Spotted through the front window, the Hive Cafe, Oakland, CA.
Ajuan Mance
Category Archives: Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #929
The man in this drawing was sitting diagonal to me at the picnic style table where Eddie and I were camped out at the Hive. The man in this drawing was having an animated conversation with the woman seated beside me, and I liked that he kept glancing my way to see my progress on his portrait. When he got up and walked around me, on his way to the door, he paused to look over my shoulder; and when I looked up at him, he smiled. But he left before I had a chance to offer to send him the finished drawing.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #928
I saw this man through the window during my art afternoon at the Hive. He was one of several Black men who either walked past the cafe or stopped in. I enjoy drawing figures who have some sort of variation on the traditional beard or goatee, so this highly symmetrical guy with the slightly unkempt chin beard was a perfect subject. I also really like drawing knit caps. The texture is a fun challenge, especially if you like to do line work. I included this guy’s beard and sideburn (and haircut) stubble to add to the texture in the portrait.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #927
Hive Cafe, Oakland, California.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #926
My job has become a bit hectic in recent weeks, and so I’ve had to sneak in my art whenever I’ve had a spare moment. I’ve had to make the most of each of spare hour or two, and so my afternoon at the Hive resulted in several new drawings for this series. This dapper business man with the impeccably trimmed beard sat across from us long enough for me to complete this portrait.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #925
The Hive Cafe, Oakland, CA.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #924
Another portrait from my drawing day at the Hive Cafe, Oakland.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #923
I recently did an art day with my friend Eddie. We found a god seat at a local cafe, pulled out our sketchbooks, and started drawing. We didn’t stop until a few hours and, in my case, several portraits later. We sat at the big shared table right inside the front window, and I drew the Black men who came in, as well as the Black men who passed by.
Shout out to Hive: The Place to Bee. This locally-owned cafe is a relatively new addition to the MacArthur/Fruitvale area, but it’s got got true Laurel-Dimond district flavor. There’s ample seating, and a varied menu of coffees and teas, as well as some breakfast and lunch items.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #922
This is another portrait from my June 2015 SoleSpace opening. This gentleman and his wife attended my artist’s talk, and they purchased several prints. His wife is also an artist. Look for her in my next series of portraits. I’ll be sharing a little more about that as I move toward drawing #1001.
Best,
Ajuan
1001 Black Men #921
I met Karl Reeves, the man in this drawing, at the opening of my June 2015 show at SoleSpace. He was kind enough to invite me to his pop-up art and retail space, to record a short film on my work. Many thanks to him and to the Veudo Child Crew for the opportunity to share my work in this way. A relatively recent emigre from the midwest, Karl is an artist himself, as well as the creator of the Art is for Lovers gallery in Bronzeville, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A true force for positive change in the Milwaukee art scene, we are fortunate that he has chosen to make the SF Bay Area his home.
Ajuan Mance