City Lights, North Beach, San Francisco

City Lights Bookstore and Cafe Vesuvio,
dip pen and ink and watercolor, 9x12in

On my way to take BART I stopped by the famous City Lights Bookstore. The Cafe Vesuvio just in front adds a lot of color to the otherwise run down looking alley. I am not sure if the clothes hanging from a balcony were there to dry or if they are an art installation. In any case they added more Italian flavor to the scene.

Point Reyes Station Main Street, California

Point Reyes Station Main Street, pigment liner and watercolor, 16x5in.

I decided to do a panorama of one of my favorite towns on the coast. I was sitting just by the outdoors BBQ that the market sets up on Saturdays, it was hard to resist the food. I drew until the 12 o'clock Moo loudspeaker announced it was time to have lunch.

The Rose Garden, Berkeley

A group of us went to the Berkeley Rose Garden. Inspired by Andie Thrams, we worked with twigs, bamboo pens  as well as brushes. I also used walnut ink and  watercolor pencils on this sketch of white rose covered trellises
 and the one

overlooking the bay.

The Castro Theater, San Francisco

The Castro, pigment liner and ink
and watercolor 9x12in.

Ink Drawing.

The Castro Theater is another beautiful historic landmark of the City of San Francisco. It was built in 1922 with a Spanish colonial baroque facade. It took quite some time to draw the building, enough to talk to several people who were very kind to praise my effort.

Back To Hawaii

More sketches from my trip in February
Aloha

Columbus Tower, San Francisco

Columbus Tower, dip pen and ink
and watercolor, 5x16in.

The Columbus tower is a historical landmark of the City of San Francisco.The distinctive copper-green Flatiron style structure is bounded by Columbus Avenue, Kearny Street and Jackson Street. It was finished in 1907.

...(almost) back to swimming

They say sport is good for you and so I swim.

Well, I swam. Until I stopped some time back for no particular reason. I like to be active in water. I like that I emerge from the physical activity clean and refreshed rather than sticky and sweaty. Even before taking a shower. Nevertheless, I had stopped swimming for a while but was determined to go back and this was the occasion: A heat wave had hit San Francisco. A perfect trigger to get back in the game. But... it  turns out I am not the only one. There are many more out there waiting. And we all think the same. But they are faster. When I arrived it was packed. It wasn't pretty.

.

.

This time they won.

But I took revenge.

With a pen :-).

.

.

Keep exploring,
Oliver, your visual flaneur

Shattuck and Vine Panorama

Shattuck and Vine, pencil, dip pen and ink and watercolor, 16x5in.

This is another view of the Shattuck and Vine corner (See previous post by Ceinwen). I am trying to use my landscape format Moleskine sketchbook for panorama sketches. Most of the time I feel overwhelmed by the work ahead, then slowly as the page starts to take shape I relax knowing that I will not have to cover it up with gouache.

Shattuck and Vine, Berkeley

We met in this busy neighborhood on a night when the "Taste of North Berkeley" event was underway.  It's a restaurant walk and sampling at 20 various eateries sponsored by the Lions Club to benefit local Community Fund charities.  I decided to draw each corner of the intersection, but only had time to complete two.

The bird was actually there & looked that big.

Judith, Jana and Cristina drawing at our meeting spot.

No Spring Chickens

These are my neighborhood chickens sketched over a sunny winter's day. I'm impressed with the efforts of urban residents who are raising a variety of beautiful chickens in their back yards. 

Vintage Passenger Train in Asti

In 1881, Andrea Sbarbono developed an agricultural colony just south of Cloverdale that would later become known as Italian Swiss Colony. In the 1960s, the Colony produced TV commercials that strangely, featured a little old man as a winemaker costumed in an Alpine hat and lederhosen. He closed the commercial with the classic phrase, “That little old winemaker, me!”

Today the wine facility is home to Cellar No. 8 winery. Near the tasting room, two vintage train cars sit in the middle of a vineyard, a carryover from glory days of the 1960s when the Italian Swiss Colony tasting room received more than 10,000 visitors per year.

Old St. Mary's, Nicasio

Old St. Mary's, dip pen and ink and watercolor, 14x10in

Old St. Mary's Church in Nicasio is a little jewel in the beautiful surrounding hills. Even the rocks look like someone put them there on purpose.

Teddy Bear Fountain

Teddy Bear Fountain, ink& watercolor, 8x11"

It was fun sketching Berkeley's 100-year-old Teddy Bear Fountain again. After Cristina and I chose the perfect viewpoint and sat down on the carved stone bench, I pulled out my pen, opened my bag and discovered I'd forgotten my sketchbook! DUH! Fortunately she had an extra a 9x12 watercolor block she let me use.

