for whom the bell tolls

December 16, 2011December 16, 2011Leave a comment

I hadn’t been to Berkeley in ages. I don’t even remember the last time I sketched there. I took the train down with my mum during her visit to California last week, as she’d never been there. We looked around downtown and explored the UC campus, going to the top of Sather Tower, the massive Campanile bell tower. I really must go back and draw a panorama! I couldn’t resist getting my sketchbook out, and a blue pen, and sketching while I had a moment. What a moment, it was five minutes to twelve. Before long, and out of the blue for some reason, the bell in the bell tower struck twelve, and it was LOOOUUUUD. And for some reason, it struck like twelve times. By the end of it my knees were kind of made of jelly. Again, obviously a totally unexpected surprise what with it being midday, but I did feel quite scard of heights all of a sudden. That soon passed, when the carillion player came up and started playing pop songs on the carillion. Lady Gaga, apparently, not that I know what a Lady Gaga sounds like. Anyway, nice view.

take me to the place where you go

December 16, 20114 Comments

Sorry for the lack of sketchbloggery this past week; I have been quite busy, and quite tired! But to report on last Friday’s show (and in fact the exhibit in general) – what a success! So many people came, my voice was getting hoarse from all the talking. Thank you so much to everybody who stopped by, I really appreciate it, and I hope you enjoyed the event. I brought along a few sketchbooks for random people to flick through (I know, heart palpitations, but people were gentle), and quite a few of my drawings on exhibit have sold now too.

Afterwards I needed a beer. Just the one, but a big one. Next day I went and chopped down a Christmas tree, and the day after that I went to see a show at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, where everybody was walking around holding a drawing that I had done… Much more posting to be done, stay tuned!!!

tonight! come and see my drawings…

December 9, 20113 Comments

This is the exhibit of my drawings upstairs at the Pence Gallery. I popped by the other day for a quick sketch. Tonight (Friday Dec 9) is the Artist’s Reception, when I will be there with my sketchbooks out, talking away. It starts at 6pm until 9pm. If you’re in the area, please come by!

christmas is coming…

December 4, 201111 Comments

This year I drew an Advent Calendar for my son. It’s approximately 13″ x 11″ in size, and was drawn on the saturday after Thanksgiving when we got back to Davis, and were feeling all Christmassy. It has been a big hit, to say the least! Behind the windows are pictures of my son’s favourite things (tv characters, cartoons etc). I drew it on two or three sheets of watercolour paper which I then cut and collaged togather, against a background of black construction paper. It’s all coloured with watercolours and drawn in uniball vision micro pen.

Merry Christmas!!

is it merry black friday or happy black friday?

December 3, 20111 Comment

Black Friday. It’s the day when the U.S. economy takes a brief break from it’s colossal downturn, and when Christmas lists are checked and checked off, the post-thanksgiving sales. It seems that Black Friday is getting earlier every year; it used to be the 4am lining up in the cold outside Best Buy, then it was mmidnight opening, now big stores like Toys R Us are opening at 9pm on Thanksgiving, with lines around the block. Thanksgiving is America’s favourite holiday, but it almost feels as if Black Friday is becoming more focal, especially given its importance to the economy. I am personally not built for Black Friday. I stay home with my son during the morning time, watching Cars and Charlie Brown. I did the early sales once, never again. It’s all very overwhelming; I might get out in the afternoon for a bit, but, like this year, I am usually just drawing stuff. Above and below, fourth street in downtown Santa Rosa. That evening, we went to Santa Rosa’s courthouse square for the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, with music and activities for kids and photos with Santa, who rode in on a fire truck (inspiring my advent calendar). And it was all free, even the photos! A very nice evening. That’s the one thing about Black Friday, as the day after Thanskgiving, it’s traditionally the first day of Christmas time.

Below, my wife, my mother-in-law and my brother-in-law busy checking the ads on Thanksgiving afternoon, pre-turkey dinner. I do like Thanksgiving, love a bit of turkey and stuffing, lubbly jubbly.

urban sketches at the pence

December 1, 20118 Comments

My long-awaited show at the Pence Gallery in Davis finally opened today!

The show runs for the month of December (until the 30th), upstairs at the Pence, and features a series of urban sketches drawn around Davis in the past few months.

