Buildings — David Fink Artworks

The Mark Thomas Outrigger (now named the Fish Hopper) on Cannery Row, Monterey CA 11x14 2024. Acrylic on board. This was the access point to get into an abandoned cannery. My brother and I would climb under the Outrigger restaurant at low tide and then climb up into the abandoned cannery – sometimes with our cousins or friends. It was spooky and exciting – the broken windows, missing floorboards, the dilapidated conveyer belts and other machinery. Our mother told us that as a young girl, she and her mother had, at some point, worked in the Canneries. If I recall correctly, my brother enjoyed going to the little beach next to the Outrigger (McAbee beach). The Outrigger restaurant is no more, but the building still exists and is currently called the Fish Hopper restaurant (2024).

The Harbor House Gift store, Wharf #1, Monterey CA 11x14 2024. Acrylic on board. Harbor House Gifts sits at the entrance to Wharf #1 in Monterey. Wharf #1 is filled with restaurants, candy shops, gift shops, whale watching tour boats and more. When my brother and I were children, our family would go to the wharf to walk its length, passing the big pink building at the entrance, its windows filled with trinkets that tantalized the imagination and with a Disneyland-like lighthouse on top. Later, my brother would take some of his children to the wharf and would often go to spend time socializing with many of the business owners. I believe that my grandmother may have told me she briefly worked at the gift shop.

The Monterey Fish Company, Wharf #2, Monterey CA 11x14 2024. Acrylic on board. I call this painting, ‘Waiting for the fish to come in’. Our family would go fishing and crabbing off Wharf #2, taking our catch home for our mother to serve up for dinner. We would often go to Wharf to walk its length, or to the beach at the base of the pier. On clear days, we could see our neighborhood in the distance up on the hill in Seaside (not indicated in the painting). In May 2021 I took my mother to the Wharf. She loved seeing the boats and being around the ocean. Less than a year later she would have a stroke and within 7 months passed away.

The Carousel Fine Candies store, Wharf #2, Monterey CA 11x14 2024. Acrylic on board. My favorite shop on Wharf #1 was the Candy shop. My family would always stop by Carousel Candy to pick up some saltwater taffy, a candy apple and/or sometimes cotton candy. Later as a father, my brother would take some of his children to the wharf, continuing the tradition of indulging his kids, and himself, with some sweets. This is still my favorite shop on the wharf!

Cherry Grove Cottage, Fire Island NY. 11x14. Oil on Board. I created a painting for a couple who let me stay at their Hell’s Kitchen apartment during my recent travels. The painting is a representation of the main room of the cottage they have stayed at on Cherry Grove Fire Island each summer for many years. It includes added elements referencing some of their current life events.

Hansel House (built 1924), Carmel CA, 43x48 2003. Oil on Canvas. Driving around Carmel one day, I spied this house, and thought of how it looked like a fairy tale cottage. I decided to paint the house pulling in memories and emotions of past times in Carmel. I also wanted to have fun with this painting, and I did. This was the first Carmel home in the series, but others were to follow.

Hansel House Carmel CA, 36x36 2004. Oil on Canvas.

Carmel House on Foggy Day, Carmel CA, 36x36 2004. Oil on Canvas

Starfish House Carmel CA, 36x36 2004. Oil on Canvas. (Available)

Abstracted FLW House Carmel CA, 36x36 2004. Oil on Canvas.

In Search of the American Dream, Seaside House #1, Seaside CA, 16x20 1998. Oil on Canvas. Green and yellow. The city of Seaside grew up around a military base called Fort Ord. These homes were built for those moving into Seaside while working at the Army base. My stepfather built some of these homes. Me and my brother would join him sometimes and see the house evolve from the foundation up. These houses have a quality that is once toy-like in their simplistic style and yet define a period and style of post war housing in Seaside and a time now past.

In Search of the American Dream, Seaside House #2, Seaside CA,16x20 1998. Oil on Canvas. While gathering images of houses to paint for this series, I came across this house which I had not noticed before. Though small, a family lived there, and the mom was out in her car putting on make-up when I drove by to take this picture. This house was close to where my mother was living at the time.

In Search of the American Dream, Seaside House #3, Seaside CA, 16x20 1998. Oil on Canvas. I wondered if this house had been converted from something else.

In Search of the American Dream, Seaside House #4, Seaside CA, 16x20 1998. Oil on Canvas.

In Search of the American Dream, Seaside House #5, Seaside CA, 16x20 1998. Oil on Canvas. This one I wanted to capture at a slightly different angle to show the houses in the background.

In Search of the American Dream, Seaside House #6, Seaside CA, 16x20 1998. Oil on Canvas. Another, where the placement of the mailbox just seems funny, but efficient.

In Search of the American Dream, Seaside House #7, Seaside CA, 16x20 1998. Oil on Canvas. And another...angles and more angles with vertical and horizontal lines.

Seaside Rooftops, Seaside CA, 16x20 1998. Oil on Canvas. This was the view over the back of my mother’s last husband’s home before he passed away. This little peek-o-boo look of the neighbors, whoever they were. It was always odd to me that in a small town like Seaside, houses were shoved up next to each other and many people don’t even know their neighbors.

