Street of Color

10/31/20 Maple Leaf neighborhood

I walk up this street nearly every morning. Now that the sun rises so late, it’s still fairly low in the sky when I walk, and the week had been cloudy every morning. I had a feeling, though, that when lighted directly, the trees at the end of the block would be dazzling.

Halloween was one of those fall days (rare in these parts) that appear in calendar and Thanksgiving card images: Clear, crisp, sunny and altogether golden. Hoping that the light would be just right, I went out in the early afternoon. I started the sketch in the car, but after someone parked right in front of me and blocked most of my view, I stood in the middle of the street to finish (thankfully, I had already blocked in the main elements, so my perspective didn’t shift). Unlike the other morning, which was much quieter, I had to move out of the street a couple of times to let cars go by. But on a chilly but beautiful day like that, I certainly didn’t mind.

Bonus: As I sketched, a couple of blue sharks walked by. When you’re sketching on Halloween, anything can happen.