Here’s a drawing I made during my April 2015 trip to Brooklyn.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #884
So…last January I joined Planet Fitness. Although this rapidly expanding fitness chain has received a lot of criticism–for its ultra-bright color scheme and a handful of dubious practices (like pizza night for its members)–the equipment looks pretty impressive and the price is an eye-popping ten dollars per month.
Joining a gym is not, of course, the same as going to the gym; and I still haven’t managed to do a single workout. I did, however, show up to the gym for a tour of the facilities. That’s where I spotted this stylish fellow, bringing 1970s style to the weightroom, with his sideburns and applejack hat.
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 #881
I ran into this sharply dressed gentleman and his son outside SoleSpace, on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland. I was waiting to deliver some art, just prior to the start of my June art show there. This gentleman was from San Francisco, and his son was visiting from Brooklyn (or was it vice versa). In any event, I did portraits of the both of them, and I’ll post my drawing of his son as soon as its done.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #880
Another brotha in redwood country. Even more peculiar than seeing Black people in Garberville, California was running into this brother in Willits, a few miles south. He was filling his car near us at the Safeway filling station. He was dressed in the knit cap, hoodie, and jeans so common to young men in the area. The only difference between his look and theirs was his Blackness; and in that part of California, it really made him stand out.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #879
Downtown Oakland, near De Lauer’s News Stand.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #878
This guy’s look was all his own. With his graying beard and pigtails, a stocking cap, and a sweatshirt with cutoff sleeves, he stood out among the moms and their children, the Fremont High School kids, and the elderly women waiting to cross at the corner of of High Street and Foothill.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #877
When I see an older brother in a fly suit–especially an older Oakland brother–I have no choice but to commemorate his retro sense of style in the form of a portrait.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men #876
I only got to see one film at this year’s San Francisco LGBTQ International Film Festival. It was a documentary called Game Face, and it told the story of two contemporary LGBTQ athletes, MMA fighter Fallon Fox and college basketball player Terrence Clemens.
After the film, I got the chance to meet Terrance, and he allowed me to photograph him for this portrait series. Terrance was kind and humble and wonderfully accommodating. Here’s wishing this bold, brave Black athlete all the success he’s ever hoped to achieve.
Ajuan Mance