SFO/CDMX: A Tale of Two Cities
new paintings by dan roam
ritual cafe, 1026 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA
October 2026 (opening event oct 2, 6-8pm)
Last March, Dushka and I found ourselves living in Mexico City.
Her ninety-year-old mother, a renowned Mexican-American sculptor, and stepfather, an art restorer, couldn’t move around their house and studio as they once did, and needed our help.
What started as a one-week stay evolved into a new life of back-and-forth trips between San Francisco and Mexico City.
Their home became our home, and their lifelong studio became, for a time, my studio.
The result is this show, a story of back-and-forth painting in San Francisco and Mexico City, my two favorite cities.
Dan Roam, Sept 2026
the paintings
Upper Market
Acrylic on canvas, 18”x24”
As you crest the hill, the city begins to reveal herself.
This is San Francisco, where light and curves illuminate everything.
Al llegar a la cima de la colina, la ciudad comienza a revelarse.
Esta es San Francisco, donde la luz y las curvas lo iluminan todo.
Juan Domingo
Oil on canvas, 16”x25”
A lifetime ago, the sculptor found an abandoned Husky wandering in Mexico City. She named him Juan Domingo.
This morning, from atop the hospital, I see a wandering Husky far below. It must be Juan Domingo, because this is Mexico City, and everything is a symbol.
Hace una vida, la escultora encontró a un Husky abandonado, deambulando por la Ciudad de México. Lo llamó Juan Domingo.
Esta mañana, desde lo alto del hospital, veo a un Husky caminando por la calle.
Tiene que ser Juan Domingo, porque esta es la Ciudad de México y aquí todo es símbolo.
Frida’s Studio
Acrylic on canvas, 36”x48”
You can still see where the painter sat each day. The impression of her broken back is still embedded in the chair’s cushions. You can see where she rested her feet. You can see that last painting she created.
Todavía se puede ver dónde se sentaba la pintora cada día. La huella de su columna rota sigue marcada en los cojines de su silla. Se puede ver dónde apoyaba los pies. Se puede ver el último cuadro que pintó.
The Sculptor
Oil on canvas, 10”x12”
The sculptor recovers. Every day she comes back to life. The stories she tells. Oh, the stories.
La escultora se recupera. Cada día vuelve a la vida. Cada día cuenta historias. Y qué historias.
Therapy
Acrylic on canvas, 12”x18”
Let’s talk more about that, shall we?
Hablemos más de eso, ¿te parece?
el Vocho
Acrylic on canvas, 16”x20”
Two eternal icons of Mexico City: the VW and the lavender-colored tree.
Dos eternos íconos de la Ciudad de México: el Vocho y el árbol color lavanda.
Alta Plaza
Acrylic on canvas, 20”x20”
A picnic on the hill. That tall, white building you can see from every corner of the city.
Where is she today? Oh, right there.
Un pícnic en la colina. Ese edificio alto y blanco, que puede verse desde cada rincón de la ciudad.
¿Dónde está? Ah, ahí está.
Viveros
Oil on canvas, 18”x18”
We take long walks with members of the family.
We see the generations continue.
We see the names carry on.
In the parks of Coyoacan, Churubusco, and El Bosque, we eat ice cream every day.
Vamos a dar largos paseos con miembros de la familia.
Vemos cómo continúan las generaciones.
Vemos que los nombres perduran.
En los parques de Coyoacán, Churubusco y El Bosque, comemos helado todos los días.
The Fountain
Oil on canvas 25”x18”
“This was my father’s favorite restaurant,” she says to me. “That’s the fountain I fell in when I was seven.” Of course, we stay for lunch.
“Este era el restaurante favorito de mi padre”, me dice ella. “Esa es la fuente a la que me caí cuando tenía siete años”. Por supuesto, nos quedamos a comer.
The Girl From Coyoacan
Oil on wood, 8”x18”
She walks the narrow alleys, the cobblestone streets, her ancestral colors still bright as the sun.
Ella camina por callejones estrechos, por las calles empedradas, sus colores ancestrales tan brillantes como el sol.
Beloved Cafe
Acrylic on canvas, 36”x36”
In the heart of the Mission is a cafe where the menu and the owners bring you back to life with their offerings.
En el corazón de la Misión hay un café donde tanto los dueños como el menú te devuelven a la vida con lo que ofrecen.
