Many years ago, we saw an exhibit of Diebenkorn’s Ocean Park paintings. He has always been a favorite of ours. The Ocean Park paintings are flatter and more linear than the paintings done during his Berkeley years, which are on view at the De Young. We were so excited to get to see the drawings and paintings of his earlier work.

During his years in Berkeley, Diebenkorn was deeply engaged with the unique setting of the Bay Area, saturating his works with color, light, and atmosphere. More than 130 paintings and drawings, beginning with the artist’s earlier abstract works and moving through his subsequent figurative phase, display his profound influence on postwar American art.

I was fascinated with his drawings of the human figure. The gestures are fluid and unrestrained.

His early abstract landscapes really captivated me with their wild colors and the organic nature of the brush strokes.

His work evolved to include figures, sometimes in interiors and often in landscapes.

To give you a frame of reference, this is one of his more spare and restrained Ocean Park paintings.

It was just a wonderful experience to walk among all of this work and marvel in the color and composition.

I love this entrance to the De Young, designed by Andy Goldsworthy which has a fissure that runs through the surface and rocks and meanders up to the entrance.

After lunch, we picked up the makings of dinner for Paige and her parents. We were allowed to pick her up early from daycare. I was especially happy to get to see where she spends her day and the wonderful care that she gets.

You can see her in the mirror, as she sits in her car seat.

She sang all the way home, even when we were stuck in traffic because of an accident. She enjoyed story time with Poppop.

Her Mama, got to come home early and so did her dad, since he didn’t have to pick her up. I made my veggie pasta sauce with rice pasta and Paige chowed down.

This is such a nice visit for us. Tomorrow, we might drive up to Sonoma County, where we used to live and get into some warmer temps for the day.