Dia de Los Muertos in Oakland

This year's theme at Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood festival paid respect to Los Ausenttes (The Absent) those who are no longer with us, whether loved ones who have passed away or members of this community who have been displaced due to deportation, gentrification or incarceration. The altares (alters) were displayed throughout the festival including those in the trunks of the beautifully restored cars. —Cathy McAuliffe

Walking on the Wild Side

Spent a few hours sketching on a Thursday night at Old Kan Beer with my sister and friends. What a cozy place and great music too. Not too many people there. Great 70’s music and they play it at a level that is just right so patrons are not shouting at each other. This place is an undiscovered treasure just outside of Jack London Square. — Vivian Aldridge

Temescal

Met with our urban sketching group at Bierhaus. Across the street was an oddly shaped residence that I felt compelled to capture. -- Vivian Aldridge

Origami in Oakland!

Origami fascinates me on how a flat piece of paper can be made into a three dimensional form!
My one dimensional rendering doesn’t capture the creative folds and facets of the art at Taro’s  Origami Studio.
Thanks for hosting us Jennifer!

Bierhaus

• We really enjoyed sketching and stamping at Bierhaus!

Stamping Down at the Bierhaus

Enjoyed hanging out at Bierhaus located in Oakland’s Temescal district (foodie central.)
We arrived on a rainy Thursday evening so it was rather quiet and a good place to sketch or read a book. And they had rubber stamps! We had more fun with those than should be allowed ;-)  -- Vivian Aldridge

Beautiful Blooming Bonsai

Many of the plants were in full bloom when we visited the enchanting Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt. Thank you to the gardeners, hosts and the City of Oakland for creating and sustaining this amazing place and encouraging our sketching!

Perfect Tiny Trees + Blossoms

Beautiful afternoon in Lake Merritt Bonsai Garden.Extra special with some of the trees in full bloom! — Cathy McAuliffe

Tiny, beautiful, bonsai garden

It's a forest in a small space. Many of these trees look ancient, and yet only measured in inches—check out the Sequoia sempervirons—about 14" tall!

Tulip Festival, Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland

The deYoung Museum’s annual “Bouquets to Art” exhibition in San Francisco pairs floral arrangements and fine art. 

The floral exhibit at historic Tower Chapel at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland is an annual homage to their Tulip Festival -- mass plantings of tulips and other spring bulbs blooming throughout the cemetery grounds. 

Floral arrangements must contain at least 20 percent tulips. Otherwise, invited participants are free to let their imaginations run wild, and they do. 

Late March at Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, free admission.

So much color!

Serrahna a fashion boutique in Oakland’s Rockridge district invited us back again to sketch. What a great place! No shortage of colors and textures. They specializing in contemporary and sophisticated fashions sewn from sensational and richly colorful fabrics of India. A sketcher's paradise. — Cathy McAuliffe

Spice Girl at Oaktown Spice Shop

Had a great time discovering Oaktown Spice Shop across from Lake Merritt in Oakland. An amazing assortment of spices beautifully displayed and fun to draw and to smell! Thanks for having us in to sketch. — Cathy McAuliffe

Sketching Sunny Spices On a Grey Day

I had such a wonderful time on a rainy morning while sketching the colorful spices at the Oaktown Spice Shop (OSS) in Oakland with our group. The jars, bottles, mannequin, and accessories were delightful! Thank you so much OSS for having us over!

A Tip O’ The Hat to The Tip Top Bike Shop

Tip Top Bike Shop’s owner Dave Way welcomed us sketchers to his Temescal shop to sketch. He talked about  how Oakland is bike friendly. He and his staff work with a large diverse group. Most of their clients have daily commuter bikes. They also support weekend bicyclists. 

This is the door display of colorful caps to top it off.

Tip Top Sketching at Tip Top Bike Shop

This bike shop in Oakland invited us in for an afternoon of sketching. Turns out spokes are WAY harder to draw than I expected! They have all kinds of bikes which made for all kinds of sketching options. My favorite was a Dutch bike that was in for a tuneup. It gave me some practice for all the bikes I will see in Amsterdam this summer. Thanks for having us Tip Top! — Cathy McAuliffe

Very Dark at Chabot Space & Science Center

There was lots to sketch and lots to see here last Friday evening. Went to the Observatory as they were setting the giant telescope for that evening's viewing. Got started on my sketch just as they turned out all the lights! (Oh yeah, you would want it dark when you are using the telescope...) So the rest of the sketch was done in the dark. But it turned out to be my favorite sketch of the night. The space suits on display were very good subjects. It is amazing how small the Mercury space capsule was. I can't imagine being stuffed into it and then being shot into space! — Cathy McAuliffe

Couscous and Concert

We were able to sketch at this year's celebration at Sahara Import on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland. Each year they invite the community to join them for a couscous dinner and wonderful Moroccan music. The store is full of very sketchable  treasures and the party, the musicians and the owner's very generous hospitality made it a wonderful event. _ Cathy McAuliffe

Day of The Dead Festival, Fruitvale in Oakland

Some of us met up at the Fruitvale BART station for the Dia de Los Muertos Festival last Sunday (see Vivian's sketch in following post). Wonderful event! Very colorful and heartfelt displays, many people in costume, great cars and lots of food. Join us next year for some good sketching! — Cathy McAuliffe

Children's Fairyland

In a sendup on the masks of tragedy and comedy, Aesop's Tortoise and Hare welcome you to the open-air Playhouse at Children's Fairyland. Aesop was a slave and storyteller in ancient Greece and in his fable, Tortoise triumphs over Hare and proclaims: "Don't brag about your lightening pace, for slow and steady wins the race!"

Thank you, C.J. Hirschfield, Executive Director and Shannon Taylor, Director of Art and Restoration for the opportunity, once again, to sketch at Fairyland. It's always a blast and the time just flies! Children's Fairyland in Oakland is the best.  ~~Susan Ford

Return to Children's Fairyland

Children's Fairyland is a magical place for all.  A visit transports you from the everyday to other times and other stories, some familiar and some new.  I treasure my time at Fairyland. Thank you C.J. Hirschfield, Executive Director and Shannon Taylor, Director of Art and Restoration for having us and for all that you do.