SFX: creaking wood, water slapping gently against a pier or harbor wall, seagulls
NARRATOR:
The artist who made this, Mark di Suvero, grew up in San Francisco. He came here by ship during World War II, when he was just a little kid.
SFX: fade up Mark di Suvero in the background ― the narrator will come in over the top. Keep the ax running the whole time so it has an informal quality, like narrator is listening too, and just comes in once in awhile to clarify.
SFX: foghorn
DI SUVERO:
You have your first impressions and — coming in the Golden Gate — the Golden Gate Bridge is such a gorgeous bridge. I mean, as you can see from my work, I really respond to bridges and that kind of framed structures … a different sense of space.
NARRATOR:
When di Suvero was about eight years old, he met a San Francisco character named Ma Lowell.
DI SUVERO:
She was a carver, a wood carver, and educated a whole group of children in San Francisco. She said to me, “You read too many books. I’m gonna show you how to work with your hands.” And then I became a boat builder. And I learned so much as a boat builder that it was amazing.
SFX: woodworking/water sounds
DI SUVERO:
All my early work was wood. When you’re working with the art and you accept that there is this flux and reflux from the work, and the suggestions that come from the work guide you, then at that moment, the piece seems to grow by itself. And it’s the real joy of doing art.