On Friday December 9th, there will be an Artist’s Reception at the gallery, from 6:00-9:00pm. Please come by to say hello! See the Facebook event page…

If you’re in Davis, please stop by the Pence! They have a wonderful holiday market going on right now. They are open Tuesday-Sunday 11:30-5:00. Please see http://www.pencegallery.org/ for more information.

if you want me i’ll be at the bar

November 28, 2011November 29, 20116 Comments

A couple of weeks ago a new pub opened in downtown Davis, De Vere’s. I had to go by and check it out – and do some sketching. It was very busy! But I saw as soon as I walked in, a chair at the bar all by itself, right in the middle, so I parked, ordered a Sudwerk Aggie lager (quite nice) and got sketching. I was doing a long panorama of the bar, an unusual one for me, so I started right in the middle (the pint glass was the first thing I drew), and worked outwards, a little bit left, a little bit right, all the while squeezed in the throng about me. I didn’t draw the barstaff – they moved too quickly, and were kept busy by the punters. It’s an interesting pub, very big, brand new but with a proper ‘pub’ feel, not just a bar – it felt like something back home, and I missed my old London mates. I finished up my drawing (it took two and a half beers, if you’re interested, and mine’s a pint, if you’re buying), decided against adding colour, and went home.

I went back last week with my wife, and we tried their chips with gravy and cheese and I must say it was bloody amazing. With chips and gravy as an incentive, I think I may go and sketch there again from time to time.

a sense of community

November 28, 20111 Comment

Last week we held our November 2011 ‘Let’s Draw Davis!’ sketchcrawl, up at Community Park. It was a pleasant Fall day (and I had not yet heard about the previous day’s pepper spray incident), Turkey Trotters were out running across Davis, the park was full of autumnal colours and temperatures were not too cold, at least not for the first hour or so (after which it started to get chilly). The regular Davis sketchers were joined by several new faces, mostly from Davis, but also one, Portland Urban Sketcher Linda Daily, whom I had met up in Portland at last year’s Symposium.

We started off by drawing around the Davis Art Center and the amazing wooden playground Rainbow City. It’s a completely community-built playground, one of the greater examples of epic community work in Davis. One of the other sketchers, Landon, told me that he in fact had helped make it when he was a child. There I am below sketching with the little Scully.

I sketched some people; still practising my people sketches. Below are (top row, left to right): Allan Hollander from Davis (I’ve sketched Allan before a few times), Landon Christensen from Davis, Marlene Lee from Davis (another sketchcrawl regular). Bottom row, left to right, are: Salvador Castio from Stockton, Linda daily from Portland, and Jennica from Davis.

After some more park sketchng (I drew these old playground pieces; perhaps these used to be City and UCD fire hydrants in former lives, judging by their colours), we met up at the library, where we warmed up and chatted about sketching. I also showed off my library display. It’s so great to meet other sketchers, and see their books and their tools, and learn about their approach or reason for doing this. That’s the point of the sketchcrawls! And for me they’re always learning experiences.

i’m gonna paint you a picture

November 26, 20111 Comment

Last Monday my son was sick so we stayed home and hung out together at the apartment. H wanted to do some painting, so I sketched him at work, but for the most part he was distracted by Fireman Sam on the TV. Treasured moments!

what a catalyst you turned out to be

November 24, 20112 Comments

After the Pepper-Spray, the reaction. UC Davis students, faculty, alumni, staff, all have discussed and debated last Friday’s events, while Chancellor Katehi, who has been called on to resign, has publicly apologized and started a series of dialogues with students, something they feel they did not have before. The camp is back, bigger and much more organized, and peaceful, civil protest is the order of the day. No signs of police around, though there were quite a few Facilities trucks casually dotted about campus. On Tuesday lunchtime’s General Assembly, which preceded a town-hall event in the evening, students debated the role of the chancellor among many other things, as they tried to bring the focus back to what they were originally protesting, the recent large hikes in tuition. I recorded this important event for UC Davis in my sketchbook. A photo of me sketching even emerged later on Twitter:

(photo courtesy of Kirby Araullo)

I couldn’t resist sketching more, as the Occupy UC Davis camp grew, so I came back today (Wednesday). As my sketchbook came out, the Chancellor arrived, bringing food to the protesters. I took the opportunity for some people sketching, and while she spoke to a small group of students, along with a set of news reporters, I sketched her. She got to see it, and I think she liked it (she did comment on the nose though) but she was pretty busy so I didn’t have her sign it. As I sketched, another student questioned her on a range of issues, so I sketched her too (she’s below left; Chancellor Katehi is below right).

One news reporter who I recognized from local TV, Chris riva, commented too on my Katehi drawing, so I asked if I could sketch him. I’m not sure he liked the sketch, but I had him sign his name on it. I’m glad I did; I thought he was Dale Schornack! (another local TV news guy) Whoops. He’s below left. Below right is someone who just happened to be there, Anna-Lisa from Chronicle Books. She saw me sketching in my Moleskines and, since she works for those who distribute Moleys, gave me the brand new Moleskine pen! I’m yet to use it (it’s apparently designed specifically for Moleskine paper, but doesn’t take a watercolour wash).

There were lots of people from outside UC Davis who had come along to see events take shape, and offer support and solidarity to the students. The protests are gathering in strength, and much-needed dialogue is finally taking place. I hope it all stays peaceful and productive.