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Perfecting the art of people watching

Artist spotlight: Sketchy People
Artist Jack Kent poses with a flying V guitar, decorated with a cartoon seagull, slung over his shoulders. He also wears a black hat with Rip City in white and red lettering. His T-shirt says Fine Art & Jazz Festival from Newport, Oregon.
Jack Kent’s band “Flawker Rawker” breaks the fourth wall and brings the sounds of his “Gulls” comics characters to life. | Photo courtesy of Tommy Spencer/Jack Kent
Early one morning, cartoonist Jack Kent sat aboard the Portland Streetcar, drinking a Monster energy drink, watching a quirky scene play out in front of him — a man was playing a video game, loudly taunting the screen.

With a spurt of caffeine and creativity, Kent decided to draw what was happening. “A couple days later I saw a guy at Starbucks with a ventriloquist dummy,” he added. “Then I saw somebody eating pizza at the post office — all these things I’d never seen before that really made for unique moments.”

And eight years ago this month, Sketchy People was born.

Let’s rewind this origin story a bit. Kent first moved to the Rose City in 1999 to attend Mt. Hood Community College for civil engineering. Though his career eventually steered toward graphic design, “a nice blend of math and art,” comics were an ever-present passion as far back as elementary school.

Today, his portraits of Portlanders are published by Willamette Week and compiled into annual books.

A compilation of Jack Kent's Sketchy People series.

“Each sketch takes anywhere from half an hour to an hour on average,” he said. “I do them at home so I can relax and get in my zone, but I’ve always got a small sketchbook on me to jot down a quick gesture if I can’t get a photograph.”

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Drawings by Jack Kent

“It’s fun because people watching is an art,” Kent explained. “You start thinking about people beyond what you’re seeing at that moment. I think that’s a really important message.”

As he drew, Sketchy People grew, becoming a community that told stories beyond the black-and-white pages.

When Yohhei Sato died in 2022, Kent offered to share his sketch of the well-known knife sharpener for a GoFundMe page to help Sato’s family travel to their loved one’s service.

“When his parents got back home they sent me a photograph of the shrine they built for him and my sketch is in there,” he said.

A cartoon style drawing shows a man, Yohhei Sato, riding a bike with his dog in the basket. The store behind him advertises breakfast burritos.

Yohhei Sato was a fixture, often seen honing blades while enjoying a beer at breweries around the city alongside his dog Spike.

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Drawing by jack Kent

In another instance, the owner of a recently burgled music store asked if he could send Kent’s drawing of a person pushing a shopping cart loaded with amps and instruments to the police.

“These sketches have connected a lot of people in more ways than I ever could’ve imagined,” he said. “It’s been a really wild exploration, study, and learning experience on the human condition.”
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Events
Wednesday, July 17
  • Music on Main: SOS - A Tribute to The Police | Wednesday, July 17 | 5 p.m. | Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, Portland | Free | Consider this a “Message In A Bottle” telling you to check out this cover band.
Thursday, July 18
  • Shady Pines Festival 2024 | Thursday, July 18-Monday, July 22 | Times vary | Camp Tasty’s at McKinnon Airpark, 12960 SE Ten Eyck Rd., Sandy | $60-$150 | Enjoy the sounds of the local music scene like Orquestra Pacifico Tropical and Black Shelton under the sun.
  • Edy Massih Cookbook Pop-Up | Thursday, July 18-Saturday, July 20 | Times vary | Xiao Ye, 3832 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland | Prices vary | Celebrate the release of “Keep It Zesty” and enjoy a special menu, which takes traditional Lebanese flavors and gives them a modern twist.
Friday, July 19
  • Comedy in the Park | Friday, July 19 | 6:30 p.m. | Laurelhurst Park, Southeast Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard + Stark Street, Portland | Free | Lay out a blanket and get comfortable as local and national comics crack their best jokes; content can be R-rated, so parent discretion is advised.
  • Original Practice Shakespeare Festival | Friday, July 19-Sunday, Aug. 25 | Times vary | Locations vary, Portland | Free | Actors don’t rehearse for this summer of improv-ish outdoor performances of The Bard’s best-known works.
Saturday, July 20
  • Fuji to Hood | Saturday, July 20 | 11 a.m.-8 p.m. | The Redd, 831 SE Salmon St., Portland | $30-$45 | Local and visiting Japanese brewers will showcase their collaborative beers and ciders at this festival that alternates between Portland and Tokyo.
Sunday, July 21
  • Portland Thorns vs. Club Tijuana | Sunday, July 21 | 4 p.m. | Providence Park, 1844 SW Morrison St., Portland | $15+ | The team looks different after Olympics departures, but the inaugural NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup keeps the action going in Soccer City USA.
Events calendar here
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Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
 
