Poetic Fragments Painting

The Mission Valley Resort is said to have been the second oldest hotel built along Hotel Circle when Mission Valley in San Diego was being developed in the 1950’s. 8 I have actively watched this hotel site since it was visibly prepared for demolition in the fall of 2017. At that point, I had not yet read about the new development plans but understood that the large 18+ acre site was unique because few parcels of this size become available for redevelopment in that area. In spring 2018, I was granted access on to the active site to make observational sketches of the demolition. This painting is based off a series of photos taken at different stages of demolition and construction, that I formed into an analog photo collage. That collage informed the painting. The overarching purple color in this work stems from the native Southern California lupine that sprouts in the landscape because of the spring rains received during the winter months, and was inspired equally by the bright lavender color of the insulation panels the construction site visibly bore for a number of months.