FredGriffing

Frederick George Griffing III (b. 12/23/51 - d. 12/?/2010) Oakland, CA) was a fourth generation Californian artist, pursuing the plain-air tradition pioneered by his great uncle Walter Ufer, the most successful and famous of the Taos Society artists. Griffing painted impressionistic seascapes, riverscapes, landscapes, and portraits, using oil on canvas over wood.
Fred's great-grandfather owned a wharf in San Francisco in the mid 1850's and was involved in a supreme court land and water dispute. In 1978, builders digging at Levi's Plaza in San Francisco made the historic archaeological discovery of the original ship, named the Frederick George Griffing, which was originally sunk by F.G. Griffing I to form the foundation of his warf. Plans for a marine museum featuring the discovery were eventually abandoned by the city, and the ship's site, after documentation, was filled. In Fred's seascapes the waters are turbulent and seething, sailboats appear tiny and buffeted.