road work

On my way to sketch some more motorcycles, I came across other kinds of machinery as crews begin roadwork again.

... and yet another motorcycle...

Another motorcycle parked along Jasper Avenue... with anywhere from 15 to 20 motorcycles parked along this segment every day during the summer, there is no shortage of subject matter.

On Mother's Day...

Appropriately, right before Mother's Day, I came across this old photo that was kept in my parent's family album.

I'm not sure when exactly it was taken, but it was some time in the 80s... it shows 3 drawings of my mother, probably done at the same time -- by my father, my sister, and me.

It has been a year and a half since my mother passed away (and about two and a half since my father's passing). This photo reminds me of the fun things we did together as a family (like drawing together), the memories my sister is creating with her children now, and the ones I cherish today with my son and daughter. I wonder what my children will remember about their upbringing?

Dentistry Building, University of Alberta

 Two quick sketches of the Dentistry Building at the University of Alberta, during a rare free moment after a late afternoon site visit -- a nice way to end the work week.

...more motorcycles...

A Harley and a Yamaha, among others, parked on Jasper Avenue...

Motorcycle

Only last week it was snowing, and most Edmontonians were complaining about the unusually stubborn and long winter... yesterday, many of us were languishing in the 33 degree heat wave that swept across this region. Motorcycles have now appeared everywhere, including one small stretch along Jasper Avenue where they are lined up, all shiny, on display by their proud owners.

Kodomo-no-hi (Children's Day), 2013

 It's been a year since the kabuto ornament has seen the light of day, and this morning I brought it out of the basement, just in time for Kodomo-no-hi (Children's Day). It will be 40 years old this year... a bit of an antique that has stayed with us despite my family's moves across continents growing up. As I wonder what our kids will experience in the next 40 years, I am grateful to God for the many ways in which they (and in turn, we) have been nurtured over the past year.

Walnut Ink and watercolour wash on Bristol Paper pad

Pilot Parallel Pen and Bristol paper pad

Robbins Health Learning Centre interior 2

The grand staircase that leads up from the main floor gathering space towards the second floor, at the Robbins Health Learning Centre.

Robbins Health Learning Centre interior

The interior of the Nursing School building at MacEwan University has some generous spaces, including a long, linear 4 storey atrium that connects the classroom floors, lit from above through a clerestory. The interior finishes are relatively stark and simple -- glass rails, exposed concrete structure, bits of drywall... on quiet lunch hours like today (there have been no classes for a while), this space feels more like a cathedral than an educational facility. 

Urutora-man

My son is now heavily into the Urutoraman ("Ultraman") series, thanks to an extremely cheap DVD set I purchased at a local supermarket of all places. He ended up napping with the paper mask I created.

Incidentally, these sketches were done using a Pilot Parallel Pen (2.4mm) I bought last weekend. It's taken a bit of getting used to, and although I anticipated using it to make creative use of broad and thin lines, I've found that the ink doesn't flow as smoothly with the flat side down; it limits the sense of spontaneity I imagined could be possible in the linework. However, to my surprise, I've enjoyed using the nib's edge instead. Unlike regular fountain pens, the unique square metal nib doesn't flex vertically or horizontally, and keeps solid ungiving contact with the paper, leaving a satisfying sound as though making audible the paper's texture. The ink flows nicely in the process, and though the lines are thin and relatively consistent, they still possess character.

Jasper Avenue

Jasper Avenue on a windy lunch hour, but possible the warmest of the year.

northeast Edmonton panorama

School's out at MacEwan University, and the Nursing Building is quiet, allowing me to sketch from lounge areas usually packed with students.
I spent two lunch hours putting together this panorama looking towards the northeast from the top floor. It's become a favourite spot on cold days like today, and I hope to capitalize on the relative freedom and tranquility of a campus full of no one but administrators...

The view in this spread includes (from right to left) the Epcor Tower, the series of totemic concrete towers at MacEwan's downtown campus, Commonwealth Stadium, the Coliseum (way back on the distant horizon), and the Royal Alexandra Hospital (at the extreme left).

Saturday afternoon

 An opportunity to sketch my wife and the kids together (though I've not drawn my wife's likeness), on a rare lazy Saturday afternoon...

kitchen utensils

I am always inspired by other people's sketches and the unique ways they see the world. I recently bought several books by Danny Gregory, including one called "Everyday Matters". We all begin drawing under different circumstances and driven by different aspirations, but I was struck by the way this author started his journey into the world of sketching more as a therapeutic act than anything else, drawing anything and everything he could find in his house as a way of coming to terms with a traumatic turn of events in his family life.
This story, in turn, inspires me to turn my own eyes towards the mundane, everyday world around me... how else can you begin to see the beauty of each object in the kitchen, as though they were flowers in a vase, but each developing its own character, evoking scenes of sunny Saturday morning pancakes, the smell of garlic and olive oil, and the sensation of potatoes being mashed before the family Christmas dinner...

daughter

Since the last post of the kids was my son, this time it's my daughter's turn.She's still heavily into princesses (a la Disney), Barbies, and dressing up, but has now gradually let go of her purple blankie and claims to have a boyfriend in her kindergarten class.

I came across a book at a used bookstore today documenting the growth of the author's daughter in page after page of sketches, from birth till the age of 18. It was intimate, endearing, and inspiring. But I dread the day that my daughter will no longer let me sneak into her bedroom to sketch her after she falls asleep like this...