There is currently a wildfire in Butte County that’s significantly affecting the air quality in the Bay Area. During my walk around my neighborhood in Oakland, I noticed the smokey and hazy atmosphere, which I tried to capture in my sketch using uneven horizontal lines. I also chose to sketch a driver I saw wearing a mask to protect from the smoke.
Another occurrence specific to my neighborhood was the recent death of our beloved neighborhood cat, Mingus. I witnessed a man passing by Mingus’ usual hangout spot shout “God dammit, Mingus!” as he read the note posted by Mingus’ parents on their front door. There were also flowers left by neighbors on the front step in remembrance of the cat who used to be a regular sight on this street corner.
Other things of note are the falling of leaves during this autumn day, the various types of plants I walked past, and the different transportation modes present – cars (some that are ride-share with Lyft/Uber/Getaround stickers), motorcycles, and ride-share electric scooters parked on sidewalks.