on Easter Sunday:
"Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!"
Charles Wesley (1739)
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Easter lilies |
A Sketchblog by Rui Nakao
"Now is the Lord brought to peace
My Jesus, goodnight!
The trouble is over, which our sins caused for him.
My Jesus, goodnight!
O sacred bones,
See how I weep for you with penance and remorse
That my fall has brought you into such distress!
My Jesus, goodnight!
As long as life lasts
Have a thousand thanks for your sufferings
For having valued so highly the salvation of my soul
My Jesus, goodnight!"
from J.S.Bach, St. Matthew's Passion BWV244, No. 67, libretto by C.F.Henrici (Picander), 1729.
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a wooden cross from Ethiopia |
A drawing triptych finished over the Christmas break, based on some recent panel designs for a church that wanted to reuse a pile of salvaged cedar planks. The intent was to evoke reflection on the Gospel story with opportunity for multiple interpretation, within a language unique to the material at hand, and easily assembled by the congregation.
From left to right:
"The Incarnation", "The Cross", and "Priesthood".
A second triptych -- variations on the cross -- entitled "Sanctus Sanctus Sanctus".
It's our turn to host a Christmas supper, and another 25 pound turkey comes out of the oven successfully, much to our relief. Meanwhile the kids enjoy some precious time with some cousins.
Various goodies are delivered to the office at this time of year, usually taking the form of chocolates, cookies, or bottles of wine. One of this year's unique gifts included a generous bag of organic vegetables from Peas on Earth via Bountiful Market, given to us by a client group and which I got to take home...beets, a squash, and parsnips.
Mountain sketches from a recent trip to Banff.
Mount Rundle from Johnson Lake, and two consecutive views from the Chateau Lake Louise, with a misty Victoria Glacier in the centre.
A streetscape from the Cathedral neighbourhood and a downtown view across CN maintenance yards, both from Regina, Saskatchewan, and the view of downtown from "Garbage Hill", an urban park built on top of an old dumping ground in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Once again this year, I participated in "Every Day in May", a Facebook page in which participants from across the world post sketches daily based on the day's prompt throughout the month of May. It's my 5th or 6th year now, and this has become a good yearly opportunity to stay focused on something I like doing for 31 consecutive days. A quick sketch before going to bed every night was a great meditative way to end each day.
My personal policy has been always to sketch from real life (usually at the kitchen table with a glass of beer), but this year I made a point of using pen and ink only.
Here are all 30 drawings from last month...
A good friend brings three stems of tulips in a vase to share some Valentines joy with my family, and we are touched.
It reminded me of the few weeks in the early days of the pandemic, in which sketching the tulips sprouting from the ground every day brought a sense of calm and groundedness that I craved during an especially trying time in the spring of 2020. By the grace of God, extended to us through the kindness of friends like this, I am grateful in being able to say I am in a completely different place today.
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a selection from April and May, 2020 |
I discovered the Alberta Railway Museum this summer while on a bike ride, and was intrigued by the rail cars that announce the museum's entry off the rural roadway, across the now-closed entry gate. But it's served as a great destination for some rides over the course of the last few months, and I've managed to sketch the lead car -- a CN snow plow -- on some sunny evening drives.
A construction site over the course of the last few weeks... this is the first series of urban sketches I have done in a while. The first one was completed by some rain drops... it adequately documents my experience that day.