Carrol Street, Brooklyn, 18x24 2000. Oil on Canvas. As sometimes happens to remind us all of how magical life is if we just observe, I was randomly walking through a Brooklyn neighborhood exploring the buildings for potential future paintings, looking at how the morning light was hitting the buildings, when I turned down one street and noticed a young lady coming out, walking down her steps and onto the street - walking in the same direction I was heading. I thought there was something familiar about her build and her walk. As I quickened my pace to get a closer look, I thought this woman moves like Erica Bell, a girl I went to Jr. High and High School with who had moved to NYC but I had lost contact. As I got closer, aware that most New Yorkers are very conscious of who is around, I tried to verify my suspicion before I got too close. As luck would have it, or her concern of me coming up behind her, she turned her head ever so slightly, and I was able to confirm it was Erica. In calling out her name, she turned, and we were both struck with surprise and wonderment. This painting reminds me of that moment.

St. Marks Place #1 N.Y.C, 11x14 1996. Oil on Canvas. On a winter day, grey and overcast, walking by this building the red doors vibrated with color against the brownstone. The building had inches of paint covering the walls and the door, the sidewalks worn from decades of use, but it seemed inviting and in contrast to the harsh cold.

St. Marks Place #2, N.Y.C, 11x14 1996. Oil on Canvas. Ah Manhattan, and specifically St. Marks Place. Each year traveling to NYC to see my friends, walking through this section of town, whether it be Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall, these buildings and the architecture, so different from San Francisco – always capture my fascination.

Firehouse Doors N.Y.C, 40x42 1998. Oil on Canvas. On another trip to NYC, walking around Chelsea, this Firehouse vignette captured my eye; the red doors, the green light cast on the windows, the blue awning...a door within a door. I later heard this Firehouse had been turned into an upscale restaurant.

DUMBO, Brooklyn,18x20 1999. Oil on Canvas. My friend from college - Tim Bower and I switched apartments for a month in August. My goal was to paint and live my days and nights with a focus on immersing myself in exploring the NYC area and capturing visually as much as I could of that Summer; the sights, sounds, smells. This building was eventually converted to high priced lofts.

Jackson Heights, Queens, 30x40 1999. Oil on Canvas. During the Summer of 1999, exploring, meeting new people, I ventured out to Jackson Heights many times. On this day, with the hot sun beating down midday, very few people out, I was struck that for a city with millions of people, there are moments of stillness and solitude. Looking out over the top of the canopy, I imagined hundreds of people in their rectangle rooms, in their brownstone air-conditioned boxes. I outside, found the light and heat made everything resonate with vibration. Unfortunately this painting was destroyed.

Tribeca, N.Y.C, 22x28 2000. Oil on Canvas. During a Summer in NYC, I wandered down to Tribeca and reminisced of my time in 1991 when I had swapped apartments with my friend Tim. This Flatiron building for me captured the essence of the buildings in that area and reminded me of times back in 1991. This is one of my favorite paintings.

Dry Creek Gas Station, Rt. 66, Newberry Springs, CA, 30x40 2000. Oil on Canvas. This and the Diner painting were the two paintings from this series that to this day I consider some of my best works for this style. Once again, when driving with my mother on that Rt. 66 trip, shortly after taking a picture of the previous abandoned gas station, I had her pullover so I could take pictures of this one as well. I love this painting. I ended up painting close ups of each gas pump (see the artwork in my Variety work page). My good friend Keith owns this painting now.

Diner on Rt. 66, Holbrook NM, 24x36 2000. Oil on Canvas. My mother and I decided to drive to see my brother in Oklahoma and on the way, she indulged me in frequent stops to take photographs. This was one of the first stops where I yelled “STOP - turn around”. We drove into the dusty parking lot of this abandoned diner. The first of many images of a time that was now being shut down, abandoned, and most likely to be replaced by something new. It was warm and the air was full of the smell of sage.

Abandoned Gas Station, Rt. 66, Newberry Springs, CA, 22x28 2000. Oil on Canvas. Another image from the Rt. 66 road trip with my mother. Though once this must have been a diner and gas station, now it seemed to be someone’s home based on the items I could see inside through the windows.

Donut shop, West Texas, 16x16 2000. Oil on Canvas. Continuing that road trip with my mother heading to Oklahoma, we passed this little convenience store somewhere in West Texas that had a sign reading Donuts which we found funny in its spelling and its size in relationship to the size of the building. No, we did not go in and try their Do-nuts.

Georges Radiator Works, Pauls Valley OK, 24x30 2000. Oil on Canvas. On that same summer road trip with my mother, after arriving in the small town where my brother lives, I took a few days to drive around in the morning and evening light to take photographs of the buildings and came across this building. In some way it was a tribute to my friend George back in San Francisco.

