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!
Tag: drawing
what a catalyst you turned out to be
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.
good geezer
My wonderful wife picked up a nice beer for me to try (I like to try seasonal ales from around the west coast), “Ebenezer Ale” from Bridgeport in Portland. I have been to Bridgeport, with some of the Portland Urban sketchers, during last year’s Symposium (one of the nicest evenings I spent up there), so I knew thye have good beer (and good moules frites too). For once I didn’t draw this in the brown ‘beer bottle sketchbook’, but in my Moleskine instead. Now I can report that I’ve tried a few different ones lately, and this is one of the best. this and a couple of mince pies will make for a nice Chrimbo, methinks. No humbugs though.
but you didn’t take a peek in their artillery room
You’ve probably heard about Friday’s events on the UC Davis campus. I sketched this on Thursday, at a demonstration that was beginning at the Quad, the latest in a series of Occupy-style protests on the UC Davis campus, aimed primarily at the university’s recent policy of massive tuition increases. The crowd, which was fairly sizeable but not huge, listened to speeches by students either directly affected or in support of the protest at the fee increases. I sketched quickly, but they moved on. It was all very peaceful. They moved across campus, and then returned to the Quad later on where some students pitched tents in occupation. The university authorities weren’t happy about that, and asked them to leave by Friday afternoon.
This is what happened next: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12XdQXvrdCo&feature=share (Aggie TV news report)
It has not gone unnoticed, shall we say. A demonstration is taking place right now where students are deciding what happens next. I can’t be there to sketch any of it, but I’m following it on the California Aggie’s Twitter feed. Friday’s video of the policeman deliberately pepper-spraying seated students is not something our campus can be proud of, and I have no idea the extent of the damage this will ultimately cause us, but I must say that I do feel quite enormously proud of our students right now.
get yourself together, and you’ll be alright
I’ve seen this moped parked on campus quite often, and have been meaning to draw it for a long time. It’s that orange and white, it’s very cool. You don’t see many mopeds here. They always remind me of Europe. In fact when I lived in France there was a group of youths from the estate where I lived, in Aix, who would ride their mopeds up and down all morning, all evening, all night, not for any particular reason other than to make it impossible for me to have the windows open due to the incessant buzzing of the small engines. Ah, such memories, la vie est belle. I do love the moped though, and needed to draw something fun. I’ve been having a bit of a drawing ditch lately, not really been happy with the little I’ve been doing, mind’s been on the various art events and not having enough time in the world, so this bright and happy machine lifted me out of that. When I was almost done, the moped’s owner came to ride away. I showed her the drawing, and I think she liked it. I liked it too. More of the same, please.
avid reader, avid sketcher
This is the Avid Reader bookstore on 2nd Street in Davis. I used to work here, as the bookkeeper, for a couple of years after I first moved to Davis. It’s a real community anchor, and holds lots of events such as author signings and book clubs, and tonight it will be where I will display my sketchbooks and prints as part of the 2nd Friday ArtAbout. I’ll be there between 5-ish and 7-ish, there will be refreshments, and I will even be drawing stuff as well. I drew this one lunchtime this week, and finished it off this morning (it’s 11-11-11, and I have a day off! Staying in, framing pictures, listening to history and football podcasts and oasis, emptying dishwasher, eating noodles – it’s cold out). Anyway, I hope to see you at the bookstore tonight! My prints will be up until December 6th.
turn back time
I hadn’t drawn for two weeks!!! I’m not joking. It’s very unlike me. Oh, I’d scribbled endless scribbles on whatever piece of paper was in front of me, but no actual drawings, actual sketches, until I finally broke the hiatus on Sunday and cycled about looking for something to draw. Eventually chose the Hattie Weber Museuem of Davis, which I drew before on a sketchcrawl but didn’t like much. It was closed, so no big schoolbell outside (my son loves to ring it).
Drawn on 10×8 Strathmore hot-press with uni-ball vision micro and watercolour. The clocks had gone back the night before. Our clocks go back later than yours back in England. This year I was actually caught out – I didn’t know that my fancy alarm clock was one of ‘them’, that changes the time for me, meaning when I wake up and see that it says 7:55, I think, oh it’s really 6:55, when in fact it’s actually five minutes to Spurs v Fulham! Still that was worth getting up early for, and I still technically had a lie in. Confused? I was. Spurs got run ragged by Fulham, yet still managed to win 3-1. Seven wins in Eight now, with the other being a draw. Come on you Spurs!
tents stand off
This is Occupy Davis. It’s not quite Occupy Wall Street, which of course occupies Wall Street, place of economy crashes, and not exactly Occupy London, no resigning Cathedral heads here, and (thankfully) it’s nothing like Occupy Oakland. This is in Central Park, Davis, a handful of tents huddled not far from the Farmer’s Market (which is a bit different from the Stock Market). There are some signs up, and they’re obviously settled in, with bookshelves and a big tarp to keep the rain off, and no need for portaloos – they’re right by the public toilets. A few of the Occupiers were sat about guarding the ship; I was going to go and speak to them, maybe do some drawing over there, but I didn’t have much lunchtime left, and to be honest I felt a little intimidated, so I kept my distance. Plus there was a dog wearing a scarf. I’m sure there’s a lot of support for them, this being Davis after all, and I’m certainly on the side of the 99% and a supporter of peaceful protests (especially against those being allowed to get away with destroying the economy). Camping down the park in the cold far away from those being protested against probably isn’t going to get the bankers to give back their bonuses. But good luck to them.
pete at the bookstore, 11-11-11
Mark your diaries! It’s eleven-eleven-eleven next week, whichever date system you use. If you’re in Davis, it’s the 2nd Friday Art About, an evening of art events downtown with music, food, activities and of course lots of art. And (for the second time this year!) I will be exhibiting some sketchbooks and prints at the Avid Reader bookstore on 2nd St. The prints will be exhibited until Dec 6, while the reception on the 11th will be from about 5:30 to 7:00 (after that there is some author event, not sure what). I will be sketching live (a ‘sketching demo’ I guess – code for, ‘i’ll be sketching anyway!’), and there will be sandwiches and wine. If you can’t make it, the sketchbooks will be at the Davis public library until the end of the month, and the prints will be at the Avid Reader. But there will also be an event at the Pence Gallery in December…
See you there!
pete in the library
Exciting News! For the month of November, my sketchbooks and drawings are currently being exhibited in a public display cabinet at the Davis Public Library! I’m very honoured by this. If you are in the area, please pop by and check it out! The Library was redeveloped last year and it’s a really nice place to visit. Here are some photos I took on my iPod after setting it up (apologies for the quality, I’ll take better photos!).
Many thanks to the kind folks at the Mary L Stephens Library for giving me this opportunity. I have more exhibitions in Davis coming up soon too, so I will announce those very shortly…
petescully 