Last week when we were still in the grips of the very dry January I went downtown at lunchtime to attend the opening ceremony of the newly refurbished and redeveloped G Street, or at least the block of G Street between 2nd and 3rd. It’s pedestrianized with new seating areas (well, big blocks of coloured wood and some metal round picnic tables, I didn’t really notice a lot more than that), more accessible sidewalks, albeit with metal fencing dividing areas off for some reason. People were gathered and there was music being played, food being passed around by Woodstock’s pizza, and the midday January sun was bright. It is always exciting to see some new work, some new ideas in place in the city. If you go by comments on that paragon of local opinion, Nextdoor, you will see opinion very split, mostly between “waste of money” and “now I can’t park right outside the place I’m going” to “hate it” and “it will be full of homeless hassling people”. Oh, Nextdoor, what are you like. Most of that website seems to be “what was that bang?” or people posting actual videos of kids who rang their doorbell (and people replying that you should have a ‘pew-pew’ for the next time a kid rings your doorbell – seriously?). My reaction is usually to go against the general moaning, and give the new ideas a chance, so I watched the ceremony and sketched with a reasonably positive outlook. I have enjoyed that, since the pandemic when all the restaurants were forced outside (remember that, folks!) G Street has become a popular little hub on a weekend. Not that I go there much myself. However I couldn’t entirely disagree with the comments of disappointment. Looking around at the changes, I was less than whelmed, I’m not much into sitting at uncomfortable looking boxes in the direct Davis sunlight. It is a project in progress, that is what they said, “This is not the Final Version”, and no doubt it will progress as the needs of the local businesses and restaurants and their customers dictate, we will see. Things don’t always work out as intended. More pedestrianized public space is good in my opinion, but only if people use it. I drew the mayor and other local civic leaders talking with their backs to the sun while photographers and media folk pointed their cameras towards the sun. I went across to stand in the shade and draw the musicians, a woman playing a keyboard and a man with a hand-drum. It was very nice. There was also a middle-aged man in a black jacket wearing what looked like boxer shorts and a jester hat dancing about and being ‘zany’. I liked drawing people in quick pencil, this was a nice break from all the pen drawings of houses and streets that have been getting me through this awful January as we slip into the worst version of the timeline. If G Street provides a place of gathering where I can go and sketch people then that’s good I suppose, though I have to want to get up and be around loads of people, which isn’t much the case these days.

I was about to sketch the scene from the other side of the road when a young man in a tall hat came up and asked if I was ‘Mr Scully’, which I am. He was another local artist Evan Lilley, and was setting up his home-made easel/art box to do some drawing of people at the event. In his tall hat, I knew I would need to sketch him. I have actually seen his work before, as he had an exhibition recently (which I did not get to see) with highly detailed and realistic paintings of the interiors of local bars, such as the Davis Beer Shoppe. As you know I’ve drawn so many of the local bars over the years so was very excited to see that and meet the artist in person. Apparently he does a Drawing Club at one of the local places Dunloe Brewing, I should go to some time. I asked if I could draw him sketching at his easel, I only had five minutes or so before needing to head back to the office, so I drew him in that bright sunshine.

I will go over to G Street from time to time to check it out a bit more and see if the space works for me, but we will see. I don’t really go out much anyway these days except to wander about looking for something to fill my sketchbook with, and I mostly like to draw the changes in the city, though preferably in a bit more shade. Once the leaves come back on the trees I’m sure it will feel a bit cooler. Maybe I should finally do another sketchcrawl down here, it’s been a while since I organized one, I’ve been shy.