Happy Valentines Day to all of my readers and friends! I was all set to post this drawing, having completed it last night, when I remembered that today was February 14th. Somehow I had disconnected the card shopping and dinner reservations and all of the other things that were on my agenda for today from my art making process last night.
Why is that a problem? Well, all of the men in this piece were dressed in shades of yellow and greenish yellow. Not very Valentines-y, I know. So, I went back to the drawing board, so to speak, recolored the drawing in shades of pink, and voila! Here it is.
So please do enjoy this portrait of three 1970s-era lovermen, dressed in the style of Superfly and so many of the other Black male style icons of the Pre-Carter seventies.
Hope you’re having a great V-Day, even if you don’t choose to celebrate it at all.
Ah! Berkeley’s Fourth Street Shops business district–an array of specialty retail establishments ranging from high-end home furnishings to charming and quirky food, clothing, makeup and stationary boutiques. Fourth Street draws shoppers from all over Alameda County…but not a lot of Black folks. I always see a few, but it’s not like Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, or even that stretch of College that runs through Rockridge. I’m not necessarily saying that this means anything negative about the Fourth Street area. It’s simply the way things are at the moment…which brings me to the subject of this drawing. Given the relative dearth of Black folks in this stretch of an otherwise significantly Black region of South Berkeley, when I do see a brother in that area, he stays on my mind.
I work near a wedding chapel, and I always enjoying seeing the couples and their wedding parties waiting for or celebrating after their ceremonies. This drawing depicts a recent groom who was waiting next to the limousine while the wedding photographer took pictures of his wife, who was posing on the steps of the chapel. In this moment, he looked a little uncomfortable in his suit, which was adorned with a white flower (probably in the lapel, but I’ve placed it in the breast pocket). His suit was not as ill-fitting as it looks in this drawing, but I rendered it that way in order to accentuate the look of discomfort.
I was thinking a lot about the 19th century today (which is not uncommon for me, since I am an English professor), and so I decided to draw the face of a man I saw on MacArthur Blvd., but with a late 19th century haircut and outfit.
I saw this man chatting with another guy outside of World Ground Cafe on MacArthur Blvd. I hope he didn’t think I was rude, but I couldn’t stop staring at him. He really reminded me of one of my uncles. I have five uncles on my dad’s side. Maybe one day I’ll do a drawing of each of them, as well as all of my male first cousins (of whom there are many). For now, this will have to do. Who knows? If he or his people are from South Carolina, we just might be related.
…and, in other news, the Alameda Free Library has become on of my favorite places to work in the entire county. It’s quiet, and there is plenty of seating with lots of plugs for laptop users. Also, it’s really great to work surrounded by other people who are writing or reading or some combination of the two. I’ve seen this man there a couple of times, reading and taking notes from various books on what seem to be history-related topics. Some day I’ll ask him what he’s up to–whether he’s a professor or a graduate student, or simply a committed independent scholar. For the time being, though, I’ll just watch and wonder and–even better–pay attention to my own work.
I was on Facebook recently, looking at some of the old college photos a friend had posted to his page. The pictures included some of old photos of his Black Greek letter organization; so this drawing recalls those 1980s steps shows and those ultra fly suits, those “Greek freaks” that non-affiliated students like myself used to attend for the step shows and the chance to dance the night away to the music of a really good DJ. Good memories…
It’s been a very intense last few weeks. I am working on finishing up a book, and I have spent a disproportionate number of my waking hours writing at my laptop. From Zocalo to the Alameda Free Library to my own dining room table, I’ve been churning out text, all based on a 100-page outline. Do me a favor, will you? Remind me never to write a 100 page outline again.
In any event, when I take a break to draw, it is a welcome respite from the intensity of generating new text.
The man in this drawing was standing on the same aisle as I was at Office Depot. We were both looking at gel pens, and he seemed to be as serious about gel pens as I am. The background is taken from an advertisement for office products that I found online, though I can’t recall the company or store that produced it. I made a few changes in color and resolution (actually, more than a few changes). What you see is the result.