There was an odd optical illusion; it appeared that the water was only falling behind the fountain so that's how I painted it. I also intentionally shrunk the width of the base of the fountain. The sun was setting when I finished drawing so I added paint at home.

Please see Cristina's comprehensive sketch of the scene here and Cathy's previous sketch now featured on Berkeley Library cards.

The Bear Fountain, Berkeley

The Bear Fountain, dip pen and ink,
colored inks and watercolor, 9x12in.

This fountain is just down the hill from my house. It's the first time I sketch it but it deserves many more takes. Some time ago Cathy did a beautiful sketch that was selected to be on one of the Berkeley Public Library Cards.

Theatre of Dreams, Port Costa

Theatre of Dreams, dip pen an ink and watercolors, 9x12in.

I like Port Costa because time seems to be going slower there, maybe even backwards. The Theatre of Dreams is a cute store that opens only some hours on Saturdays. They sell dreamy things.

My Urban Junkyard Garden

Old Car Parts in the Garden, ink & watercolor, 8x11"

I inherited a bunch of rusty old car parts when I converted the garage (formerly used by my son to restore a 1970 Firebird "muscle" car) into my studio. I thought they were interesting looking "sculptures" and stuck them in my garden, planning to draw them.

It took me a year to get around to it but I finally spent a fun morning sketching them amidst sprouting irises. When I finished, I gave most of them to the my gardener who also collects scrap metal for recycling. I kept the two most interesting pieces as possible still life subjects in the future.

Solano Tunnel

The Solano Tunnel (also called the Northbrae Tunnel) is a former electric railroad passageway opened in 1912 and later converted for street use.  Cathy and I sketched at the lower (tunnel) level at the interesting intersection of El Dorado Ave, Hopkins St., Henry-turning-into-Sutter St., Del Norte St., and the pedestrian path, Terrace Walk.  Jana and Cristina sketched at the upper (fountain) level at Marin Circle.  An enthusiastic neighbor emerged from her home just as we were leaving to exclaim over our drawings of her neighborhood.

The ivy drips down like icicles over the tunnel

Another try at the Oakland Fox Theater, Oakland, California

Oakland Fox Theater, pencil, dip pen
and ink and watercolor, 14x10in.

Okland Fox Theater initial
pencil drawing, 14x10in.

I have sketched this beautiful building before. Every time is a challenge and a lesson for the next time. I spent around one hour and a half to sketch it in pencil and did the ink and watercolor at home. While sitting there I got the encouragement of many passersby.

El Volado, The Mexican Bus

El Volado, The Mexican Bus, ink & watercolor, 8x11

There's a non-residential street a couple blocks from my house where this bus and its two colorful sisters are often parked. I sat on the corner and sketched my favorite, named "El Volado, The Mexican Bus" (as is written on the bus) on the first page of my giant Moleskine. I did a little preliminary work in pencil to get the basic dimensions and then continued in ink and watercolor.

A neighbor I'd never met stopped and chatted. She and her partner are also artists so it was fun to get to know her and her cute dog. But by the time I finished it was starting to get dark so I added the watercolor at home.

Beach trash to yard art on Colusa Ave., Berkeley

It was not easy to choose which of the pieces to draw, the front of the house and even neighbor houses have installations in their yards.  I will call this one "Small Bones Installation after Mark Olivier".

beach detritus sculpture

Not many of us made it out this evening to this small yard overflowing with junk sculptures. Christina did a drawing of a - well, we never did figure out what it was. Here is a mask I drew. It is about 2 feet high. It really didn't look this fierce and scary, but somehow it came out that way.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, located in Asti just south of Cloverdale, stands in a serene landscape of vineyards and mountains. The church was built in 1960 by the agricultural co-op known as the Italian Swiss Colony that produced old world wines. In keeping with the spirit of the colony, wine barrel staves were used to construct the roof and interior wood workings of the church. Its exterior was designed to echo the shape of a wine barrel.

The Valley Clipper, Berkeley Marina

The Valley Clipper, dip pen and ink and watercolor, 9x12in.

I found a couple of fishing boats being painted in the yard of the Berkeley Marina. I sketched the Valley Clipper thinking I could do the other one the next day. It was too late, when I went back it had already left. I enjoyed talking to the fishermen who were doing the repairs, we talked about fishing, art and life.

Healdsburg

We had good day sketching around the Plaza in Healdsburg. Lots of trees including a few giant redwoods in the middle of town. The surrounding streets had many interesting houses and buildings. Lots to sketch!

Once again, Stinson Beach, California

Stinson Beach Main Street, dip pen and ink and watercolor, 16x5in.

We rarely let a weekend pass without a trip to the beach. The weather was great and as a result the beach was lively with frisbees, kites, umbrellas and the smell of bbq's.