My previous visit to San Francisco was in October 2007, and one of the highlights of that visit was walking through Clarion Alley. So of course I needed to see it again on this trip.

The alley is small but is filled with art from end to end thanks to the Clarion Alley mural project, which has been on-going for about twenty years. There is a good mix of styles and subject matter in the work, and I was interested to see a few pieces still there after all this time.

The full set of photos I took on both visits to Clarion Alley can be found on Flickr.

I wrote briefly about Ruth Asawa’s work because it is so arresting and inspiring, but there were many other amazing works I saw on my visit to the de Young Museum. I went up to the ninth floor of the look out tower to check out the 360 degree view of San Francisco, and from there made my way through the many galleries showcasing the permanent collection.

The de Young is a fine arts museum with objects from a wide variety of cultures. What I’m sharing here are some of the pieces I found the most interesting. It’ll give you an idea of how varied the collection actually is.

Intricate rattan sculpture by Honda Syoryu.

Blown glass sculpture by William Morris.

Cast glass portrait by Nicholas Africano

Maker unknown but this is from their collection of New Guinea art.

Maker unknown, from the collection of the Americas.

The Blue Veil by Edmund Charles Tarbell.

Installation by Cornelia Parker.

On the outside of the museum there is a small sculpture garden with a site specific work by James Turrell, called Three Gems. I remember it well from my previous visit because entering into feels like stepping into another world, but with a clear view of a familiar sky.

I count the de Young amongst the favourite museums I’ve visited around the world, because it never fails to inspire me.

Last week I had the pleasure of spending a few leisurely days wandering the streets of San Francisco while Boris was there for a conference. The weather was gorgeous, still in the throws of late summer warmth and the bluest of blue skies.

My very first stop (after a hearty breakfast) was to visit the de Young Museum in Golden Gate park. The building is amazing and I love their permanent collection, but my favourite work is by Ruth Asawa.

Ruth Asawa is best known for her crocheted and tied wire sculptures, but also has numerous public art pieces located around San Francisco. She passed away in August of this year.

All of the sculptures pictured here are part of the permanent collection at the de Young Museum, and are located in the ground floor lobby of the observation tower.

Revisiting these sculptures six years after my previous visit to SF and I feel even more inspired by Ruth Asawa’s work than the first time. They feel so relevant to my current body of works in paper. It is the shadows these cast as much as the sculptures themselves that get to me because this is what I want to achieve with my sculptural paper cut work.

More photos from San Francisco coming soon.