Artists At Work

San Francisco, 1999

In San Francisco, a city I love, I had a touching experience. I found the most fantastic tree I'd ever seen right on top of a promontary that was forbidden to visit as it was so dangerous. A sign warned of the 120ft drop to the sea and the rocks below. But I was so inspired, I had to ignore the sign and draw the tree. As a precaution, however, I tied my ankle to the roots of the tree so that a sharp gust of wind wouldn't blow me down into the crashing water. I was drawing, blissfully, when two Rangers (San Francisco policemen) came and told me I shouldn't be there and asked me to move. When they saw the drawing I was doing, they were so amazed that they said "OK you can finish the drawing because it is so beautiful, but we will have to stay with you until it is finished." Half an hour later, the drawing happily completed, we all came down from 'Dead Man's Point' and they congratulated me, we shook hands and went our separate ways.

See also "Dead Man's Point 1" by Anthony Christian