excavation: week 2

The second week of sketches of the excavation/construction site at MacEwan University...

excavation

The sketch-friendly temperatures have continued this week. Two views of the excavation at the MacEwan arts building site... 

fly forms

It's an unseasonably warm week... warm enough to entice me to sketch during the lunch hour. A short walk takes me to a new construction site (and potentially regular, ever-changing subject matter) at MacEwan University -- the new Centre for the Arts. Some sketches of fly forms stored at staging areas at the edge of the giant site in preparation for some concrete slabs begin what I hope is a series this week.

views from some windows

While sick and stuck at home, some "view from a window" sketches from our house, in the spirit of people like Matisse and Bonnard, without the Mediterranean breezes and cheery sunshine.

persimmons

I have been sick, confined to resting at home.

Drawing fruit is particularly soothing at such times, and I especially like sketching persimmons. These ones we bought recently do not have the glowing orange colours that make them especially appealing to paint, but the simplicity of the combination of a round smooth mass and a large, brittle remnant around the stalk make them great subject matter for a quick exercise to stay on one's toes. 

the hospital stay: part 4

Some of the last sketches from the hospital, before we were given permission to spend a night at home.... the final stretch towards recovery and discharge.

During my daughter's stay at the hospital, I received a hand crafted Christmas card from a relative, a writer. Accompanying her beautiful lino-cut print was a note, part of which read: "What I do know about art, though, is that its practice is a form of devotion. And this act of devotion is deeply restorative. When I make these cards, I think of God..." I've had the privilege of experiencing just that this Christmas, and I am grateful.