Bridges and cafés

And then some days are just wonderful! Even if it was so cold outside that I spent more time inside cafés than on the streets! 

Thank god for urban sketching. I couldn't bear to be in my art room with no flow happening! 

The plan was to sketch Grattan Bridge from the South quays after the Millenium bridge. I arrived a bit early and after taking my sketchbook and pen out, realised that I was not going to be able to stand in the cold wind for long, so I decided to go into Dollard, a great big café with views on the quays and at the back too. It gets a mention in Ulysses and I have sketched there before. They've actually extended the eating area - it used to be half fancy grocery store, half café, but now it's all café with different types of food available from different counters. They didn't have matcha latte, so I just ordered a hot milk. They only charged me 50 cent, which was very nice of them! It was very quiet still, so I was able to settle facing a window overlooking the quays and sketch to my heart's content. It was a limited view, but it had lots of interesting elements, a bicycle, which thankfully didn't move the whole time I was sketching it, lots of traffic going by, so this van is a combination of vans and buses that went by, the wall that hides half the view, then the beautiful houses across the Liffey, each slightly different from the next.

Onto the quays - it was still cold, with no sun on this side to warm us up. A quick impression of Grattan Bridge, the prettiest bridge in Dublin, in my humble opinion!

Lots of people walk across Grattan Bridge - nice wide footpath and it's connecting Parliament Street and Capel Street, both busy areas. At this stage, I was on the bridge, sitting on one of the benches, with the sun on my back. It was still cold! Despite wearing my winter coat and a warm woolly scarf! We just have to get used to it!

After another break in Dollard to warm up and eat, I did a final sketch, of the O'Donovan Rossa Bridge, with the Four Courts behind. It was actually getting warmer by then, but I had things to do, so that's as far as I got that day! 

Lunch break in Dollard, with a chicken katsu, which was delicious, and a much bigger portion than I had anticipated. 

You won't recognise Pat in this sketch! 

Dollard was a printing company, and I love the industrial feel of the interior, with the big windows to let the light in, the brickwork, and big pillars throughout. I found out that Chris's uncle and aunt worked there, which was a lovely connection to the place. 

I added colour after I got back home. The meat in the background is from Tomahawk Steakhouse, one of the food concessions there. We debated whether it was nice to see the meat like that on display. I think I was the only person who liked to see the raw meat!