I spend most of my working days in relatively quiet and sparsely populated settings–libraries, cafes, my office. Even so, I get a lot of inspiration from the Black folks I encounter in these locations. So, when I find myself in big crowds–concerts, opening night at the theater, plays, well-attended gallery openings–I often see more wonderful subjects for art that I have time to transfer to individual drawings. Lately, I’ve attended a number of events in large, diverse crowds, and I’ve decided to make each of the next few drawings a compositive portrait of the men who populate Oakland’s Black art and music scene. From galleries to concert venues, Oakland’s men of African descent represent a wide and wonderful range of aesthetics inspired by everything from politics to film to sports to 80s prep. If you know of any interesting art or music events coming up in the East Bay or San Francisco, send me a message a eightrock@ymail.com and I’ll try to check it out.

8-Rock