Behind the scenes: Local businesses in Berkeley

Guest Post by Cathy McAuliffe , Berkeley, California, USA

I have discovered that it is more interesting to sketch people while they are working than it is to actually be working. Since I left my job 2 years ago I have been sketching more and more. What has turned into an ongoing project is sketching behind the scenes at local businesses.

It takes a little education and showing of sketches to explain to people that I want to sketch them and their workspace. So far places have been very accommodating once they see that I’m interested in what they are doing, though I’m not sure they really understand why anyone would want to sketch them!

So far I have sketched local car dealership service departments, museum display installations, botanical garden work areas, a parade float builder’s warehouse, a butcher shop, the firehouse, and a bakery.

These are from The Local Butcher in Berkeley. They were having a lamb butchering class that I sketched. As they introduced the butchers to the students I was introduced as “Cathy the sketcher”.

The Cheeseboard Collective is a Berkeley institution that has been open since 1971. They invited me in at 6 AM to watch the bakers at work. I would like to come back and sketch the pizza makers.

Dave Thomas at East West Productions is responsible for almost all the floats in San Francisco parades including Chinese New Year, Pride and Giant’s World Series celebrations. I sketched the building of the floats for the Chinese New Year Parade everyday for a few weeks. Lots of workers, lots of color, lots of glitter and a clock counting down the minutes until the parade! It was fun to watch the finished floats in the parade. I knew them so well they felt like they were mine.

Cathy McAuliffe posts her work to SF Bay Urban Sketchers and to her Flickr page