Seen at the Oaklandish store on Fruitvale, near MacArthur Blvd.
Ajuan Mance
Category Archives: Bearded Men
1001 Black Men #896
Kaiser Broadway, Internal Medicine waiting room.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #895
My fabulous partner and I were out doing last-minute costume shopping on Halloween, and we made the obligatory stop at the craft store. The fabric section was surprisingly quiet. I’d expected to see people looking through the bolts of vinyl, felt, and fake fur. Instead, we were two of only a handful of shoppers in that section of the store, and this guy was one of them. I don’t even think he was looking for anything related to Halloween. He was browsing through some lovely vintage-style floral fabrics that seemed best suited for draperies, wallpaper, or table cloths. Perhaps he was going to be window dressing for Halloween, or maybe even a classic Victorian parlor.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #888
Here’s another portrait from Garberville, CA. Every year, a group of my friends travel to this town to hang out poolside, eat lots of food, and enjoy a weekend of doing absolutely nothing. This is one of the people who was in our group, and I sketched him while he lounged around the pool. He was friendly and, as you can tell from his beard, he was impeccably groomed. I also appreciate that when my partner told him I drew his picture, he seemed pleasantly surprised. He wanted me to show him the sketch, but I didn’t want to show him the drawing until it was completely done. That was four months ago. I’m kind of embarrassed by how long it took, but I’ll make sure he gets to see it.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #886
Home Depot, High Street, Oakland, CA.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #883
Purple and green is one of my favorite color combinations. It’s one of the reasons I like Wimbledon so much. (I think that makes the wrong kind of tennis fan.) My love of purple and green is also one of the reasons I particularly like this drawing. The man in this drawing was wearing the most wonderful purple sweater, with matching purple glasses and an olive green shirt.
On the day I saw him, I was already in a good mood. It was my first trip to Sweet Bar Bakery, and I’d had the most wonderful plate of chicken salad there. Then I ran into an old friend, and we laughed and drank iced tea and talked about our creative projects. When this man walked in to the bakery, with his remarkable purple and green ensemble, it was the perfect exclamation point on what had already been a pretty great day.
I’ve gone back to Sweet Bar several times since, but I haven’t seen the guy in the purple sweater and eyeglass frames. Then again, I’m not sure I’d even recognize him if he wasn’t wearing purple.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #882
In the famous words of the rapper Lil Kim, “I’ve been gone for a minute/Now I’m back at the jump off.” In this context, I’m using jump off to mean, “anything new and/or hot; especially in reference to a party or material item” (UrbanDictionary.com). It’s been so many weeks since I last posted a drawing that this whole project feels brand new to me.
I’ve been doing lost of art, but the two art projects I was working to complete took up pretty much every minute I wasn’t at my job. I was already backlogged on drawings, and then I had to drop everything else to complete these two assignments. Now I’m really behind in my posts; but that’s a good thing, in away. I have so many drawings to post, that I think I’ll be able to make up for some of the time I’ve lost.
Over the next several weeks, check back regularly, and if you see something you like–or something that makes you think or question–post a comment. I hope to hear from you.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #855
I’ve lived in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1999. I moved here because of a job, but I stay for the weather. In this part of the country, it never gets colder than about 45 °F, and that’s usually in the winter months. Imagine my surprise when, on our first night in Brooklyn, the temperature dropped to 34. It was near the end of April, and it never occurred to us to bring gloves or scarves or heavy coats. I don’t even own a winter coat anymore, and the 15 block walk down Court Street, from Caputo’s Bakery to our hotel, constituted the coldest 20 minutes I’ve experienced in a very long time. The man in this drawing was one of several locals we passed on the way, and his knit cap and down jacket reminded me that once, many years ago, I too knew how to dress properly for winter weather.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #849
Brooklyn Zine Fest, Brooklyn, New York.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #844
The weather in Brooklyn was wildly inconsistent. By the end of the trip, it was somewhere in the high 60s (Farenheit). The first evening I was there, though, it was so cold I thought my fingers were going to freeze and drop off. Since it was April, I didn’t bring a warm coat or even a sweater, and the first night served up some mid-30s temperatures that reminded me of why I’m glad I live in California.
On our first night in the city, this guy was standing in front of a nearby Italian bakery. I simply did not understand how he could possibly be standing outside in nothing but a t-shirt and khakis. If he was jogging or doing some sort of physical labor, it might have made sense to me; but he was really just standing around looking bored.
I know I have lost my tolerance for very cold weather, but this man was some kind of superhero. I hope to run into him again, some day. If I look a little more closely, I just might be able to see his cape.
Ajuan Mance