A while back, I joined my school's Mock Trial team as a sketch artist, which entailed sitting in on practice sessions, an invitational, and a four-round competition to draw people standing around lots of wood furniture. The Santa Clara County Mock Trial Competition took place last month, in actual courtrooms at the county courthouse. I got to sit behind the attorney scorers in the jury box (side note: the seats in the jury box were swivel chairs bolted to the floor--I had to resist the urge to spin around during trials, lest I be thrown out by the bailiff). Here are a few sketches from my courtroom art portfolio (click to embiggen!) Honestly, the first thing that struck me when I walked into the official courtrooms was the wall-to-wall wood paneling. I felt like we'd just entered the 60s...or a laminated forest. I did some research (read: Wikipedia'd the subject)--apparently the ubiquity of wood in courtrooms is "a matter of style and tradition." Hmm. Well, who knows? There may be an update in aesthetic coming to courthouses in the future. Hello, HGTV? Anyway, this was the entry completed during a competition trial that I submitted to Santa Clara County's Mock Trial Courtroom Sketch Artist Contest: Now for the exciting news--I just found out that I've been voted County Runner-Up for the competition, which means I'll have the opportunity to go to Mock Trial California State Finals in Sacramento in a few weeks. Whoo! It sort of conflicts with an orchestra festival I'm supposed to participate in, though, so we'll see what pans out. Thanks for reading--more posts to come!
Cheers, Clem
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Back from Tahoe! Took off to the snow with the clan for a couple days. It's been a few years since I last went, but it was like riding a bike as soon as we started sliding downhill. I know that we Californians are lucky ducks to live relatively close to a grand variety of terrain--snow-capped mountains, foggy coasts, deep valleys, and of course, the famous redwoods. As for the views at Heavenly this past week--well, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. I've always wondered about the color of snow. It's that enticing white most of the time, turns clear and frosty gray as it melts in your gloves if you bring it up close, and looks blue if you fall into the soft stuff and leave a deep foot- or kneeprint.
Anyway, whatever the color is, I raise a cup of hot cocoa to ye gods of rain who have blessed us with enough water this season that most trails were open. That's a heartening sign for a parched state. We'll see how the snow levels this year translate in the longer run. Here's to hoping for a turn of the tide in the California drought battle. Cheers! Clem |
ClemC's Blog
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