Eid celebration at Sahara

We had a lovely evening cozily ensconced in a corner across from the musicians at Sahara, a Moroccan shop on Piedmont Avenue. Mostafa, the owner, played with Yasir (on a stringed instrument), and two other musicians, one of whom is also a dancer. This gentle music was aptly described by Yassir as "organic". Tea was served, and a delightful meal cooked by the owner. Thank you Mostafa for a wonderful evening!

Picante—Cocina Mexicana

They grind organic corn daily to make 

their own tortillas - enough said!

We had an appreciative audience!

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The amazing Bone Room

Always something wonderfully curious to be seen here! 

The Cane Toads were an all-over, even brown color, sort of like chocolate milk.
 Somehow, they looked a bit mean! Maybe the taxidermist saw them as a bad thing!

There were two skeletons, this one had an attractive coon hat! I tried sketching it in just one hour, a rather daunting task, and, I ran out of paper by the time I got to his feet. Shaded/colored in Photoshop.

Saul's

From a week ago Thursday — my fellow sketchers at Saul's (well, one reader, one sketcher, really). Somehow I always take too much time to do the drawing and don't get to the coloring, so this is colored digitally.

Playland-not-at-the-beach

Playland-not-at-the-beach is slightly hard-to-find — on San Pablo Ave just over the border into Richmond going North. The warren of rooms meandering around leads you from one set of marvels to another. Hard core pin-ball players can be found in one of the several rooms filled with interesting antique machines from the mid-1900's and beyond.
See some more features of Playland not at the beach: 1 minute video

between two pinball games from the 1940's.

By Hand

It was so great to be able to sketch in the lovely peace and quiet of the store after-hours - Thank you Paula! I was happy to hear she is not closing the store out of duress, but because it's time to have fun! I'm trying out some new watercolor pencils, actually called "Inktense" pencils.

 I changed up the colors of this umbrella collection a bit,
as many are basic black, evidently preferred by most!

Piedmont Yarn Shop

 We visited a sweet yarn shop on Piedmont! Their collection of yarns is lovely, samples of knitting and felting are beautiful, and they even have cones for weavers. They have classes, and will help you out with your knitting problems.

These Rabat yarns are so various in their variables that they look individually dyed.

Children's Fairyland Oakland

Two special sketching nights at Children's Fairyland back-to-back, tonight the Urban Sketchers, and tomorrow a sketching event, Drawn Together, benefitting Fairyland — read more about it here http://oaklandlocal.com/2014/09/illustrating-community-at-childrens-fairyland/

When I was a child, my mother brought my brother and I to visit Fairyland. I was about 3 years old, and Fairyland was just a few years older. The sculpture I remembered the most vividly was the Alice in Wonderland tunnel, with the card maze at the end. I wasn't tall enough to see through the "windows", so I could only see the tippy-tops of the figures in the garden.

the deck of cards who were tossed into the air

The Crooked Man and his crooked house

Oswald the Bubble Elf

Found on Piedmont

From Piedmont Third Thursday Stroll. I got there pretty late, but there were quite a few nice little art-ish parties going on, a large karate class demonstration, and a woman singing beautifully on the street to entice people in to the theater. Seems like a fun event. I ended up on the patio between Found and the karate class, and sketched this vaguely middle-eastern-looking building across the street.

greetings, from Found

Yo-Yo Ma at the Greek Theater, UC Berkeley.

The Greek Theater at UC Berkeley sold out for this event, 8500 spectators. Yo-Yo Ma played three of Bach's cello suites. Magnificent.

Yo-Yo Ma at the Greek Theater, pen and ink, watercolor and digital darkening, 16x5in.

Emeryville Civic Center, Park Avenue and Hollis

Late afternoon at the crossing of Park Avenue and Hollis in Emeryville. The new Town Hall, the old one and the perfect late night diner, Can't Fail Cafe.

Emeryville, dip pen and ink and watercolor, 24x9in.

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.

Tierra Mía Coffee, downtown Oakland

Tierra Mía Cafe, dip pen and ink and watercolor,  9x12in

The new Tierra Mía Coffee is located at the corner of Broadway and 20th Street in the former Magnin Building. It's a perfect corner to sketch and have a good cup of their specialty coffee drinks.

Margo Elberg's Miniatures at Lux Estate Liquidation

I enjoyed seeing Margo Elberg's miniatures together as they might  go separate ways after next weekend's sale. They are exquisite.

Margo Elberg Miniatures, 16x5in, pigment liner and watercolor.

The Cathedral of Christ the Light, Oakland, California

We spent a warm and beautiful May 1st evening sketching in the The Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland.  Also called the Oakland Cathedral, it is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland. When we arrived someone was playing the organ and later the choir was practicing. The space filled with light and the voices in the incredible acoustics of the building made a perfect sketching day. The design of the building is by the architect Craig W. Hartman

Cathedral of Christ the Light, dip pen and ink and watercolor, 9x12in

Cathedral of Christ the Light, Tombow marker and waterbrush, 9x12in

Diesel Bookstore, Oakland, California

Diesel Books, dip pen and ink and watercolor, 8x5in.

We enjoyed our sketching night in Rockridge in a good independent bookstore. The neighborhood has everything that makes life in a city so attractive, lots of people walking, restaurants, cafes, and a great bookstore.

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.

The staircase at the Berkeley City Club

I tried a wide view of the main entrance of the Berkeley City Club. The building is an eclectic mix of styles and materials, they all work together very well. Nothing was left without a decoration.

Berkeley City Club, 24x9in.

Serrahna Boutique, Oakland

I used my complete palette to color the sketch from our night at Serrahna. The colors were overwhelming, a real delight and it was hard not to buy something beautiful!

Serrahna, ink, gouache, watercolor, 9x12in.

Joanne Fabrics

Birdhouses - just a few!

Gnomes? Elves? Santas?

Joanne Fabrics has a huge variety of things to sketch. Fabric stores are sort of like general stores now, as few people sew. The gnomes (?) I finished coloring in Photoshop, which I guess makes it not "real" in a way, but it what's real anyway?!