Historic Kirtland Village

Joined other sketchers for a great morning out in some mild weather at the Historic Kirtland Village/Urban Sketchers Cleveland sketchcrawl on Saturday morning.  The village was founded by Mormons almost 200 years ago, and more recently, they have restored the buildings and offer tours of the grounds.  I was surprised how many people were touring around.  There were probably 6 or 7 tour groups that passed by, the later in the morning, the larger the groups were.

While I was drawing the yellow how (called the "Red Store"), two groundskeepers pulled up in their golf cart and asked me to draw them into the sketch. 

The wood building with the funnels in front was to process "hot ash" which they used to fertizlier and their ceramics.  To the left of it was a mill with a wheel.  There wasn't any water flowing, so I think the wheel ran on an electric motor for effect. 

Fanciest Foot Locker Ever

Didn't realize that I hadn't posted this from early April.  I spent a lot of time at Tower City for the film festival in late March.  What amazes me about Tower City is that there are contemporary retailers in these old-school shops.  This Foot Locker has to be the most elaborate and fancy in their whole chain.  It has brass all over the storefront and doors. 

I had time the last morning of the film festival to sketch this.  I'd gone in around 8am for the volunteers' breakfast and special movie screening.  The little sign above the theater of the volunteer screening, instead of the movie title, simply said, "Volun-Tears."  Very funny :-)

Egg Shells

This is from a recent sketchcrawl at Eggshelland. This is an annual display that has gone on for over 50 years. It was a fun morning, but it was pretty cold out.

House on Clinton Avenue

I spotted this little street out of the corner of my eye one day while driving on West 28th. I had no idea that Clinton Ave. had a portion of its street over this far east. I'd only been on it near the West 60s, and it seemed to end in a dead-end over there.

Well, this portion is really amazing. Giant houses, all colorfully restored. I hate to draw attention to this little quiet strip, but it's worth a pass-through. I had intended to draw the pink house on the one corner, but I couldn't see it well from my car. I'll save it for a summer sketch when I can set up on the opposite corner on my stool. It's a nice, shady street, so it'll be great for summer sketching.

Haab's Bakery

Very sorry that this is no longer open for business. The entire building just puts you in the mood to have some great pretzels or bread. It does seem like someone is keeping the building up so that it doesn't fall into disrepair. Since it's been closed for about 10 years, it would be in far worse shape if no one was paying it any attention.

Favorite Places Vol. 6

I know that it's brand new, opened less than a month, but I have to say that the Aquarium is one of my new Favorite Places. It was very crowded, since everyone is going for their first visit, but it's worth a little patience in order to see all of the wonderful fish and exhibits.

The aquarium isn't perfect yet; anyone who has ever started a fish tank at home knows some of the problems that you can encounter. Just, their problems are obviously on a much larger scale. I bought a membership, because I do imagine going and sketching the actual fish tanks one day. You know, when the traffic slows down, which I don't imagine it will until some time in the fall.

Tokar Florist

I was probably pushing the limits of outdoor drawing on Sunday. It was one of those days where the sun was totally misleading on how cold it could be in the shade. Yet, if you sat in the sun, you couldn't really see.

This is an interesting building. At first look, you may think that nothing is going on inside. But, if you pass it often enough, you will notice that someone is changing the windows. It took me a little bit to find out what exactly it was. I eventually just googled the address and Tokar Florist came up. Now, that makes total sense, because there are always great displays in the window showcasing table settings, party decorations, and flowers.

Favorite Places Vol. 5

Another of my favorite places. This is their new location, but I've been shopping with them for years. They are the only ones in the area who seem to really know about aquariums. Their fish always live. The people there know their stuff and are more than willing to help out.

Favorite Places Vol. 4

I guess would constitute a favorite place. It's my living room. I have had that stereo since about 1989, and it still works perfectly. I haven't gotten rid of it, because if I ever decide to get a turntable again, it would cost a fortune. Right now, I have one that works perfectly well. You can also see my Wii and Wii balance board, my guitar and amp, my boomerang from my trip to Australia, and the picture above the stereo is a drawing of Noah's Ark at Kennywood.

It's not much like the Noah's Ark from my childhood. You used to walk into a whale's mouth to get into the funhouse-style ark. They still have the ark, but no more whale. When I was very little, I would never go in with my Dad and older sister. I would run out, get my ticket back, and go back and sit with my Mom and little sister. :D