There were so many people crowded into 2100 block of Webster Street that half the crowd couldn’t see much past the people ahead of them. At an outdoor concert, though, it’s as much about hearing the music as it is about watching the performers. And, of course, a big part of the fun is seeing and being seen. That stranger in front of you appears to be captivated by his view of the guests up on stage, but don’t be so sure.

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September 5, 2010, Oakland, California, enjoying free music and sunshine, at the corner of Webster and 21st.

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Finished midday, Saturday, this drawing is a composite of several of the medical staff I saw crossing Ashby St., near Alta Bates hospital.

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“Watching from the Sidelines”

I used to belong to a gym in downtown Oakland that has a beautiful indoor basketball court. I would always try to get there early–by 9am or so–so that I’d have enough time to do a little bit of a shooting workout before the guys on the noontime basketball league would arrive and begin warming up. Every day, including weekends, an army of guys ranging from about 30 to 50-something (and sometimes older) would show up to play some pretty hard ball during the mid-day lunch hours. Truth be told, I never payed much attention to the players on the court. When it comes to the kind of casual, sub-amateur play that takes place at most gyms, I prefer shooting on my own to watching others. I was always a lot more interested in the guys on the sidelines. The look in their eyes as they each waited their turn to join in said so much more about the meaning and love of basketball than anything that ever happened on the court.

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Since so many of the men in this series either have neutral or confident expressions, I decided to try portraying trepidation and vulnerability. I thought it would be a nice contrast with the shirt and tie in this picture, since business attire so often conveys power and (self) determination.

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Kehinde Wiley, whose work I truly enjoy, likes to place his African American men in classical poses from Old Master paintings. In my own work, I prefer the poses people strike in their everyday lives–hailing a taxi, waiting for the bus, standing in line a the post office, sitting alone in a restaurant. I’ve waited in a lot of lines this summer, just like the man in this drawing, looking at nothing in particular, and wondering when it’s finally going to be my turn.

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The last drawing from my Comic-Con sketchbook, this is one more study based on my experience watching how the Black folks in the audience watched the Black panelists and presenters on stage, especially in those conferences sessions that were focused on issues related to African Americans in the popular arts. I think the expression I saw, again and again, could best be described as proud anticipation. I know that, at times, I probably wore it myself.

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One more drawing in the Comic-Con series. I did this one during a panel on costume design. I love going to events like this. Aside from getting to hear a lot of cool people talk about art and literature and film, I also get a kick out of being one of a bunch of Black folks who refuse to let stereotypes and limitations keep us from doing the things we really love. In reality, no Black person truly fits the stereotypes associated us. This drawing acknowledges the experience of all African Americans — of being talked about, studied, strategized about, and obsessed over. But all of this is, for most of us, nothing but background noise. We go about the daily business of living our lives, with little attention to the voices that tell us that being Black is supposed to be a problem.

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Because I don’t really use models in the traditional sense, my drawings rely pretty heavily on memory. Most of my Comic-Con drawings were done while I was sitting in panels thinking about people I’d seen at other panels–or on the street or in the corridors, etc. This drawing was inspired by the experience of watching how people watch each other, especially in those moments when fans are watching and listening to people whose work they admire. This drawing attempts to capture the serene attentiveness of a fan who, at that moment, wouldn’t want to be anywhere else except exactly where he is.

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