SAN FRANCISCO—The Hotel California on Geary Street in the heart of downtown San Francisco recently featured the second resident of its Artist-in-Residence program with Canada-based figurative painter, Lorena Ziraldo. Ziraldo inhabited The Hotel California for one month, from November 12, through December 12, 2012. The artist worked on a series of paintings that were on view each weekday evening in the reception room. During these times, the reception room was open to the public and patrons were invited to meet the artist and view her works in progress.
Over the course of her residence at The Hotel California, Lorena Ziraldo painted from a series of photographs taken on a seaside family vacation last year. Her son, a recurrent focal point in her artwork, is a strong presence in this series of work; his changing form as he grows older is expressed by the artist as a larger metaphor for the passing of time.
“What others see in the work depends on how our lives intersect,” Ziraldo says. “A parent with a teenage son will know what it is like to see his body broaden, the angst in the face, the constant concern of a parent. Others will catch a glimpse of themselves, moments in the past, moments in the present, future or a gorgeous day on the beach.”
Different Painting Every Day
During the residency, Ziraldo worked on a specific painting each day of the week, the idea being that interested patrons were able to track the progress of each work as it unfolded over the course of the month. The daily paintings were available for purchase directly through the artist during the weeknight viewings.
Ziraldo’s work is heavily inspired by the artists from the Bay Area Figurative Movement and the residency at the Hotel California allowed her to pursue this legacy of figurative painting while she is located in San Francisco.
Lorena Ziraldo’s residency at Hotel California marks the hotel’s continued dedication to the vibrancy of San Francisco’s creative culture.
“The Hotel California is an arts friendly hotel in the heart of San Francisco, the most creative city in California,” says Rick Butler, owner of The Hotel California in San Francisco and Santa Monica. “For this reason we are very proud and pleased to welcome Lorena Ziraldo, one of Canada’s premier oil painters. Last year we had a Random House novelist staying at our hotel and interacting with our guests, and we will continue hosting more novelists and visual artists. This is all part of The Hotel California’s ongoing commitment to the arts.”
Go to The Hotel California.
