AMANDA LYNN’S STREET WOMEN

Nobody paints women on the streets of San Francisco like Amanda Lynn… her women are just as mysterious, sexy and feminine as they are delicate and strong; and as mythical and fantastical as they are real and grounded.  Yet they remain as sexy and playful as they are independent and unpredictable... sophisticated street ladies of day and night that glow by sunlight, moonlight and street light.  And did I say sexy?

Lynn’s murals can be found all over The City, but there’s a healthy concentration of her works in the Duboce/Valencia area well worth the 3-block stroll north from the 16^th Street BART Station.

On the corner of Valencia and Duboce Avenue, Lynn’s “Sultry Sins” stands out even in fog and heavy traffic. A short block away on Clinton Park, across from the White Wall is one of my favorite Street Art Woman of all time, maybe because she looks ready to start flapping to the sounds of Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five…  

Further down the street and away from Valencia are various other murals that make Clinton Park a legitimate street art gallery of note.

Back on Duboce and Valencia, and a half-block down towards Mission Street, tucked into a fenced parking lot is a major collaboration with Lady Mags… Flora N Fauna seems to change colors according to the light of day and is worth experiencing in person even when the lot is full.

On 18^th Street near Mission, “Sunday Flamenco” (top) reigns over its locality like royalty over the old world, and I can’t imagine that wall with anything else on it even though I know I photographed it before the dancer appeared.

There are other Lynn murals in the area… one on Florida between 18^th and 17^th and a smaller piece on Alabama and 22^nd Street.  

Then there’s the one on Florida between 17^th and 18^th Street.

Further north, on Mission and 9^th, in the South of Market District, is the gorgeous “Finer Things.” I heard somewhere that this corner will succumb to the “construction” disease going around The City, so if you want to see this in person, you better get there soon.

SF Mural Arts lists a total of 38 murals by Amanda Lynn. Of those, 11 are no longer available due to unexplained mural-death, and of the 27 that remain I’ve photographed 16… and counting.

Most the Amanda Lynn murals that I’ve captured so far are featured in the graffitisf.com Amanda Lynn Gallery.

Graffiti con Carne

We are living in the Silver Age of San Francisco Street Art, and we can all celebrate the existence of public art that surprises us when we walk by it… art that is not kept in glass cages by armed guards… art that’s made by people who love what they do so much that they continue to do it even though the work itself may have a short life.

You don’t have to be wealthy to enjoy the beauty provided by street art in San Francisco. There’s no entrance fee and no protective glass. You just have to be willing to walk outside, lift your head and open your eyes…  

San Franciscans are lucky to exist at the time when Amanda Lynn and Lady Mags are making murals… when Zio Ziegler and Ian Ross have favored The City with their original imagery, when you can casually walk down the street and encounter works by Jet Martinez and Chor Boogie and MonaCaron and too many others to list here.

Then there’s the graffiti, which rarely rises to the level of creative commentary provided by our muralists, but still presents an illuminating mimicry of the level of discourse present in the presidential race.

This is also a time of great confusion; today’s graffiti vandal under arrest could be tomorrow’s hot new artist with a high-profile opening at the Museum of Modern Art (Barry McGee, Blek Le Rat, etc).

On a personal level, street art in San Francisco encompasses everything that is artistic and public; even if the term “art” is not generally associated with it and legal types disapprove. Graffiti art is still art. Even if it’s ugly and reviled… which is why graffitisf.com is not limited to any one artform and is equally focused on the legitimate spirit of art for the outdoors. The site emerged as a way to showcase artworks and locations that I had taken for granted for most of my time in The City… perhaps a “penance” for years of purposeful blindness in the presence of great beauty.

At graffitisf.com you’ll find murals, graffiti and all manner of modern street art that celebrates the rich street art tradition that can still be found in San Francisco.