Last night was the grand opening of The Bridge, a dance party and arts event hosted by Chaney, at the Den, the bar at the Fox Theater. Though I don’t really do a lot of clubbing these days, I was really glad I attended this event. Aside from celebrating the birthday of my good friend Christine, I also enjoy the scene. The crowd would best be described as “grown and sexy,” and the music was a mixture of classic ’80s, ’90s. and 2000s hip hop hits. Plus–and this was the best part of the event–there was a vending area featuring local artists. I was so happy to see Malik Seneferu, one of the Bay Area’s best African American artists, doing a live painting demo. I also had the good fortune of meeting the artist Dead Eyes, a street artist whose work I have see all around Oakland. We are, I believe, kindred spirits of the art realm, in that we both love effect of the heavy Black line in our art. I’ll be adding a link to his facebook page on my blogroll in the coming days. Stop back and check it out.
By the way, the guy in this drawing was probably the only guy at the event who was wearing a white t-shirt. This picture is based on one of the few moments when he wasn’t covering his shirt with a black cardigan. I think he was with one of the artists, or else just really interested in their work.
A guy in a turtleneck, backlit by the biggest LED flat-screen TV I’ve ever seen combines two of my favorite things–preppy clothes and giant HD televisions. Alas, I did not spot this guy yesterday, on Black Friday, because I refused to shop on Black Friday, not because I was protesting materialism, consumerism, or any particular big box chain, I do have strong feelings about all of those issues, but the truth is that I don’t do Black Friday shopping because I just can’t deal with the crowds…which is kind of a bummer, since my Blu Ray player just gave out, and I really wanted to buy a new one…
This rugby-shirted guy was shopping alongside all the rest of us pre-Thanksgiving early birds at Farmer Joe’s Market. At 9:30am this morning, the checkout lines were still relatively short, though the meat counter was hoppin’. I always notice when people are wearing rugby shirts, especially today, when these jerseys are rarely seen off the pitch (the technical name for the rugby field). I played rugby in college, and I still notice rugby gear, team insignias, and memorabilia whenever it crosses my path. I didn’t get a chance to ask this man if he played rugby, but I will, the next time I see him; and I will see him again. I run into the same people over and over at Farmer Joe’s and throughout the Dimond and Laurel shopping districts. I guess it’s because local residents of this area really do tend to shop local. That’s pretty awesome, actually, and I don’t think I would’ve put all of that together if I hadn’t done this drawing of the guy in the rugby shirt.
I recently hung a display of drawings from this website at the Eastmont Library in Oakland. Even though he had a newspaper open on his lap, it seemed that the primary reason this man was at the library was to watch the flow of people in and out of the front door.
…One more drawing from my pre-Halloween costume shopping expedition.
If he hadn’t been surrounded by a number of people who actually looked their age, I never would have known that this kid was in high school. This kid was taller and thicker than most guys his age (and most guys twice his age, for that matter). Surrounded by his peers, though, he certainly acted his age, even if he didn’t look it. He and his friends were laughing and talking loudly about each other and about everything around them. Their carefully deployed laughs and giggles, eye rolls, and gestures (the hair pushed out of the eye, the adjustment and readjustment of the hat or other head wear, the hitching up of the over-sized pants) were carefully and self-consciously deployed in the way that only teenagers can. They were having a great time. They were dressed for a Halloween party, with an assortment of funny hats, cat ears, and masks either on or in-hand. The young guy in this picture was dressed as a football player. His costume, I believe, was the only one that reflected real life–certainly more so than the African American girl with the tiger ears and the Asian American kid with the Obama mask.
Drawing #400 is finally here!! I’ve felt really productive this last couple weeks. Can I make it to 500 by the end of this year??!!?? I have some many more drawings to share. My people watching gaze has been in full effect, and the Black men I have seen and drawn continue to reflect my changing understanding of African American subjectivity and the ways that my own biases and sensibilities shape what I see.
No, this is not really the view from that bench near my favorite Roberts Regional Park picnic area. I’m taking a little artistic license here. There really shouldn’t be any buildings and they should be facing toward–not away from–the view…but I just like incorporating the Oakland skyline whenever I can.
I actually did this drawing in late August, when it was still short sleeves weather on some days. These two guys were sitting on the bench a short walk away from the site where we held our 2011 family reunion picnic. They were watching an older Black woman who was holding the hand of a small child. I couldn’t figure out the exact relationships here. Perhaps these two were siblings hanging out with their mom and one of her grand kids. I kind of wanted them to get up and leave so that I could sit down, enjoy the view, and relive some of my own pleasant family moments; but I was also happy to be a fly on the wall for someone else’s get together. There can never be too much family love, and it’s always good to see it. Anyway, I can always come back another time, maybe on a rainy day when its almost guaranteed to be quiet and empty.
This rugby-shirted guy was shopping alongside all the rest of us pre-Thanksgiving early birds at Farmer Joe’s Market. At 9:30am this morning, the checkout lines were still relatively short, though the meat counter was hoppin’. I always notice when people are wearing rugby shirts, especially today, when these jerseys are rarely seen off the pitch (the technical name for the rugby field). I played rugby in college, and I still notice rugby gear, team insignias, and memorabilia whenever it crosses my path. I didn’t get a chance to ask this man if he played rugby, but I will, the next time I see him; and I will see him again. I run into the same people over and over at Farmer Joe’s and throughout the Dimond and Laurel shopping districts. I guess it’s because local residents of this area really do tend to shop local. That’s pretty awesome, actually, and I don’t think I would’ve put all of that together if I hadn’t done this drawing of the guy in the rugby shirt.
