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"Ocean King" - Chinatown, San Francisco

For the locals, Chinatown, San Francisco is all about the market. Everyone is carrying their plastic shopping bags, filled with the day's bounty. No need to go to a big name grocery store here. Everything is available from the markets and carts.That is where the locals do their shopping. Live turtles, chickens and other animals make the markets definitely interesting. Coupled with the clogged streets and the shouting matches over bok choy, they make for an all-day attraction.

There is very little noticeable eye contact on the street and I decided against showing anyone peering out at the viewer in this painting. It's an entirely different atmosphere in non-tourist season, on a weekday. It feels much more like you are visiting a different country.

I was a little more loose with the paint and palette knife on this painting. It just felt like everyone was scurrying to their next destination, and the pace nudged me through this painting a little more quickly.

As always, I at least took time to develop three subjects. The woman above reflects the late morning sun as the fog starts to clear in the background. Is she looking at the woman on the far right in the painting, or is she looking off in the distance?

The observer is left to wonder why the woman above (far right in painting) is so anxious. She appears to be looking at the woman on the far left in the painting.

The woman above (far left in painting) exudes the most intrigue and intensity. Her eyes are the most intense. There are undoubtedly some interesting stories here. I only wish I had more time to investigate.

The bridge in the background (barely visible in the fog) is the San Francisco Bay Bridge. On a clear day, it looks like it is just at the end of this street.

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