Lafarge Yards

Some structures at the Lafarge concrete yards by Commonwealth Stadium... I've been wanting to sketch here for the past few years and have not had a good opportunity to do so until today.

new academic year at MacEwan University

After a lazy few months, the downtown MacEwan campus is swarming with young people again, adding some life to the city.

I've been using a larger sketchbook recently with a water soluble "sign pen" and water wash, which has had some interesting results. I love the character of the marks these pens create, especially when using larger pads, and can now finally appreciate why they were used during those "croquis" sessions in elementary school art classes in Japan. The Pentel pens are very sensitive to water washes, and I'm struggling with how to control the darkness and the resulting loss of linework.... more experimentation to continue...

road side fruit stand

A modified RV serves as a road side produce stand just outside of the parking lot at Victoria Park... perhaps this is the last weekend for little places like these to be seen here until next summer. Across the river and up on the hill beyond are some buildings at the University of Alberta.

Kaleido Family Arts Festival

 We've been making a point of going out to the Kaleido Festival that takes place every September on 118th Avenue. We managed to be there early on Saturday to enjoy some of the community driven celebratory atmosphere again. Helped by some great weather this year, the event seems to be gaining popularity each time.

Whyte Avenue

It's a cloudy and blustery day on this Labour Day weekend Sunday, giving us a sense of the cooler temperatures that are inevitably coming our way. As the kids sleep in the back, I park along the main commercial strip along Whyte Avenue, catching a glimpse of the crowds taking in the last weekend of the summer.