The artist, in situ

For the special issue marking the 46th anniversary of the Guardian, we gathered stories about the city from some of the its best writers. To illuminate the text, we asked ace San Francisco fine artist and illustrator Lisa Congdon to paint a series of images representing contemporary San Francisco iconography. Lisa is best known for her colorful paintings and collages, and her vast catalog of work includes illustrations for Chronicle Books, Harper Collins Publishing, and Simon and Schuster, among others. She's also known for her hand-lettering and pattern design, and keeps a daily blog of her work called "Today is Going to be Awesome." She lives in the Mission District of San Francisco with her partner, chihuahua, and two cats.