officers and horses in some of the photos. I was so very happy to have gone there and met up with people that showed kindness as they did 50 years ago. In the photo above are a few horses tied up where the cars used to be parked...because I was so excited I did not take pictures of the officers...this to my regret.

Next door to the MPS used to be a stable for the Harness and Polo Ponies till they converted it into a Riding Academy. In my youth I spent a great deal of time there, cooling down horses...too bad they closed this facility, it was such an ideal place to ride through the Park. I believe they are trying to rebuild this site. I also found a link on Ed Lawson, who was the officer that was so kind allowing me to ride the horses, especially the horse named Bob (seen below a painted I did from a photo...me sitting astride) Ed would even drive us home because he worried it was too far to walk through the Park...a kind man indeed and someone I will never forget.

Mounted Police Horse named Bob

When I was around 12 years old we lived near the Golden Gate Park. There was a place at that time called the Golden Gate Riding Academy. I helped clean stalls and bring in the lesson horses for exchange for riding a horse. I loved going there, it was a beautiful place with lots of history, then one day they tore it down to build a Safeway grocery store. Another place I use to go to, was at the other end of the Golden Gate Park and had to walk quite a distance, it was the Polo Field and the San Francisco Mounted Police Stable. In the early 50's a child could walk through the park without something happening to them...but of course you still had to be careful. My adventures at the Polo Field will be another painting so will save the story for that. 

The Golden Gate Mounted Police Stable was where I had the best time, I was allowed to ride a retired Police Horse named Bob, supposedly a Hero saving someones life in the Ocean. Bob was a tall Bay Morgan or Morgan mix, he had swelling in his hock area, but was not lame. I would ride him around in the arena and then clean him and put him in his stall. I was even allowed to call him my horse. There I learned a great deal about horses and the care for them, the Policemen where always so nice to my sister and me...featured in this my painting of me riding Bob.

Fleishhacker Zoo

My mother liked taking us to the Fleishhacker Zoo in San Francisco, it was Free to get in, it had many things to do, a Carousel, Swimming pool and a beautiful building dedicated to a woman named Delia (Fleishhakers mother)so of course I liked going there, pretending it was my Zoo, because of the name Delia...I always felt sorry for caged animals, it just is not natural, and to this day don't like it unless they have large areas to roam.

My sister in a San Francisco Hospital

My sister Alex was Hospitalized for a long time with TB in the hip, I think we where around 11 years old...My mom and I would walk every day to the Hospital to see her, it was a long walk. I was too young and they would not allow me to go inside to visit, but her bed was next to a window and I got to see her through there. She was in a great deal of pain and that was so hard to see. I included this in my memory paintings, as it was a big part of our lives at that time. 

Union Square feeding Pigeons

This painting shows my sister and me in downtown San Francisco at the Union Square. We loved going there and feeding the pigeons, green peas bought at this huge indoor Farmers Market. We lived about a block away from the Union Square when we first moved to S.F. the hotel was a fleabag hotel, mom working across the street at KNBC Radio Station. Needless to say we did not stay there long, but what an experience! It's amazing it took so little to entertain children in those days. We learned English quite fast because mom would take us to the movies a lot...movies at the Alexandria Theater, Fox and the Coronet came to mind...maybe this is why I like watching all the old movies on TCM.

Playland Carousel 1950's

Well the German came out in me today! Stubborn as can be...I would not give up on this painting...it took three times as long to finish...all that time I could have started over, but noooo, I was determined to finish it even after I spilled paint on it. Having no plan, just painting as I went along made it even harder to repaint. I couldn't remember what and how I did it, that's because I forgot to take a preliminary photo for reference...here is the worn out version.
Mom used to take us to Playland in San Francisco, at times she would allow us to take the bus by ourselves and just spend all day there, it was after the war and filled with sailors. Doubt you could do this nowadays.
Our favorite place outside of the Fun House was the Carousel. My sister Alex and I had our favorite horses, mine being a Black and sis liking the White one. I have no memory of how exactly it looked...here is my interpretation, most likely not an outside horse, as they where standing horses.
I remember thinking while going up and down on the black steed, that someday I was going to own a black horse (which I did) and I would ride it at my favorite places, on the beach and the Golden Gate Park, galloping with the breeze hitting my face, my hair tussled in the wind. I loved my black Carousel horse, and if someone else was riding it, I would wait till that kid got off.
When the Carousel sold/auctioned off in the '70s, I seriously debated on buying one of the Black horses instead of my Arabian mare and foal...it certainly would have been cheaper and a better investment, although I would not had gotten the joy of having my Arabian horse breeding program.

