A beautiful view of the still-industrial Islais Creek in San Francisco, with the double-decker I-280 in the background. Although so much in San Francisco has changed and industrial zones are disappearing, I am heartened to see the area still has some of the character the drew me to it several years ago.
I was nominally in the area that day to see artists and their work at Islais Creek Open Studios.
Islais Creek in San Francisco is a favorite photography spot of mine, and also home to an art studio complex featuring many metalwork sculptors. While walking outside of Islais Creek Studios, I encountered this gray cat.
It’s not the first time I have come across cats at Islais Creek Studios. Indeed, I posted about a cat I encountered there last year. It seems to be a natural environment for outdoor cats, lots of places hide in the industrial debris, and friendly people who leave food for them.
In the picture, we see the cat sitting near large metalwork sculptures by the artist David I McGraw. I like the abstract shapes and focus on single, and the fit well with the environment. And they go well with cats.
We participated in this year’s BlogBlast for Peace, which occurred yesterday. Cats have been quite prominent among the entries every year. You can see our peace globe here.
Weekend Cat Blogging #335 is hosted by Kashim, Othello and Salome at PaulChens FoodBlog?!
Carnival of the Cats #399 will be hosted this Sunday by Nikita and Elvira at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat.
And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.
I came across this cat at Islais Creek Studios during Open Studios back in October:
The studios are located in a building in a very industrial area that I have featured numerous times on CatSynth – appropriately, many of the artists there do metal sculptures. It was also at this same location last spring that I encountered this “industrial cat”. In contrast to the very skittish stray cat in the spring, this cat was quite domestic and seemed quite healthy and well fed. The nearby food and water dishes attest to that:
I didn’t get a chance to ask anyone about the cat, but it would seem the denizens of Islais Creek Studios have adopted some of their neighborhood cats. I for one am happy to so this, they bring some life into the industrial spaces, and from my own experience cats can be a source of comfort and support during the artistic process.
I have actually seen quite a few cats in recent weeks during my wanderings around the industrial sections of the city – I might ultimately put these and other images together into a full set.
Weekend Cat Blogging #284 will be hosted by Salome at Paulchens FoodBlog?!”.
The Carnival of the Cats will be up this Sunday at One Cat’s Nip.
And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.
At the end of April, I was visiting open studios along Islais Creek. I have been here several times before, and took advantage of the evening like to take photos along the creek. The main landmark, this old industrial crane, should be familiar to long-time readers of this site:
Walking around, I espied a small tuxedo cat walking around on the ground. Once it saw me, it immediately ran off and through a chain link fence into the neighboring lot. But he (or she) did come out soon, and I was able to get some photos through the fence:
The cat was definitely curious but wary . A few minutes later, the cat posed on some wooden objects that provided a geometric backdrop (once again, from behind the fence).
When I see cats among the old buildings or lots, they are often skittish and immediately run to hide. So it’s rare that I have a chance to intersect cats and industrial landscape this way.
Weekend Cat Blogging #259 is hosted by Pam at Sidewalk Shoes.
The Carnival of the Cats will be up this Sunday at One Cats Nip.
And the friday ark is at the modulator.
