I drew the outside of this cafe, the Delta of Venus, about a month ago or so. Last week I actually ate there, and of course sketched there, while having a very interesting lunchtime meeting about possible art projects with Shelly from the Davis Art Center. While sketching I noticed some of local artist Laura Kelly’s amazing artwork on the wall, she has been on a couple of the sketchcrawls. Davis is a town full of artists.
There is a truck outside the Silo at UC Davis these days that produces the most incredible lunchtime aroma of middle-eastern food, Shah’s Halal Food. I don’t eat there very much, because the line is always really, really long. One time I ate there too, there was a bone in my chicken. But let me tell you – it’s the tastiest and I mean tastiest food on campus. Yes, it beats the Thai soup, just about. Anyway, though I didn’t have the patience to wait in line to eat there last Friday, I did sit outside and sketch the truck as hungry patrons waited patiently.
It was a publicity-hungry preacher in Oakland who started all that ‘end-of-the-world’ May 21 stuff. The world didn’t end (as far as I can tell), but the Oakland Athletics baseball team (aka the A’s) have probably been wishing it had after three defeats in a row this weekend by local rivals, the San Francisco Giants. I watched the first on Friday evening at my wife’s mom’s house (big Giants fans in this family), and it went to a tenth inning, which is a bit like extra time but it was more like ‘next goal wins, ‘cos I gotta be home by 11 or I’m grounded’. I’ve never been to a Giants game (the one and only baseball game I’ve ever seen was the Oakland A’s back in 2002, on rootbeer float day – I mostly remember the garlic fries and the sunburn, and Miggy Tejada. Miggy has now left the A’s and joined the Giants. The Giants won again on Saturday, and, since the Rapture got cancelled due to a no-show, the world was still around on Sunday for Oakland to lose late yet again. Since that happened on the same day as the Premier League season ended with a dramatic relegation battle, I was all sported out, so never watched it. I went out and sketched instead.
Another drawing of San Francisco’s Painted Ladies in Alamo Square (from a photo and previous sketch), this time with some paint speckled in the background. This drawing is available to buy on my Etsy store.
Sketched last week, on Friday the 13th. I’ve drawn this building before, a couple of times I think, but ages ago and not as completely. Took all lunchtime, but it’s a rewarding building on campus, that reminds me of a Roman villa or something. Friday the 13th. Apparently the day is bad luck because it reminds them of bad horror movies with endless awful sequels, and that can give anyone the shivers. This is not a sequel of my previous sketches of Hart Hall, rather it is a remake, no, a reboot. That’s the thing these days isn’t it, reboots. It’s an excuse film-makers use to start again and confuse the audience (wait, wait, this reboot, is it supposed to be better?). It’s all because of Batman Begins. Now they’re rebooting Superman, because the last one was a little long and some people went ‘meh’, and because market research showed people want dark super heroes now because the Dark Knight sold well. Oh, and Spiderman is rebooting (with yet another English actor playing the super-lead) because those last ones from just a couple of years ago, well yes they started well, but that third one ruined it all with his stupid saturday night fever dancing, so let’s start again, only a decade after the new Spiderman started. We’re still not over the prequel fad yet. Remakes, reboots, ‘re-imaginings’… all different things, apparently. Studios love reboots (why not just make good films to begin with?), fans on super hero movie forums love reboots (more things to be dissatisfied with, making life complete), but why stop at comic flicks? Why not reboot TV shows like Eastenders? It’s getting a bit unrealistic, a bit Phil-and-Ian, just reboot it, have Ian and Phil be secret lovers torn apart in an epic struggle to own the caff, set it not on Albert Square but Albert Plaza, a block of luxury condos in the Docklands, where everyone gathers on the Queen Vic facebook group (don’t annoy administrator Peggy or she’ll block you and unfriend you), and for an ironic twist, people die every day on the show except on Christmas. No, this is utterly ridiculous. Perfect for Hollywood though; we’ll leave it for Eastenders: the Movie (which will no doubt have a nice long ridiculous title like Eastenders: the Mystery of the Missing Christmas Club Money, or Eastenders: the Revenge of the Curse of Nick Cotton, starring Vin Diesel as Phil, Betty White as Dot and I dunno, George Clooney as Nick, for a laugh, I can just see the epic looking “allo, ma” posters now.
Where was I? Oh yes, Hart Hall, UC Davis. It’s nice. Please do not reboot.
Last week was the annual UC Davis “Thank Goodness For Staff” lunch event. It is always scheduled on a windy/sunny day in early May, so that it can coincide with my allergies being at their worst. Mine, and everyone else’s. I took my sketchbook with me this year, as my colleague Erica was going to perform another of her excellent self-penned songs (she’s an amazing singer). It was an exercise in speed-sketching; there were only about three minutes from start to finish to capture her, and subsequently it doesn’t look that much like her, but we learn by trying. I also tried to sketch the UC Davis chancellor, Linda Katehi, addressing staff and thanking goodness for them. Again, doesn’t look like her but you get the idea. she was actually on the stage, but I drew a close up, over the picture of the stage that I was drawing when the other performers were playing.