San Francisco Beach

Thanks for the push Surly-Mac! the sun today put me in the mood to finish this painting.

I'm still messing around with the font colors, can't make up my mind, just want it to be easy to read...any input would be appreciated

This scene is on our Birthday, March 12th 1951, my mom took us to Playland and the San Francisco Beach. We always went there on weekends and ate at the Cliff House...mom had moved us to San Francisco where she worked at KNBC and then at Fiberboard Paper Products(my sister and I both worked at Fiberboard later on, where the image of me ended up on the SunMaid Raisin box)

First Christmas in America

I wanted to document this particular time Christmas 1950, our first Christmas in America...I do remember it because my mom asked if we could have a small tree. Of course there where no good trees to pick from a day before Xmas. All the trees left here small and dry, by the time we reached home most all the needles where gone...so now I recognize this tree to be a Charlie Brown Tree...my mom had made a couple of cutout paper ornaments and hung them.

We received a small gift box with miniature plastic furniture and we each got a Mr.Peanut filled with little candies. So making the best out of a situation we learned to appreciate everything, even the smallest of things...as a child it was an important lesson.

Our home in America

I'm getting ready to go on a vacation for 10 days...so have not had much time to think about painting...the sun came out today, so painted this.
In this scene we are in San Leandro California at our sponsors house, exhausted from our train trip, which oddly enough I can not remember...the only thing I do remember is arriving in Oakland late at night, and our sponsor picking us up and then going to a Lucky's grocery store for food (did he not think of this before?) The house he lived in was a Shaker style home, very minimal furniture, not even sheets on our beds...a very bachelor home. Needless to say my mom was not happy, I really think he was looking for a bride...but NOT my mom!
At this house he had two Cocker Spaniels, one named Blondie the other Goldie, neither really liked my sister and me. So the painting is of us sitting on the stoop with the dogs by us. I remember thinking how warm it was before Christmas, which was a week away in this image.

processing at Ellis Island

Today I wondered why in the hell I started this series, knowing well I will not have enough references for what I wanted...I had to conjure up my imagination (throwing me back to the details and nitpicking)
This painting shows the morning we arrived at Ellis Island. I had forgotten that's where we where processed, until I saw a documentary on Ellis Island and it gave me a flashback.

This scene is ingrained in my memory because of what happened there. My sister and I had my dad's cameras around our necks, however I did not question why we had to have them under our coats, and the instructions not to let anyone see them, we just followed orders. When the man came to check our baggage and cedar chest he looked at me and I immediately noticed mom looking at me in a panic, she was looking at the straps of the cameras showing. I was horrified as I knew I had done something wrong. Mom looked at the guy, he smiled at mom and then walked away, she in turn went and talked to him...I never did know why these camera's would have been an issue...but the guy chose to ignore them.

In the painting I'm sitting on mom's cedar chest, she had painted the Virgin Mary on it (we aren't even Catholic), I guess maybe they would not check the chest if that was on it...well they checked the chest anyway...no problem. Maybe the war made mom paranoid and this was the outcome.

first day of school

Yesterday was a busy day so didn't paint, then last night we where invited to a dress rehearsal comedy Musical Play, "Mid Life Crisis" where my dear friend and fellow artist Larry Schultz performed...not only does he perform in plays he also paints the stage scenery...so talented. The play was so funny and the laughing and smiling for two hours probably caused me to have more facial wrinkles...but it feels sooo good to laugh!
OK, the sun came out for an hour and I scrambled to paint...because I was in such a hurry I forgot to Gesso the board, and decided to gesso over the drawing...then completed my painting.

