San Francisco native, Gilbert Johnson was the oldest of five children. There were and still are four boys and one girl. In fact, his ninety –four year old mother is very much alive and an Inner Sunset resident.

Gilbert’s father had a trucking company and his sons were no strangers to hauling a variety of items off of the trucks at the Pier. One of their favorite treats after their labor was an icy cold Hire Root Beer.

They would often end their day at Chinatown and today Gilbert says of that time,

“I can’t remember a time when I couldn’t use chopsticks.”

His father also took Gilbert and one of his brothers to their first 49er game at Kezar.

“I was impressed with the hot dogs. They had skin on them that popped when you bit into them.”

Gilbert’s father hoped his oldest son would be a football player. Usually it’s the other way around. Gilbert attended Polytech High School where he admits,

“You went there for two things-football or auto shop.”

This was the 1950’s, the era of the hot rod and Rock n’ Roll. And if you had a car, and Gilbert did not, teenagers hung out at Mel’s Diner, which at that time was on South Van Ness below Market Street. Although the lure was to be at Mel’s, but without a car your authenticity was up for review by your peers. Instead, Gilbert wandered into Golden Gate Park, the deYoung Museum or the Aquarium.

“Back then, it was all free.”

He was also mesmerized by the murals on the walls of Villa Romano.

Just this past week, I saw many Inner Sunset residents celebrating at Villa Romano’s 54^th Anniversary. Prices were rolled back to the 1955 prices. I had Chicken Picatta for $3.75 and a glass of wine for 95 cents. I looked around the room, Tony was greeting customers, his wife Natalia was seating people and his father was at the pizza oven, as San Francisco’s outdoor temperature on an April evening hovered above 90 degrees.

I looked around the dining room and saw many people I have interviewed this past year; Adah, Glenn, Violet, Robyn, Jane Anne Sullivan and Gilbert. And it was still early.

When Villa Romano opened their doors in 1955, Gilbert was attending Polytech High School and along with five other students, became a Math major and he took a lot of Art classes.

“I always liked to draw.”

After High School Gilbert said,

“I didn’t have a clue.”

He enlisted in the Army and had a choice of options. He chose Air Craft Mechanics, and was stationed in Atlanta, Georgia where he learned to fly.

“I had a Pilot’s License before I had a Driver’s License.”

In the Spring or 1961, with a little money in his pocket, Gilbert returned to his hometown and enrolled in San Francisco’s Art Institute.

At one point, he and a few fellow artists rented a former Chicken Factory. They used the space for their own art studio and rented out the other spaces. One of their tenants was Santana and his band, which used their part of the space as a music studio.

Gilbert was incredulous when another San Francisco Art Institute alumna got a job as a photographer for an underground magazine. At the time, Gilbert didn’t think anyone would want to read a publication that concentrated solely on music. Annie Leibovitz and Rolling Stone were on their way.

Other fellow artists at San Francisco Art Institute included Ronald Davis, the abstract expressionist widely known for his “perspective grid,” and Dave Getz, a painter and drummer who would play with Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company before moving on to Country Joe and the Fish.

Gilbert has had an illustrious career as an artist. In the 1970’s and 80’s he drew the posters for the Annual North Beach Photographic Art Fair. He produced posters for a variety of musicians; Mel Saunders, Jerry Garcia, Mose Allison, Richie Havens and Ramblin’ Jack Elliot to name just a few. He did light shows for Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead. In 2007, his pen and ink drawing for the 40th Anniversary, Summer Of Love poster captures a unique time and place in San Francisco history.

In the film industry he’s worn many hats. He’s been an electrician, a storyboard artist, a draughtsman, a set designer, a set dresser and a carpenter. Some of the many films he’s worked on, Shoot The Moon, The Abyss, The Princess Diaries, Me and Mrs. Jones, The Wedding Planner and The Assassination of Richard Nixon.

Gilbert has many stories to share about San Francisco, the Art and Music scene and his contributions directly and indirectly.

One of his greatest accomplishments and he doesn’t miss a beat when he says,

“Surviving as an Artist.”

NEXT WEEK: MEET TERRIL, BANK MANAGER, WELLS FARGO.