I sketched some others which were even briefer (didn’t bother scanning), and then two dancers took the stage in colourful Latin American costume. Cuban dancing, it was and they started to move about at a whirlwind pace. My wife said, you won’t be able to draw these. Challenge accepted – and I’m pleased with the result, because this is pretty much exactly as it looked to me, colourful, fast-paced and a lot of fun! anda again, only aboutthree minutes to do the whole thing. Must do more drawings like that…
The remaining sketches from Saturday’s sketchcrawl in Davis, the last one first: the Hattie Weber Museum of Davis, above. It’s a former library (it’s named after Davis’s first paid librarian), built in 1911 – it’s a hundred years old! But it used to be on F Street – buildings tend to move about in Davis. I was in there a few weeks ago, and was pleasantly surprised to find that they had a print of one of my drawings on the wall. The drawing of old City Hall, from
my ArtAbout event in January (it’s one of my favourites). So that’s pretty nice, I’m in a museum!
After sketching sketchers sketching at the market, I had a nice lunch at Crepeville with Napa-based designer Cynthia and her son Nathan. I sketched the interior (see bottom sketch) and had a huge-normous scrambled egg thing.
After lunch, it was back to the park. I was actually a little unsure what to draw next, so I chose to head for the gardens, and sketched the large mosaic-covered urn feature called “Flutter and Hum”.
After sketching the Museum, it was getting a bit cold. Of thirteen who came, only three of us ended up finishing at the end for the show and tell, and having been up very early to watch the FA Cup Final I was knackered! (Speaking of the FA Cup Final, I don’t like it when other matches are played on Cup Final day, it should be about that game alone, and that shoudl be the season closer. I’m no great fan of Man City’s millions, but they won their first trophy in 35 years, only to have their day overshadowed by overacheiving neighbours Man United winning a record 19th league title. But back to sketching…
It was another nice sketchcrawl in Davis though and I look forward to the next one – some time in June, date and place to be decided…
The sketchers of Davis (and nearby areas) got together again last Saturday for the sixth ‘Let’s Draw Davis’ sketchcrawl. About thirteen of us gathered and spent part of the day sketching around the Davis Farmer’s Market, and Davis Central Park. It was the same day as the Tour de Cluck, hence the sketch of the woman with that chicken thing on her head. I sketched some of the other sketchers; above are Marlene, Jenna, Victor and Alison (though it really looks nothing like her; I haven’t quite mastered that angle yet!). I need to sketch people for practise, and have been practising lately. I also a local singer David Hafter, whose version of Leaving on a Jet Plane was really brilliant. There he is below, with the guitar.
Also singing in the park, above right, were the cast of Tommy, currently playing at UC Davis. They performed six of the rock opera hits, and were largely brilliant (the two singing above certainly were, though I did a bad job of the uniformed man’s face). I don’t know why they sang Pinball Wizard in such Mockney accents though, as Roger Daltrey never did. Still, you should go and see them, it looks like being a very exciting show.
And here is Allan, who I have sketched before on recent sketchcrawls, sketching cherries at the Farmer’s Market. Below, how it all looks on the page, for those who might be interested …
More to come!
You’re in London, and you want something to do tonight, or this week. What you need to do is get yourself down to Baron’s Court Theatre in West Kensington to see The Revengers. It’s a play directed by and starring my good friend, the actor and TV presenter Simon Nader. Written by Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood, it opened last Monday to very good reviews (read this write up at Extra Extra) and is running for another week, closing on May 21. Tickets are £12.50 / £10.oo and shows are every day (except Monday 16) at 7:45, Saturday matinee at 2:00pm. Book tickets at 020 8932 4747.
Exclusively for the show, I created some original drawings that were to be hung in the theatre as part of the set. Here they are! I like the boot. And the drawings are big, for me anyhow. Based on the play’s ‘Avengers‘ theme (the old British TV show, not the Captain America one), they’re in pen and ink, beautifully framed, and are up for sale if you want them. 
So head off to Baron’s Court and see some theatre, and maybe buy some art! In case you’re wondering, I am sadly not in London. But I am happily in Davis, and will see you tomorrow at the Let’s Draw Davis sketchcrawl…
Just a reminder… tomorrow will be the next Let’s Draw Davis! sketchcrawl… 10:30am at the Farmer’s Market, finish 3:30 at the Carousel in Central Park… hope to see you there Davis sketchers!
petescully 