It's a tree

I joined Nature Journal meetup group at Lake Merritt in 1.31.2016.

Preservation Park

Saturday, August 22: I hooked up with the East Bay Sketchers at Preservation Park in downtown Oakland. Sixteen beautiful old Victorian houses - saved from demolition - inhabit this park. The site includes lush gardens, period park benches and more. Not only does it enable visitors to step back in time, back to the humble beginnings of Oakland, it serves as a venue for meetings and events like weddings. It's also a great place to sketch.

Sketch of Lincoln's head on Oakland monument

This is an attempt to draw statutes. I gave Abe Lincoln center stage at the Champions of Humanity monument in downtown Oakland. My Abe looks kinda spooky and it in no way resembles what I saw but I had fun trying to make this look like Abe.

Champions for Humanity

Yesterday evening (August 6) I joined the SF urban sketch group's public night. We met at what some have called Oakland's version of Mt. Rushmore. The faces on this monument include Maya Angelou, Helen Keller, Harvey Milk and other persons who  made a difference to the world during their lives. I was so caught up looking at this grand structures I almost forgot to draw and so I was in a hurry to put something in my sketchbook.

I like hat

But I didn't buy one...yet. Goorin hat shop is on Claremont Avenue in Oakland. It's a cool places to sketch, too.

Eat Real Festival

Today I had a number of sketching opportunities to choose from so my stomach took the lead - the Eat Real Festival @Jack London Square. Food trucks galore - everything from jam to jambalaya and more. I had a tasty crab cake slider which was delish then did some sketching and as I was leaving I had to join the line leading to the gelato. I went home with a happy tummy.

I am eating!

I had a serious appetite problem a few months back -- I barely ate and it showed. So gradually I've been hard at work finding food I like to eat and then eating it. (I often can't finish a meal on the spot, so that's why God created take-out boxes.) :) I did enjoy this breakfast at Oakland's Rolling Dunes restaurant last Friday (July 15) with friends, Anne and Carol. There was enough left for the next morning! YUM!!!

dancing in the streets

On July 10 I attended the Temescal Street Fair in Oakland's Temescal District and tried my hand at illustrating the event. An awesome group was on stage belting out soul music and at the risk of hearing loss I managed to put what I saw on paper.

still sketching

Although I haven't updated this blog recently, I am still sketching. A few of my sketches were not post-able, but I found a few that I can live with. Earlier this month I was at Jack London Square in Oakland and decided to sketch Jack's own cabin