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Sketching Brunswick Street, Fitzroy: signs of the times, cancellations, click and collect, black lives matter

Sketching Brunswick Street, Fitzroy: signs of the times, cancellations, click and collect, black lives matter

Walking down Brunswick Street from Alexandra Parade (still in my 5km limit), I tried to spot signs specific to Melbourne in 2020. Situations we could never have imagined – such as long postponed acts at the Evelyn Hotel, or closed shops with instructions on click and collect. The Black Lives Matter posters on the walls of the fire brigade credit union stayed long enough for me to capture. A few days later they were gone, showing just how important it is to record these moments in history.

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Sketching Brunswick Street, Fitzroy incognito: masks, 2 hours and a 5km limit

Sketching Brunswick Street, Fitzroy incognito: masks, 2 hours and a 5km limit

As lockdown 2 started to settle, and we were allowed out of our homes, I headed back to the top end of Brunswick Street. I wanted to illustrate the impact of the pandemic on the local community. I sat under a verandah at the corner of Westgarth Street and drew locals chatting on a mosaic chair wearing masks. Some things don’t change though. The building housed a butcher’s shop back in 1925 and it still does today.

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Sketching Brunswick Street, Fitzroy: Hello pandemic! Heading north between lockdowns

Sketching Brunswick Street, Fitzroy: Hello pandemic! Heading north between lockdowns

When coronavirus arrived we all bunkered down at home. When we briefly emerged in June our little group decided to play it safe and stay away from crowds. So we moved north, and crossed the great divide of Alexandra Parade. I drew quickly, worried about another lockdown – and of course it happened. The first stop on my way out was at polyester records – closed, but within my 5 km boundary.

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Sketching Brunswick Street, Fitzroy: vegan toasties and urban sketchers at the Black Cat

Sketching Brunswick Street, Fitzroy: vegan toasties and urban sketchers at the Black Cat

Before the pandemic put an end to traveling overseas, our little gaggle of sketchers often enjoyed the company of international guests. The urban sketching community is known for its hospitality, and there is surely no better place to take a fellow artist than the Black Cat. We feel a real fondness for this Melbourne icon, and there is drawing inspiration in every direction.

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Sketching Brunswick Street, Fitzroy: urban sketchers and cafes – the perfect combination

Sketching Brunswick Street, Fitzroy: urban sketchers and cafes – the perfect combination

The friendships I have made while sketching Brunswick Street have been an absolute joy, and it isn’t just about a shared love of art. Urban sketchers build up a mighty appetite when sitting out in the cold for a few hours, and after drawing all morning we wander up Brunswick Street for a fine lunch together. We are spoilt for choice. Of course, any café becomes another excuse for a sketch or two.

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Sketching Brunswick Street, Fitzroy: Victorian grandeur gives way to tough times for Fitzroy

Sketching Brunswick Street, Fitzroy: Victorian grandeur gives way to tough times for Fitzroy

Fitzroy has been a place of constant change. The pink building crowned by birds in my drawing is almost unrecognisable unless you spot it next to Davies Drapers shop in 1861. I could see cracks which suggested a shapely curve over the windows when I was sketching, but couldn’t imagine what was missing. Sadly the beautiful draper’s shop on the corner has been torn down. What a loss.

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