Holiday on Fourth Street, Too

Every December, East Bay Urban Sketchers visit Fourth Street in Berkeley to sketch the holiday decorations. And every year, I invariably sketch the window display at Molly B. Boutique. 

Nina Taylor has been creating Molly B.'s wonderfully eclectic window displays for thirty plus years, and she never fails to attract passersby for a closer look. She uses her personal stash of props and rental items, along with objects loaned by friends and other artists. In this window Nina employs African and Oceanic masks, shields and other objects from Dave DeRoche's collection. 
~Susan Ford

Holiday on Fourth Street

It is our holiday tradition to sketch the lights on Fourth Street in Berkeley. It seems that each year there are even more lights! This year's display was fabulous. — Cathy McAuliffe

Holiday Lights on 4th Street in Berkeley

Every year that I go to 4th Street in Berkeley I see more and more lights. Next time

I am bringing sunglasses. Happy Holidays! --- Vivian Aldridge

Holiday Lights on Fourth Street

The holiday lights on Fourth Street in Berkeley are the best! This is our second year sketching them. See Sonia's sketch below.

December 2015 First Thursday

4th Street lights by Cathy McAuliffe

Thursday, December 3, 2015
6:30 - 8:30 pm
Holiday Lights on 4th Street, Berkeley
1776 4th Street, Berkeley

Website: http://tacubaya.net/

Join us on Thursday December 3rd to sketch the holiday lights on Fourth Street in Berkeley. We will meet in front of Peet's Coffee (1776 4th Street) at 6:30. We will meet inside Tacubaya near Peet's at 8:00 to share our sketches. See you there!

Tacubaya on 4th Street, Berkeley

Sketching from under the awning in front of Tacubaya on 4th Street, Berkeley, ink and watercolor 5x7 inches

Castle In The Air

We had a good morning sketching at this store on 4th Street in Berkeley. There are so many things to sketch it was hard to choose. I sketched the crepe paper flowers downstairs then went up to the balcony for a close up view of the antique lanterns.

More Castle in the Air

 Castle in the Air on 4th Street in Berkeley is filled with gorgeous objects:

Ribbon rack on main floor

Mannequin upstairs outside the classroom 

Marionettes above the staircase

. . . and those huge lanterns hanging from the ceiling.

Castle in the Air, 4th Street, Berkeley.

Chinese Lanterns, ink, watercolor and gouache, 9x12in.

We have been enjoying indoor sketching in the East Bay area during the winter months thanks to the welcoming staff and owners of many stores. This time our group met on a rainy morning at Castle in the Air on 4th Street. We could have spent the entire day sketching the beautiful and interesting items in the store. I chose the Chinese lanterns hanging from the roof because they will eventually sell. I would love to have them in my own house! At least I have them in a sketch.

Spenger's on a grey evening

The sketchbook I had with me had a vertical orientation, so I had to use two pages to get this horizontal view. I really liked the doorway, which is off the page to the right, with it's wooden door, and sculpture of a sailing man in a rain slicker, but there wasn't enough room on the page!

"Where Hidden Creeks and Freeways Flow"

Under the overpass at 4th St. is a tribute to the past indigenous peoples who occupied a village site for "approximately 3,700 years" and a current homeless resident. The murals of  Native Americans are on  the back wall. The cross-beams are inscribed by the following:
WELCOME BACK
WHERE ANCIENT PEDESTRIANS
GATHERED OYSTERS AND ACORNS
WHERE TRACKS CROSS SHELLMOUNDS
WHERE HIDDEN CREEKS AND FREEWAYS FLOW