Balmy Summer Evening in Berkeley

Which means you only need to wear a fleece pull over and not a fleece AND a down vest. We had a fun meetup at the Westbrae Biergarten last night. I spent more time listening to and sharing summer travel stories than sketching. Our group had recently been to North Carolina, Chicago and the Sierras. And two members were still on trips to Colorado and western national parks, We will have a fun "What I did and sketched on my summer vacation" meeting in September!

Westbrae Biergarten, Berkeley

New this summer on the corner of  Gilman and Curtis Streets in Berkeley--a beer garden with anchor tenant Pedro's Brazil Cafe serving food.  The place is owned by the family who founded Westbrae Nursery next door.  The outdoor heaters were fired up the night we were there and a World Cup draw chart posted prominently among the international flags flying along the fence.  The place was packed!

Love their brew/pirate logo--also on the waitstaff's t-shirts--and the ginormous beers.

Family having dinner.  I got the spelling wrong on this one.

U.nder C.onstruction at Berkeley

The university is a constantly changing place.  Students arrive, attend classes and, before you know it, they're gone.  But one thing seems to stay the same here at Cal, the construction projects.  Here's a quick sketch I made of one going on right outside the Haas School of Business.

16 Trees

At last month's meeting of John Muir Laws workshop we were challenged to draw 16 trees before the next meeting. It was a great way to really see the trees in the neighborhood. Here are a few of my 16.

Paris Baguette, anyone?

I love the new-to-Berkeley Paris Baguette. It has a gracious European flavor with it's tall ceilings, striped walls and long displays of sweet and savory bakery goodies. You serve yourself as you swing down the length of the glass shelves and round towards the front with your pile (some looked to be having sweets for dinner!). The young folks behind the counter were artistically inclined and interested in what I was doing. Some of the decorative pastries caught my eye.

un-named cakes with fat cookies, blackberries, and slabs of chocolate sailing atop!

Saturday around Marin County

Saturday around Marin County, dip pen and ink and watercolor

Every year the Marin County Firefighters spend a day doing free CPR hands-on training around the county. Last year I did it in Tomales, this year I happened to stop at the Rouge & Noir cheese factory and I did it again. Later in the afternoon I was having a cup of tea by the main road in Stinson and this gigantic pick up truck parked in front of me. The perspective made it even bigger looking.

Pedro's Westbrae Biergarten

The Brazilian biergarten on Gilman Street across from Toot's Sweets and Boogie Woogie Bagels seems to be satisfying a very pent-up demand for such things in the area - it was jammed with happy people on this sunny late Wednesday afternoon. They have some good brews, some yummy smelling food from the Brazilian cafe truck, world cup, dogs, kids, plants...what more could you ask for?

the Westbrae Biergarten

I drew this in pen on 4 sheets of my notebook, and colored at home in photoshop.

Meet the Sketchers: Mohammed Shamma

UC Berkeley
Faculty Club
Jun 13, 2014

Mohammed Shamma

I’m a writer/illustrator living in Berkeley with my lovely wife and two wonderful kids.  My story, “Echoes,” was recently published in Salaam, Love: American Muslim Men on Love, Sex, and Intimacy.

I grew up in Houston, Texas in a bi-cultural Egyptian-American household and was always captivated with stories of my father’s homeland and it’s rich history. 

In 2012, I underwent heart surgery that forced me to change the way I was living.  I walk to work now and spend more time "smelling the roses" so to speak.  I also rediscovered my passion for journal writing and painting, returning to where I'd left off nearly fifteen years before.  Shortly thereafter, I discovered Urban Sketching and fell in love with it at first site.  

I could list so many reason why I love Urban Sketching, but the most important ones are the simplest.  We open ourselves when we sketch and we reveal who, where and what we observed.  We share our sketches.  And when we share them, we are sharing our beautiful human experience, as fragile and short-lived as it is.  

Feel free to connect with me at mohammedshamma.com, Twitter, Flickr and/or Tumblr.

Sketching at Tacubaya on Fourth St, Berkeley

I love sketching at Tacubaya because of the vibrant colors, casual atmosphere, hospitality, and great food. I was going to focus on people, but first had to draw the bottles at the window enclosing little glass cacti. Then on to the cooks rapidly cooking and serving myriad dishes, including take-outs. I also sketched a selection of people as they sat or waited in line, backlit by the hot pink wall.

Delaware Street and Fourth Street in Berkeley

 

1. We sketched on and around Fourth Street in Berkeley, houses, restaurants and stores all within a block of each other.

UC Botanical Garden

The University of California Botanical Garden is a 34 acre garden located on the University of California, Berkeley campus, in Strawberry Canyon. It is one of the most diverse plant collections in the United States, and famous for its large number of rare and endangered species.

Delaware Street, Berkeley

Water tower, Delaware Street, Berkeley

Berkeley’s earliest founding community was once known as Ocean View. The former town, now West Berkeley, is still filled with interesting 19th-century architecture. The 800 block of Delaware Street has boardwalks, a water tower, picket fences and beautifully restored Victorians, preserving the rural character of this historic neighborhood, just steps away from the shops and restaurants of Fourth Street.

REI, Berkeley

Kayaks and insoles

Whether you're interested in a kayak hanging from the rafters or just a pair of colorful insoles for your hiking boots, REI can outfit your next adventure.

Flowerland in Albany

A fixture on Solano Avenue since the 1940s, Flowerland Nursery continues to provide the neighborhood with the basics one would expect, but these days the offerings have a decidedly updated twist. 
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Securing its reputation as a destination, Flowerland boasts the only satellite location of Local 123 coffee shop, housed in a refurbished 1969 Streamline Princess trailer. In the evening, strings of glowing lights add to the festive atmosphere. Be sure to say hello to the resident dog, Tommy, or Phoebe the cat when you visit.

Flowerland, a great place to shop and a great place to sketch.