Here sis and I are standing in front of a Brune(water trough for the cattle) having our photo taken for the first day of school. In Germany you get this huge tube filled with candy, and a leather bag you wear on your back filled with school supplies...you can barely see it on my sister(R) the sponge rag hanging out of the pack.
I want to note, eventhough these paintings are tonal, I can remember the colors of the outfits we wore...odd cause I can barely remember what I did an hour ago...

hiking path up the mountain

This scene is of us climbing up to the side of the mountain, and along the pathway picking flowers. There where red poppies, blue cornflowers, yellow daisies and many more colorful flowers, it always made a colorful bouquet. When we reached our destination which was a quaint restaurant nestled in the side of the mountain...we would have cake and coffee. Here you could look down upon the town of Garmisch and Partenkirchen It took a better part of the day walking up this mountain. Passing cows and sheep grazing, birds singing in the fields, frogs in the tiny snow melting streams...

Now you ask, why the frilly dresses and shoes? well this was a photo op day for the photographer who made postcards of us....normally we would have pants and hiking shoes on.

Check out my webpage on the trip back to Garmisch.

watching ship SS Washington 1950

Today it's sunny and bright, record temps of almost 60 degrees, but we are expecting snow at the end of the week...

I must go out and clean the deck where my Kitty had used it as a toilet during the piled up snow...oh no she couldn't have gone down the stairs in all that snow below.

I started this painting late in the day, and it's really is out of sequence in year...this was in the port of Hamburg Germany, we where watching the famed ship SS WASHINGTON in the harbor...We came to America on this ship to Ellis Island in Dec.1950.

at the Park and concert

This is hard forcing myself to paint everyday...for me it's about the sun, I like painting with the sun out... I am determined to at least get this series done.

So here in this image we are at a fountain in a Garmisch Park about 1946, visiting there every weekend, listening to the concerts for the American soldiers...it was a beautiful place to see and enjoying wonderful music while visiting with friends. My mom worked for the American PX and at the Army Base teaching German, she spoke fluent English(she learn the language while traveling with the R.B.B.Circus in America) and was lucky to have had this job, making many friends, actually finding us a sponsor to the U.S. through one of the soldiers.

on a swing

This painting is from the time we migrated to Garmisch in the Bavarian Alps ... we where fleeing the bombings from the North...It took two weeks by train that normally takes three hours to get to this destination because of the war.

My mom designed every dress we wore when we where young, she had them made and then hand stitched flowers or designs on them.

It was spring time and the dresses where yellow with berets...and yes, we loved swinging at our friends house.

on the steps of Gross Stein Castle

I will be doing these in tonal because I can't remember this time in my life in color, when I was about five I started to remember things in color...maybe these photos have something to do with it...I don't know.
This painting was actually done a few days ago...scene is on the steps of Gross Stein Castle...showing my father, me and my sister, we are about 2 years old...it amazed me to see that we where all dressed in nice clothing including a cap with sox and shoes, this during the war. My dad has his arm in a sling, I asked my mom once if he was wounded , she said no, that he had sores on his arm...how funny. These images are from small photos that I have, some can be viewed in my Squidoo lens. This one starting out with the sketch, then laid down some color...finishing the painting...well at least I think it's finished...a little touch up I'm sure.

Baptism Berlin Germany "Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche"

I'm going to post my paintings a day on this blog site...Although I have done three to four miniature paintings a day, I am not always painting. I am after all a woman, this comes with moods, such as the mood of changing my mind at the drop of a hat! Yes, I will get all my things out to paint, sit down and loose interest...so be it!

I have started to paint a series of "My life as I see it from the start", (that title can change if the mood strikes me)...these paintings are a reflection of my life making me the person that I am today.
The first image is of my Baptism in Berlin Germany at the famed "Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche" (Memorial Church).
I had deleted the progress of this painting, so can only show the finished image above, (acrylic size 4" x 6").

And when the mood strikes me, I will occasionally throw in a painting of my favorite subject, the horse.
This blog will be listed at my squidoo.com lens, where you can see more images/photographs and read related webpages on all the subjects displayed here.