Dairy Twist, Pauls Valley, OK, 24x36 2000. Oil on Canvas. On that same road trip with my mother, while in Pauls Valley, I took this picture of the Dairy Twist that closed due to competition from a Sonic Burger joint down the street. On a recent trip back to visit my brother, I saw the business had re-opened. This painting was somewhat challenging due to all the red poles breaking up the background. In the end I had fun with it by making the trees reflect the shape of the Ice Cream cones on top of the building.

Pecan Valley, Pauls Valley, OK, 16x20 2000. Oil on Canvas. While visiting my brother in Pauls Valley the contrast of the brick building on the left and the stucco building on the right struck me. Pecan trees are quite prevalent in Pauls Valley, and my brother told me people can take their unshelled Pecans to this place and pay $1 a pound to have the shells removed.

Bible Way Holy Temple, Winston-Salem, NC, 22x28 2000. Oil on Canvas. On one of my trips to North Carolina, walking around Winston-Salem, the summer sun heating up the afternoon, I was struck by the simplistic beauty of this place of worship, its pristine white facade and the red lamp-post out front.

Yadkin Full Gospel Church, Charlotte NC, 11x14 2000. Oil on Canvas. I took a trip that same year to visit friends in North Carolina mainly staying in the Greensboro and Winston-Salem area but one day I traveled down to visit my friend Chris in Charlotte and he drove me around so I could take photographs of some of the older buildings. This building had a touch of Gothic feel about it due to the windows, but otherwise it was simple in architecture, providing space for worship. I find this painting very peaceful.

Hayes Valley #1, Hayes Valley, San Francisco CA,16x20 1992. Oil on Canvas. In Hayes Valley this old building had settled in the ground and was slightly askew. It had been painted with a color combination unlike any other buildings surrounding it. There was something about it, its age, the simplicity of shapes that resonated with me.

Roberts Place, Hayes Valley, San Francisco CA,16x20 1992. Oil on Canvas. This was the view from my Hayes Valley apartment at the corner of Hayes and Octavia, where I lived for 7 years. Robert was the young man that lived in the apartment.

Arcata on a foggy day, Humboldt CA, 8x10 ~1998. Oil on Canvas. On a visit up to Humboldt CA to visit a friend, walking around on a foggy overcast day, I came across this Auto Body shop that seemed to be converted into a living space.

Casa das Artes de Tavira, 16x26 2021. Oil on canvas. In Oct 2019 I traveled with a group of friends to beautiful Tavira Portugal and one day while walking around admiring the beauty, we passed this building with red doors. I was quite taken by it and snapped a couple of pictures. The images of the white building and red doors stuck with me and finally bubbled up in my mind to where I needed to get my impression of what I saw on canvas. In doing research into what that building might be, I found it was the Tavira Arts Gallery. Kismet! I enjoyed this painting tremendously in that I not only love the image, but it reminds me of those beautiful slow-paced days in Tavira, the friendly people, the Sangria, the Mojama and the beach. No sooner had the painting been considered complete, Walter, a good friend saw it and fell in love with it. So, it already has a new home, and Walter hopes to get to Tavira post pandemic to see Tavira for himself.

Ocean Park, Puerto Rico, 40x42 1997. Oil on Canvas. On my first of two trips to Puerto Rico while visiting friends in NYC during Winter, I was struck by the Mediterranean (I assumed) quality of the buildings and their color. But, I had never seen such a disparity between social/economic classes before. Where I was staying, my little retreat with its tiny but clean rooms, was surrounded by houses with high walls with cut glass crowning the top to deter vandals. I found this image and its orderliness calming and yet somewhat desperate. I love the color play.

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, 40x42 1997. Oil on Canvas. Walking around in Old San Juan, once again taken by the colors, the light, the simple architecture, and the amazing blue paving stones. Unfortunately, this painting was destroyed when it was blown out of a truck.

HOTEL, Patagonia, 24x36 2000. Oil on Canvas. This is one of the rare paintings I created from a photograph someone else took. A friend of a friend had taken this picture while on a trip in Patagonia and asked if I would be interested in doing the painting. I was and I did...and to this day I wonder what it was like inside.

Smoking, 24x18 2017. Oil on Canvas. This is the view from my urban balcony.

Fire Island Lighthouse, 16x20 2000. Oil on Canvas. A commission for Tata.

Cityscape for Sergio, 57x32 2022. Acrylic on Canvas. Sergio, A pen pal in Lima Peru showed me a reproduction of a painting he was interested in for over his teal blue sofa in his new condo and we both agreed that the dimensions of reproduction were too small for that space. Since I was looking for subject matter for my next painting, I volunteered to create something similar but larger for the space and with more color. Since I did not want it to become too precious, I used acrylic and reverted to a more graphic style I have used before. I was able to complete the painting over a few weekends, had fun doing it and it is now at home in Lima.

The Twins NY, 63x22 2000. Oil on Canvas. During that Summer in 1999, my good friend Frank has a twin brother Gerard (also my friend), both are tall, nearly 6’5” or so. Their mother had passed away, and coming back on the Staten Island Ferry I captured this image which symbolically for me represented the brothers and their mother (the small building in between). As we all know, soon tragedy would strike our country and these buildings and many lives and loved ones would no longer be with us. Frank has this picture.