arena construction

From the high vantage point of the MacEwan Nursing School building, I counted 14 cranes operating at various sites along the skyline; there are many more hidden from view. In particular, the amount of construction along the 104 Avenue corridor is staggering, and now that I am cycling to work more regularly, the new downtown arena site is a viable option for sketchable lunchtime sites for this spring and summer.

The steel framing is being erected in a hurry, and the bowl can now be readily visualized.

more daffodils... and a portrait

Some more daffodils, on the gestural side of things...

But this post is more about my daughter, who, after drawing her version of the bouquet, offered to sketch a portrait of me drawing the flowers. Significantly, that image seems to me to be the first "true" portrait of someone drawn from observation -- a real-life sketch rather than a caricature or drawing from the imagination. It shows in the ways she has been attentive to posture, angles, and details, even my upward glance towards the petals that were above my eye level, in an attempt to draw what she sees, and not what she thinks she sees.

daffodils

Bright yellow daffodils, bought at the local grocery...

Daffodils remind me of the trip we took to England last March, where they were in bloom throughout coutryside church yards. I will always now associate daffodils with English springtime and that worship service in Exeter Cathedral where freshly cut stems were distributed in celebration of motherhood. But lodged deeper in my past, it recalls a brand of margarine with a TV ad we grew up with in Australia, and whose catchy tune has stubbornly remained in my brain for around 30 years. Drawing these flowers brings me back to some childhood moments as I search for that commercial on Youtube... !

the casino

A quick sketch from a late night shift as a volunteer at a casino to raise funds for a school... done under pressure, after being informed that security may take issue with sketching on site (because photography on site is prohibited... say what?!).

Alberta adopts a "charitable gaming" policy, in which eligible charitable organizations technically "host" all of the "gaming events" and share in the revenue as a way to raise funds. It's a strange concept, in which teams of volunteers from a charitable organization "run" the place with the assistance of a hired third party advisor to conduct the event (i.e. the casino).

winter trees

Some trees from the Strathcona Wilderness Centre, where we enjoyed our annual cross-country skiing outing with friends.

main floor slab

The site that was a hole in the ground a month ago now has a main floor slab, and more columns are being poured. It's relatively quiet during the three lunch hours I sketched this week, but even still there are teams of concrete workers and form work carpenters swarming over the site... there's a nice buzz of busy-ness. With at least two major construction sites within easy walking distance from the office, the summer lunchtime sketching routine looks very promising. Now just waiting for the weather...

red roof

A glimpse of our neighbour's house on a sunny weekend day. The day's are getting much longer and brighter...

red lines

Two quick doodles from a series of gestural sketches of my daughter, in which some interesting things occurred... the first, a rather calligraphy-like flow and composition which coincides with a recent, passing fascination with ancient script, originating from my current re-reading of one of my favourite novels (Inoue Yasushi's "Tonko", or "Tun-huang"), and the second, a curious resemblance of my mother in her younger years as we approach another birthday since her passing 3 years ago.