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Gilman Grill Berkeley Breakfast

Gilman Grill Berkeley
Too bad about the little problem with gravity and the table but fortunately no coffee was spilled. (Might as well blame gravity instead of my drawing).

This morning I took my neglected car in for the “Wacky Wednesday” oil change and car wash special. Then I took a hike to breakfast through the industrial area where the car place is located, pretending I was in an unknown town. On the way to Gilman Grill (a mostly working man’s diner with a few artsy types thrown in–it is Berkeley after all) I saw lots of guys working, either inside dark cavernous buildings with noisy machines, or outdoors moving things on forklifts, or standing around with clipboards watching other guys on forklifts.

I enjoyed eating and painting while listening to the nearby table of off-duty cops or ambulance drivers (couldn’t be sure which) talking, laughing and drinking rounds of beers (yes at 9:30 a.m.) with their eggs as they unwound from the night shift.

After breakfast I walked down Gilman Street two blocks to the S.F. Bay. A cold wind was blowing in from the Golden Gate, carying the scent of sea, salt and manure (?!). The manure smell was from the Golden Gate Fields Racetrack barn located right there where Gilman meets the Bay. They wouldn’t let me come in and draw the horses. The guard said they have to be careful to not let reporters in because the next thing you know there’s a big news item about horses being mistreated. Seemed like a weird thing to tell me but he did give me the manager’s phone number to request permission. Maybe tomorrow…

Watercolor & Ultrafine Sharpie in Moleskine watercolor notebook.

6 replies on “Gilman Grill Berkeley Breakfast”

Jana, I know the perspective is off on the table, but the whole painting is wonderful. You have a certain way of capturing the ‘essence’ of a moment in time. I bet when you look at your drawings and paintings in future years, you’ll remember the exact moments as you created that page.
I love looking at your work!

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i like the fact that gravity has left that certain spot in your painting, it gives it a more free, comical feel. i love it! i especially love that chair on the right, it looks like it was done quickly with not too much thought, yet it looks like a perfect chair! the guy is cute and frumpy too! I have to say i love your little snipets of writing, even just the tiny narrations of your painting adventures. you are so talented!!
xoxoxo

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I think the drawing is free and lovely. It interested me so much because my brother lives and works in and around Berkeley.———-
About the old couple painting their house.
(How nice that you noticed my efforts. I did the sketch as soon as I got home, since I was the driver that morning. It just struck me when I passed the two of them, how much I wanted to stop and take it all in, but then the light changed and I had to move on. I will pass by the home again next week and take a closer look for things I might have missed and to see what color the couple decided upon.)
Yes, I do use Painter.

all the best to you,
Ginger *:)

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I loved seeing your blog, both the pictures and the writing. You are an entertaining writer, as well as a talented artist. Thank you for sharing, and I’ll add your journal as something I’ll look at once in a while, it’s very inspiring to me. Thank you! Ysabeau

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