News Notes
Legacy
  • Acclaimed Portland chef Naomi Pomeroy has died at 49, following an accident that occurred while floating the Willamette River near Corvallis. The James Beard Award winner had just opened Cornet Custard and was in the process of opening a new bistro in the former Woodsman Tavern. (KGW + The Oregonian/Oregon Live)
State
  • 22. That’s how many large wildfires (100+ acres of timber or 300+ acres of grassland) Oregon has had this year — 10 more than we had at the same date last year. The recent heat wave is thought to have exacerbated conditions, with several recent blazes identified as human caused. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)
Shop
  • Rumpl, the outdoor gear company that makes blankets from recycled plastic bottles, is partnering with Danner and Ruffwear to host the Slabtown Sample Sale, Friday, July 26-Saturday, July 27, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. As the company makes way for the next generation of products, you’ll find cheap deals, freebies, libations, and good vibes.
Arts
  • Multidimensional. Transcendental. Residential. These are the words to describe the contemporary art galleries popping up in private residences across Portland, from Steve Brown’s exhibit in his detached garage to Ben Skiba’s shows in his industrial apartment’s kitchen/living room. (Portland Monthly)
Travel
  • It’s official, Kah-Nee-Ta Hot Springs Resort will reopen tomorrow and overnight reservations are available today. The relaxation destination about two hours from Portland will also offer day passes, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for $39 on weekends and $29 on weekdays. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)
Trending
  • Timbers are winning on the field — and in the fashion department. Yesterday, the team debuted a third jersey, called The Clive Kit, in honor of club legend Clive Charles. The vintage look is inspired by the teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Drink Up
  • Drink Up Week — a celebration of our city’s vibrant beverage culture — is coming up quickly from Monday, July 22 to Friday, July 26. We asked local businesses to join the fun by sharing drink deals; check out this map of promos that are poppin’ just for the occasion.
Sports
  • The hype is building... for the Oregon Ducks and for EA Sports College Football 25. It’s a given fans will take Dan Lanning’s squad to 10 back-to-back national championships in the video game, but what will expectations be in real life over the next several seasons? Locked On’s Spencer McLaughlin discusses the potential.
Seasonal
  • Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? It’s Christmas in July, and we’re celebrating by gifting new and returning advertisers with special promotions to get your message in front of our readers. Get in touch to learn more (read: open your present).
Trending
 
Development

Creating a ‘Constellation of Connection’

‘Constellation of Connection’ design proposal will reimagine Portland State University’s campus
PDXtoday_MontgomeryPlaza_PSUplacemaking.png
The finalist was chosen by a 12-member jury composed of academic and community leaders. | Photo via Portland State University + Walker Macy Collaborative
Portland State University has chosen a winner for its placemaking initiative.

The Walker Macy Collaborative emerged from the six-month design competition and will now help the school enact “large and small changes all aimed at creating a more vibrant and connected campus for PSU and downtown Portland.”

Fittingly titled “Constellation of Connection,” their proposal comes with enhanced outdoor and street-level spaces, including Montgomery Plaza, and the creation of a new welcome center, plus additional campus entry points in the Park Blocks and along Southwest Market Street. The plan would relocate the skatepark, among other suggestions.

Over the next year, the team will come up with a timeline for the project, which will be primarily funded through philanthropy.
The Buy
⚡ It’s the second (and final) Amazon Prime Day. Shop Day Two lightning deals that just went live.

Get 56% off a wireless charging station that can charge your phone, earbuds, and smartwatch all at once.

This $400 ionic hair dryer is on sale for under $100.

Get a $50 Old Navy gift card for $40, or a $50 Regal gift card for $40.

This five outlet surge protector includes four USB ports and charges your devices with notable speed.

Get a Bentgo stackable lunch box 55% off.

Keep your eye on this bestselling tennis dress for a lightning deal later today.
More worth The Buy
 
The Wrap
 
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Today’s edition by:
Ben
From the editor
Over the weekend, I went to “In a Landscape: Classical Music in the Wild” at the Washington Park Amphitheater and it was incredible (big thank you to my mother-in-law Vicky for the tickets).

Sunriver native Hunter Noack performed beautiful compositions that we could enjoy from beneath his piano and among the rose garden, thanks to wireless headphones. You can catch local shows at Stoller Family Estate (Sunday, Sept. 1 + Monday, Sept. 2) and Lewis & Clark College (Sunday, Oct. 13).
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