Mount Sutro Kiosk Project

I recently completed a commission in partnership with Sutro Stewards, San Francisco Parks Alliance, and the University of California, San Francisco. Using a hybrid of pen and ink, watercolor, and digital platforms (Photoshop and InDesign), I created a 3 x 4 foot interpretive panel that illustrates some of the contemporary restoration work on Mount Sutro as well as what the restored landscape might look like 10-15 years down the road. I had to do quite a bit of reading about growth rates of various species as well as consulting the folks doing the restoration – what is being planted where, etc. It was a delightful challenge.

I lived in San Francisco from 2010-2018, and my apartment was just between the eastern edge of Golden Gate Park and Mount Sutro. During my time in the city, some well-intentioned, but misguided preservationists decried proposals to dramatically thin the non-native eucalyptus forest on Mount Sutro. They viewed the plan as an attempt to destroy the history of the area as well as a beloved local landscape. They lost the fight, ultimately, and now claim the restoration effort has “denuded” the once lovely mountain. In fact, the removal of many eucalyptus was just the first step. Various groups, public and private, are working together to “daylight” creeks, plant native grasslands, redwood forest, and chaparral. It’s a worthy effort, and one I’m delighted to be tangentially involved with.

Above, you see the full panel image. Alongside and below, I've included some details of the finished panels along with some of the ink line drawings.

Note that several of the critters and plants pictured at the illustration's edge (e.g., red-tailed hawk, Anna's hummingbird, sticky monkeyflower, coyote, and others) are by the wonderful artist Jane Kim, also known as Inkwell Studio. Jane created these "icons" for Sutro Stewards as part of an earlier project, and the organization wished to have some of those incorporated into the overall design.