The Heart of San Francisco Sizes: 18x24, Gallery Proof,Framed. Publish Date: March 2006 "I Left My Heart in San Francisco ...", so says the classic ballad; yet what is it about the fabled city by the bay that so strongly tugs at the heart strings? I will attempt to answer that question with a new series of paintings, of which this is the first. My passion for San Francisco should be evident to all. After all, I've done nearly twenty images for publication that celebrate my beloved city by the bay. Yet looking back on all these images, I have yet to document a setting that is as quintessentially "San Francisco" as my newest work. We can almost hear the clanging of bells as a cable car makes its way ponderously up the street while colorful vehicles dodge to and fro on the congested pavement. Street musicians ply their trade as a makeshift audience gathers, and two lovers stroll arm-in-arm beneath an umbrella. At the far left the towers of a Cathedral lend a timeless presence while in the distance the Coit Tower and the picturesque monoliths of the bridge stand guard over the glistening bay. An Italian flag above a chop suey parlor bears testimony to the cultural diversity of my favorite city, and the ever present wisps of fog lend an enchanting mood. As I worked, I wanted so much to enterThe Heart of San Francisco that I even posed myself astride my vintage Harley Davidson motorcycle making my way up the steep incline of the boulevard! -Thomas Kinkade