San Francisco by James McBey (1883-1959) captures in loose detail the harbour of San Francisco from a viewpoint on a hill. A small island can be seen beyond the end of the dock near the large steam ship, with grey mountains in the background. McBey captures in loose outlines the clusters of buildings, along with the curve of the tree's foliage and the peaks of the mountains. A light wash of watercolour is used to create clouds in the sky and the reflective blue of the water, while McBey uses layers of watercolour to build up the pigment of the buildings and trees in the foreground, to create some assemblance of depth. 

McBey's skillset as an etcher and printmaker is captured well in this work through the expertly crafted outlines that make up each subject in the work, as well as the solid form that McBey captures the colours of each building and part of nature. Much of McBey's later works reflect his numerous travels in which he took inspiration from the landscapes and captured his travels through etching. 

James McBey, 1883-1959

Born in Newburgh, on the Aberdeenshire coast, McBey was largely self-taught, although he had attended evening classes at Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen. He moved to London in 1911, and held his first exhibition of etchings at Goupil's; this was followed by a show in Glasgow in 1912 and one in Edinburgh in 1913. He gained considerable reputation as an etcher and painter, his subject-matter inspired by his many travels to Spain, Morocco, Venice and America. He was, from 1916 to 1918, an Official War Artist on the western Front in France, in Egypt and in Palestine.