Church Hill newcomer hits the streets to make "ugly" art, new friends

Editor’s note: The Lookout will be taking a much-needed break for the next couple weeks. Regular programming resumes in January. Penelope Poubelle and I wish you happy holidays from HQ. See you on the other side.—Dave.

Making new friends when you’re new in town is notoriously difficult. Maybe less so in Richmond than, say, Seattle (where “the freeze” nips many relationships in the bud), or Minneapolis (best of luck with “Minnesota nice”), but still. Putting yourself out there? As an adult? The horror.

Facing the challenge with a box full of markers and a big smile is Sam Abdelmuti, the Church Hill artist behind Ugly Portraits of Beautiful People, an art project/”side hustle” that emerged after she moved to the neighborhood with her husband and toddler last year.

“Being a stay at home mom here, I wasn't making any friends fast,” she told The Lookout in a streetside interview outside Riverbend Roastery, where she’d erected a bistro table in the sun to offer while-you-wait illustrations to passers-by. “Being a barista growing up, that was my first job, so I love talking to people, getting to know people. And when I became a mother a few years ago, I kind of lost myself. I stopped doing artwork because I just didn’t have the time. This marries everything: I get to meet people all day, and talk, and draw.”

Abdelmuti’s portraits are $5, and take 5-15min for her to complete. Calling them “ugly” is good marketing—”Every person that walks by just giggles at the name,” her husband marveled at a recent market they attended in Washington DC—if not exactly accurate. They’re exaggerated and deliberately goofy, but hardly hideous. (Her style for these pieces, she said, was inspired by a couple in Hawaii she saw on social media who do over-the-top caricatures of subjects they meet outside an H&M store in Waikiki.) Here’s how Abdelmuti rendered my wife and I:

This piece took Abdelmuti closer to 25min due to the facts that there were two of us, and I was interviewing her while she worked. “Sometimes I get stressed—I can’t make it too good, because it’s supposed to be ugly, and the longer you sit, I might just make a portrait," she said, emphasizing the word with a faux-French pronunciation to match her beret. When the portrait is suitably “ugly” though, “the best part is the reaction.” When Abdelmuti revealed ours, I laughed. But we’re also going to frame it, obviously.

When she’s not sketching strangers in marker on the street, or navigating motherhood in a new city, the artist does digital illustrations on a tablet, as well as large-scale, non-”ugly” paintings of famous people she admires, including Lucille Ball, Nelson Mandela, and Danny DeVito. (“He made himself,” she said of the longtime actor. “He is so authentically himself.”) As for her sidewalk sketching habit, while we happened to catch Ugly Portraits of Beautiful People for its last pop-up portraiture of 2025, Abdelmuti is looking forward to doing more events in the new year, both within Church Hill and across the city. Follow the project on Instagram to stay in the loop. And if you see her around the neighborhood, I doubt she’d it sketchy (ahem) if you said hello.

📜 Possum Poetry

Possum Poetry is original verse written exclusively for The Lookout by Penelope Poubelle, the Lookout’s litter critter-at-large. If you spot roadside trash you’d like her to immortalize in doggerel, email a photo to [email protected]. All submissions anonymous!

🥖 Sub Rosa is back, bay-bee

It’s been over a year since Richmonders lined up at the corner of N. 25th St. and Jefferson Ave. for a shot at pastries, loaves, and other baked goods from Church Hill’s Sub Rosa Bakery. Recall, in November 2024, the brick-and-mortar location of the beloved operation caught fire due to faulty wiring in the building’s attic. Thankfully, no one was harmed in the incident—the second blaze in the building since Sub Rosa opened at 620 N. 25th St in 2012—but it displaced not only the bakery itself, but also Second Bottle owner Erin Keene, then the tenant of the apartment directly above. The wine merchant of E. Marshall St. has long since found a new place to call home, but as Sub Rosa co-owner Evrim Dogu told The Lookout this past May, he and his sister/co-owner Evin never considered trying their luck at another address.

“I think I would feel lost somewhere else,” he said. When we spoke, Dogu & co. were baking in exile at Hatch, selling their loaves at Birdhouse Market on Tuesdays and plotting their return.

After a lengthy renovation process that included everything from a new roof and new floors, to the installation of a ~$60,000 electric Bassanina EcoPower deck oven and wall mosaics featuring over 1,000 hand-painted tiles, Sub Rosa finally reopened in its “new” digs earlier this week. I stopped by Friday mid-morning to find a line of customers hugging the side of the buttermilk-yellow building, hoping their favorite pastries would still be in the case by the time they made it to the cashier. Same as it ever was. Welcome back, bakers.

🚒 More on the fatal fire in Fairmount

As you may have heard, there was a deadly house fire at 1123 N. 22nd St. last weekend. Two people lost their lives in the Saturday morning blaze; a third was admitted to the hospital, according to a press release from the city of Richmond. The Lookout visited the scene of the tragedy the following day (Sunday, December 14th) and filed this brief report earlier this week:

The Richmond Fire Department is investigating the cause of the fire, which it said was “the second fire-related fatality incident” that it’s responded to in 2025.

“Any loss of life is devastating, and this incident serves a heartbreaking reminder of how quickly fires can turn deadly,” RFD chief Jeffrey Segal said in a second press release from the city warning of increased fire danger during winter months due to uptick in use of space heaters, extension cords, etc. “We encourage everyone to be mindful of fire safety and take proactive steps to reduce risks in their homes.” Richmonders who don’t have functional smoke detectors can contact RFD Fire Prevention at 804-646-1526 to get them installed free of charge.

📢 Happenings on The Hill

• Box it up: Union Market is selling curated grab-and-go gift boxes for your last-minute shopping needs. Details here.

• Ring it in: There are still a few reservations left for Metzger’s alpine-themed New Year’s Eve dinner. Scope it out.

• Wrap it up: The year, that is, with this comprehensive recap of all the stuff the Church Hill Association accomplished over the course of 2025. Swipe away.

Happenings on The Hill is a digital bulletin board for events, causes, and other items of interest to East Enders that don’t necessarily merit full editorial treatment. Got something for a future edition? Email the relevant details, links, etc. to [email protected] for consideration!

📸 A Very CHill Photo

Want to share your Very CHill Photo from the neighborhood? Email it to [email protected] with your name as you’d like it to appear for publication, and the camera you shot it on.