Sketching in the Gourmet Ghetto

Two drawings done on North Shattuck Avenue near Vine Street in Berkeley, sitting in front of the Cheese Board Pizzeria.  The first is looking across the street to the huge monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) towering over Chez Panisse restaurant, which is just barely visible behind the trunk.  The tree produces huge cones, which are prone to falling off so must be carefully pruned periodically. 
The second sketch shows part of the long line that forms at lunch and dinnertime of people waiting to buy the delicious vegetarian pizza.  Cheese Board Pizza is part of the Cheese Board store and bakery next door, which was founded in 1967, sold to its employees in 197l, and run as a 100% worker owned collective ever since.

Small Wonder sketch

My sketch group got together yesterday (3/22/16) at the Small Wonder, a quaint cafe/bar on Grand Avenue in Oakland. The decor was colorful. My sketch was rather colorful too.

Small Wonder Bar and Cafe, Oakland

The last time we visited this place in Uptown Oakland it was called the Loring Cafe.   Now it's under new ownership and a new name:  Small Wonder.  Cafe by day and bar by night with live music and an eclectic decor. 

Papa’s Pizza Café

This nondescript, rundown old building, has been the home of Papa’s Pizza Café since 1988. You’d never know they make terrific pizza. But tomorrow, March 21, they're moving to a new location, about a block away in Downtown Cloverdale, CA. I sketched this yesterday before the sign was taken down.

Red Oak Victory Ship

The SS Red Oak Victory, the last surviving ship built in the Kaiser Richmond Shipyards during World War II was returned to near where she was outfitted before her maiden voyage in 1944. The move, while only a short distance, was the culmination of months of planning. The ship does not yet sail under her own power so was towed and winched into her new berth. The move took about 3 hours starting before 6am.

Howden Market and Spice Monkey Restaurant

Spice Monkey Restaurant

Howden Market, Limes, Lemons, Hanging Baskets

More Sketches of the Howden Building

See info about this beautifully restored building in Cathy and Sonia's entries below.  We appreciated the owner's emphasis on including contemporary local mural art on the exterior and interior of both businesses, Howden Market and Spice Monkey.

Looking down from the second floor with a glimpse of the mural on the right wall.

Beautifully tiled exterior facade

In the fruit section

Howden Building

We met in Oakland to sketch the beautiful Howden Building. Built by Howden & Sons Tile Company is well known for it's tile covered facade. Spice Monkey restaurant on the Webster side has just opened Howden Market on the corner. I sketched outside and the view from inside the market. See Sonia's sketches in her post.

The New Howden Market

We sketched the colorful, light-filled Howden Market, housed in the Oakland historic landmark, the Howden Building (1915),  a  commercial showcase featuring tiles both inside and and  outside (see localwiki.org/oakland/Howden-Building). We had previously visited the Spice Money (www.spicemonkeyrestaurant.com) next door. The co-wners of the Spice Monkey have renovated the  space next door, protecting the historic character while providing for today's community with groceries, deli items, and take-out. Thank you Kanitha Matoury for welcoming us to sketch this remarkable transformation. We also appreciated the introduction to the striking murals within the Market (see www.athenbgallery.com/blog/jackchappel/howdenmarket). and outside the building. 

Cathy sketching at the counter in the Market.  Please see other sketchers'  Howden and Spice Monkey posts on this blog.

The Longbranch

More from our sketching night at The Longbranch Saloon in Berkeley. More sketches below.

Lunar New Year Festival at the Oakland Asian Cultural CenterI

Happy New Year! I had a great time sketching at the Lunar New Year Festival and meeting Jeff Chiu, Master Calligrapher and others. Thank you for the wonderful annotation on my sketch and the warm welcome.

Sketching, Sipping and Snacking at the Longbranch Saloon

We had such a fun time at the Longbranch. We really enjoyed getting together with all the sketchers who turned out at such a hospitable place. Please see other posts.

Albany Bulb

Sketch of the "Lady" at the Albany Bulb, several feet high and made of flotsam from the bay.

Flotsam sculpture overlooking the bay.

Back at the Longbranch

A couple more sketches of the crowd at the Longbranch last Thursday evening.  (See Micaela's post below.)

Love their motto from Will Rogers

Longbranch Saloon - Public Night

It was a lively night, with our sketchers among the crowd. There are a couple of long, high tables parallel to the bar which gives a great view of the bar and the kitchen. They have an interesting selection of beer, and named drinks

Why sketch a beer? I don't know, but I do it.

Fellow sketchers left, cooks right.

Late Winter Sketches at Gaumenkitzel and the Peoples Barber and Shop

Gaumenkitzel is one of our favorite restaurants to sketch with its flying carousel horse and friendly staff.

Thank you People Barber and Shop for letting us sketch your establishment. We really had a good time.

Please see group members' sketches in previous posts for both places. 

Albany Bulb, Too

Driftwood dragon looking toward San Francisco 

At the Albany Bulb

The Bulb, largely owned by the city of Albany, is the west end of a former landfill peninsula jutting west from the east shore of San Francisco Bay.  The dumping ended in 1983 and the bulb quickly vegetated and became a home for a variety of wildlife.  Starting in the early 1990s, a community of homeless individuals lived there undisturbed for over 20 years.  Their presence was generally tolerated so long as the number of residents remained low. The population living on the Bulb was approximately 50 or 60 by early 2013, and in May the Albany City Council voted to evict and offered 30 of the residents $3,000 each if they would leave in order to settle a lawsuit brought by the East Bay Community Law Center on their behalf. 28 of the 30 plaintiffs accepted the buy-out and voluntarily left by April 24, 2014.

Today, the Bulb is home to a vast array of urban art, often made with found materials, and is a great place to hike and walk the dog as well as being a site for wind and kite surfers.  Superb panoramic views of the Bay, SF and Marin County.

(Information adapted from Wikipedia)

Wooden dragon sculpture against SF skyline

Rock tower sculptures at the edge of the water

Peoples Barbershop, Too

" NEXT !!! .  .  .  . "