Spread 5 of the Davis Moleskine, a building I’ve sketched before: the Old City Hall on F Street (now part of the restaurant Bistro 33). I sat outside the Paint Chip over a couple of lunchtimes last week and drew this. It was over a hundred degrees outside, which I am sure you will agree was mental for this time of year. Feels hot in the drawing too, doesn’t it. That’s living in California for you. I hear it’s freezing back in London.
The project continues…
October is here folks, and October means beer. Even though most Oktoberfests apparently take place in September (giving us Oktoberhangover) – I even drew this while it was still September – it’s culturally important to keep up that association (this is my excuse). One of my favourite beers is in fact the Märzen amber ale of my local micro-brewer, Sudwerk. This year they brought out a special Oktoberfect version, “Fest-Märzen”, and I must say it’s bloody lovely. Perhaps the best beer I’ve had over here. So in the spirit of drawing bottle and glass on brown paper (see the recent champagne bottle), here they are. That glass was empty by the time I finished drawing, let me tell you. We had a heatwave here last week, with weather in the 100s (really! at this time of year), and a nice cold beer was always going to help.
This project keeps on moving along… this is Spread 4 (a personal favourite), a couple of train engines that were parked on the rails off of 6th Street, near the Co-Op. I had in fact gone that way to draw the Co-Op itself, figuring it should probably go into the Davis-centric book somewhere, but I could not get an angle that I liked. However, I love drawing these trains, so I jumped at the chance. The level crossing is actually from 5th Street, but I allowed it to move and become the latest transitionary device.
I’m glad I didn’t draw the Co-Op. Sure, it may yet make an appearance, but I don’t want the series to be simply a checklist of popular Davis sites and sights. This little spot where the trains sit and wait is far more interesting, and every bit as Davis as the Varsity or the Farmer’s Market, so I’m mixing it up a bit.
While in Santa Rosa at the weekend, I walked down to Luther Burbank Home and Gardens and sketched in the afternoon. It’s a pretty little place, and the old house is very sketchworthy. Burbank was an important botanist and horticulturalist who created/developed many species of plant and flower, as well as a famous potato. There’s a small chance I may be mistaken about this, but I think he invented Mr Potato Head. The site is in fact California Historical Landmark #234.
I also sketched a fire hydrant, because, you know, I’m collecting sketches of them. This one reminds me of a dalek. Perhaps it needs some Mr Potato Head glasses and moustache to cheer it up.
Davis Moleskine Spread # 3, the Black Bear Diner on the corner of B and 2nd Streets. This used to be a Baker’s Square (one of those places that did nice apple pies). That road leading off there, that heads towards UC Davis.
I often read my son that story in Christopher Robin about not walking on the lines in London streets. I was always told that too, when I was a kid, not to step on the cracks “or the bears would get ya!” which let’s face it is the least of your worries on London streets, unless the bears are wearing hoodies or something. You don’t get bears in Davis, we are too far from the mountains. But I did hear once that a mountain lion was spotted in West Sacramento, just across the causeway from here, and I saw a cat jump into a tree while cycling home one evening that was pretty big looking for a domestic tom. I’m no wildlife expert. Perhaps it was like the beast of Craggy Island.
As I sketched this, new students drove by being all loud in their cars, showing off to each other and woo-hooing from their windows. That won’t last. The mid-terms will get them before the bears do.
Spread 2 of my Davis Moleskine project: the classic feeling Varsity Theatre on 2nd Street, an oft-sketched building as you know. I sat outside Outdoor Davis on a Saturday afternoon, people stopped to chat as I drew, new students were everywhere spending time with their families before classes begin, there was the air of ‘new’ about the city as the 10-11 year kicked in. For me, just another afternoon of drawing while my son napped. We had been down to this spot just that morning because there is a cool little toystore on 2nd street called Alphabet Moon. This street is changing even since this was drawn though – on the right of the theatre, where you can see just trees, there used to be the old Pump House, but it was moved (I drew it a little while back) to make way for the new relocated Mishka’s Coffee. I passed by yesterday and building is well underway.
This building though is the star of downtown Davis. An old movie theatre, especially one that is actually in use, brightens up the area, gives real life to small-town America. At least, it’s what I always imagined when thinking of small-town America. That and a clock-house, and a corner diner, and hover-boards.
petescully 