Painting 50 Streets in 50 Images: Plein Air Artist’s Local Project Highlights Richmond District
By Clarisse Kim
The image is simple: The border of Golden Gate Park and Fulton Street, cars whizzing by. Neighbors and their dogs meander through the scene, telephone wires swing in the breeze; 22nd Avenue stretches out as if to touch the Bay. In the center of the frame stands artist Nathaniel J. Bice, back to the trees, head bowed over his easel, hands capturing the live Richmond landscape with his paintbrush and gouache.
The mission sounds simple, but only in phrase: To paint a series of 50 pieces depicting the view of 50 different streets, each looking north from Fulton Street. Bice aims to paint a plein air portrait of the entire Richmond District, told from the angle of Golden Gate Park.
“What’s exciting about the series is when you put all the paintings together, you’ll see the Golden Gate Bridge emerge from behind the Presidio and then disappear again,” Bice said.
Plein air painting is a practice of painting landscapes outdoors. Artists paint from their natural surroundings, not a photo reference. This style is Bice’s favorite method of painting.
For the past month and a half, Bice has called Fulton Street his outdoor studio. However, Bice’s artistic journey began years ago, first as a high school thespian, then as a performance production major at Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts, to his early career as a scenic designer. He developed an interest in plein air art through his participation in Seattle’s Urban Sketchers group.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and theaters closed indefinitely, Bice began to shift from his career in scenic design to the realm of visual arts. He pursued his interest in open-air sketching, practicing on the landscapes around him.
“I started with watercolor, so I was basically just adding a little color to my drawings,” Bice said. “It’s very different from what I do now. I’ve now switched to painting fully opaque – I don’t even use a pencil. I just go in directly with paint. I’m trying to view the world not as lines, but as blocks of shape and color.”
As Bice developed his fine art skills, he switched from watercolors to gouache, a water-soluble paint known for its opacity and forgiving nature. Gouache has become Bice’s favorite art medium.
He also began submitting his works to galleries, including the upcoming 50|50 gallery show at the Sanchez Art Center in Pacifica, where each participant submits a series of 50 6×6 inch pieces, each tied by a unique theme.
In December of 2023, Bice created a plein air painting looking from Golden Gate Park down through 20th Avenue.
“There’s a hill just inside the park that leads to a stone circle exactly big enough to set up in,” Bice said. “It’s like it was made for me to paint here. I painted the view looking down the center of 20th Avenue with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.”
The 20th Avenue painting became the seed for Bice’s series for 50|50 Gallery. After learning of his admission into the gallery, Bice began painting in late June, starting from the eastern end of Golden Gate Park and working westward. Each painting takes about 30 minutes to two hours.
“Coming back to 20th Avenue to paint the next part of my series there has been a full-circle moment for me,” Bice said.
However, this latest series is not without its difficulties. Plein air painting is entirely dependent on the weather, as gouache’s consistency depends on the humidity.
“Plein air painting is a sport,” Bice jokes. “There’s the wind and the fog and the electrical wires in the background.”
More importantly, translating a three-dimensional view into two dimensions is a challenge. The artist has to flatten space the way a camera would, taking proportions into mind.
“Your eye can see things differently than a camera can,” he said. “In plein air painting, you can shift your perspective, and see how different objects interact. In the photo, you can’t see behind a pole. The image is gone from you. I can really take the time to appreciate the world around me. Most people admire the Golden Gate Bridge for 30 seconds – I have spent hours studying what makes each specific view so magical.”
Color is also a tricky subject to tackle. To combat somewhat dull undertones in the Richmond landscape, Bice uses a bright magenta underpainting as a first layer before painting on top with gouache. This method brings out the blue, olive and beige found in each street, giving the buildings newfound vividness.
He is about 30 paintings and around 100 hours into the series. Bice said the project has provided him with an artist’s view of the Richmond District.
“Each street has its own character, and I have to look for the parts that make it recognizable,” Bice said. “I’ve learned that the plants define each street, from the purple leaves to the red-flowered trees.”
According to Bice, the community has also been welcoming of his project.
“Part of the advantage of painting outside is talking to the people who pass by,” Bice said. “People come over and realize I’ve painted them into the picture. One person even recognized their neighbor and their dog in my painting.”
With every neighbor’s anecdote, Bice has learned more about the Richmond District, which transfers to his paintings.
“Neighbors have told me stories, like how Funston is named Funston instead of 13th Avenue,” Bice said, “There’s so much history and culture going on in the Richmond!”
Bice’s 50-painting series will be displayed at the 50|50 show starting Sept. 6. Looking to the future, Bice hopes he can one day paint a mural in the Richmond, contributing to the community he has spent hours capturing on canvas.
“We live in one of the most beautiful places on earth,” Bice said. “The Richmond is great – our neighborhood has been incredibly supportive, and it has made this experience surreal.
Besides plein air paintings, Bice also paints murals and house models for commissions.
See Bice’s work on Instagram (@njbice) and at njbice.com. To sign up for his Aug. 10 gouache class at Arch Art Supplies, go to eventbrite.com/e/cityscapes-in-gouache-with-nathaniel-bice-tickets.