Morning in the Garden
Oil on canvas 18”x25”
Each morning we rise to the warm morning light of Mexico City. After coffee, we walk with the sculptor through her garden, admiring the beauty of the bronzes she cast over a lifetime. Her eyes light up with the names of her creations: Isis, Naga, Jaguar, Menelaus.
Después del café caminamos con la escultora por su jardín, admirando la belleza de los bronces que fundió a lo largo de su vida. Sus ojos se iluminan con los nombres de sus creaciones: Isis, Naga, Jaguar, Menelao.
Crow
Acrylic on canvas, 36”x48”
On the fifth floor is an oasis they call Haum. There you learn to fly.
En el quinto piso hay un oasis que se llama Haum. Allí aprendes a volar.
5
Acrylic on canvas, 18”x24”
Year after year you await your haircut while people walk up and down the hill.
Año tras año esperas tu corte de cabello, mientras la gente sube y baja por la colina.
San Angel Inn
Oil on canvas, 25”x16”
After lunch, we wander the walled gardens. Lost in memories, she walks ahead. I see a single chair, alone on a path, gleaming in the afternoon light. I think her father is sitting there, talking to her. Of course he is. This is Mexico City, and everything is a symbol.
Después de comer, caminamos por los jardines amurallados. Perdida en sus recuerdos, ella camina por delante. Veo una sola silla, ahí sola en un sendero, resplandeciendo bajo la luz de la tarde. Creo que su padre está sentado allí, hablando con ella. Por supuesto que lo está. Esta es la Ciudad de México y aquí todo es un símbolo.
The Room Nobody Visits Anymore
Oil on canvas, 16”x22”
The house, once the vibrant home of children, parents, pets, friends, guests, and endless parties. Today it is still and full of memories. Behind closed doors we find rooms once full of life, now full of light.
La casa, que alguna vez fue un vivo hogar de niños, padres, mascotas, amigos, invitados e interminables fiestas, hoy está quieta y llena de recuerdos. Detrás de puertas cerradas encontramos habitaciones, antes estaban llenas de vida, hoy llenas de luz.
Welcome to the studio in Mexico City:
previous shows
Roaming San Francisco
Painting Exhibit at Groundfloor
455 Valencia St San Francisco, CA
May 2025 - Feb 2026
boots
Acrylic on canvas, 30’x30’
$8,750
red coat (new)
Acrylic on canvas, 48’x36’
$5,750
Coyote
Acrylic on canvas, 36’x36’
$8,750
49 palms (NEW)
Acrylic on canvas, 36’x36’
$4,750
Magnolia
Acrylic on canvas, 48’x48’
$6,900
Park
Acrylic on canvas, 30’x30’
$5,750
celeste (NEW)
Acrylic on canvas, 30’x30’
$5,750
Yellow Tree
Acrylic on canvas, 30’x40’
$7,600
Steps
Acrylic on canvas, 30’x30’
$8,750
Bamboo
Acrylic on canvas, 30’x30’
$5,750
Twisty Road
Acrylic on canvas, 16’x20’
$1,950
Roses
Acrylic on canvas, 30’x24’
$5,750
Therapy
Acrylic on canvas, 12’x16’
$1,250
5
Acrylic on canvas, 16’x20’
$2,250
Picnic
Acrylic on canvas, 20’x20’
$5,750
how-to
From bottom-to-top, this series shows how I paint a picture.
To help the final colors be the colors they want to be, I lay in lots of other colors underneath.
Go out and look at a tree. Are those leaves really just “green?” I’m always surprised by how much red is hiding in there, especially in the edges and shadows.
Stare at the “blue” sky for a while. Long enough for your eyes to relax and un-focus a bit. See all the other colors behind the blue? Pink, green, mauve; they’re all there. Cyan just talks louder.
And shadows. They complement of the color of the light shining on the object that casts them. Which is why in San Francisco’s uniquely Naples Yellow daylight shadows are so purple.
I don’t paint colors as they are, but as they want to be.
Dan Roam is the San Francisco-based author of six international bestselling books on visual storytelling which have been translated into 31 languages. "The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems with Pictures" was named by Fast Company, The London Times, and BusinessWeek as 'Creativity Book of the Year.' As a consultant, Dan has helped leaders at Google, Microsoft, Snowflake, Boeing, Gap, IBM, the US Navy, and the White House solve complex problems with simple pictures. Dan and his whiteboard have been guests on CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, and NPR.