"Starbucks at 395 and Clearwater"

In the cold, frosty air of this December day, we bundled up in our jackets and hats this morning and gathered at the local Starbucks on Clearwater and highway 395 here in Kennewick, WA.  The place was packed with people taking a break, or a second coffee, before a busy day of shopping; others were reading books and newspapers; some were studying; and still others just chatting and enjoying their favorite flavors. 

We thought we might have to find somewhere else to go, but soon three chairs opened, then a fourth and then there we were, the four of us facing each other in the middle of the room.  Fortunately, people in coffee shops move rather slowly, but when they do get up and leave, we've learned to just find someone else to use as a model to complete whatever character we were working on when they left. 

Great fun!!! 

  

 Dave

 Jean

 Nancy

 Nancy

Jim 

Jim's feeble attempt to copy Nancy's style

Featured Artist: Fred Crowley

Fred's (aka, "-watcher-") artistic abilities become quickly apparent to his viewers. His lines and compositions are spot on. His loosely sketched figures perfectly capture postures and positions as the people study and relax and enjoy their surroundings whether that be a local coffee shop, or the animals as they lounge in their peaceful zoo settings. The eye moves effortlessly thoughout.

Fred posts his work on his flickr site which is loaded not only with amazing sketches and drawings of people in cafe and shops, but also with exotic zoo animals, and "oriental abstractions."

And, rumor has it, before retiring to a life of artistic pursuits, Fred was an instructor at West Point!

Click on this image to view a slideshow of some of his cafe people.