We stopped in Ventura on the way home and ate a lovely dinner here. Quick sketch of the friends at a neighbouring table before our food arrived.
paradise pantry
Tag: urban sketching
on the way to the dentist
I dropped my car at the mechanic and walked to the dentist. On the way, I noticed these two people sitting back to back outside a coffee shop — I wonder if their morning would have gone differently if they’d sat face to face? I sketched them for ten minutes or so, until they went their separate ways.
Arriving at the dentist waiting room, I had just enough time to sketch the ubiquitous fake plant before I was called in.
I am not loving this new sketchbook. The cold pressed paper is much more textured than I’m used to. But rather than putting it back on the shelf, unused, I plan to fill it up quickly so I can move on to a preferred sketchbook sooner. It might be time to bring out little-used art tools and indulge in more experimentation and play.
malibu lagoon
Continuous line drawing with sailor fude fountain pen.
legacy park
coffee with Georgia
We met to walk, but it was drizzling so we decided to get coffee instead. The last time I was in this building in Playa del Rey (c. 2001), it was a night club. It has more charm now.
silver lake skyline
I made a rare trip deep into the metropolis to catch up with some loved ones in Silver Lake and Echo Park. Rising tall and skinny above the traffic, graffiti, noise and grit—palm trees as far as the eye can see.
Kalaveras
I went to a new-to-me Mexican restaurant for lunch; my meal was delicious. I wondered at the preponderance of skulls in the decor, until I looked up the meaning of the establishment’s name and it all made sense.
Pleurotus eryngii
While in town yesterday, I made a special stop at the Japanese market to get mirin, but they wouldn’t sell it to me without photo ID, which I’d accidentally left at home. However, the visit wasn’t wasted … king oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus eryngii) were on sale.
Above the lagoon
The horseshoe-shaped mansion on the hill above Malibu lagoon and pier was previously owned by Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, now vice-president of Equatorial Guinea. “Known for his lavish lifestyle, he has been the subject of a number of international criminal charges and sanctions for alleged embezzlement and corruption.” (source) The US Justice Department forced him to sell this property in 2016, and the sale itself is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit … but that’s another story.
front seat sketching
Fast sketch from the car while waiting for a friend.
hashiworks 