garage sale fundraiser

A scene from a garage sale my wife helped to organize and that took place over the weekend, in support of a church member who will be serving for a year in Haiti with OMS (One Mission Society).

CJM Sunnyside Camp 2012: part 6

A scene from the Quiz Night in the main hall, and a sketch of the accommodation some campers chose...

CJM Sunnyside Camp 2012: part 5

Day 2 of the sketch sessions entailed some more little exercises, and then some time by the old truck... it was a treat to see so much variety among all those who took part in the 2 groups!

CJM Sunnyside Camp 2012: part 4

 At this year's camp, I had the wonderful privilege of guiding two separate groups for 2 hours each (an hour a day over 2 days) in some sketch sessions. Thankfully, it was sunny every afternoon, and we were able to go outdoors for a couple of quick exercises to develop loose linework and an extended time with a more complex subject. On the first day, each group spent some time at a heap of freshly cut logs. This is what the second group came up with...

CJM Sunnyside Camp 2012: part 3

A new feature at the campground this year was the huge heap of logs at the side of the main entry... and it's a refreshing feast for the eye given my naive urban sensibilities. With so many different and interesting shapes and volumes, textures and shadows, it's a goldmine as far as sketching goes.

I was intrigued by the faces of each cut log... the obvious reason is the sheer diversity and sense of time, history, character and personality that is inscribed so reverently in each face. But the logs also seem to symbolize an interesting confluence between nature and human intervention, both mutually allowing the other to reveal itself; one a persevering and incremental growth, the other an instantaneous incision; one with a radial and organic pattern, the other a series of hard geometric gestures juxtaposed onto an existing order. Each log face reads as a landscape... like a condensed version (or memory) of the prairies.

CJM Sunnyside Camp 2012: part 2

 The old truck that I sketched last year is still at the same location, and I felt compelled to draw it again. It felt like greeting an old friend. I tried to get my daughter involved this year...

CJM Sunnyside Camp 2012: part 1

This year marks the 60th Anniversary of the family Bible camp that Canadian Japanese Ministries has run, and our family participated again this year for an intense and joyful time of worship, learning, and fellowship. It was only the second time that I stayed the whole week, but for many including my wife, it is an annual event that is an essential and vital part of their journey of faith and personal history... and one that I pray will help inform my own kids' paths as well.

 

At the core of the small campground at Sylvain Lake, Alberta, is the main sanctuary. There is something very powerful about gathering in praise, in a humble, utilitarian timber structure... it recalls the humility and mystery of the incarnate God, and our response in living out an authentic life of worship and community.

side yard

I had the rare occasion of being on an acreage in Strathcona County, where a wonderful family held a farewell gathering for another good friend returning to Japan. Their side yard was full of miscellaneous items -- lumber, old furniture, bits of wood, unused doghouses... all waiting for a new life. Some of the branches became firewood tonight as we gathered around a campfire under the vast Alberta evening sky.

Jasper Avenue: Audrey's Books

The corner of Jasper Avenue and 107 Street: the old brick building where Audrey's Books maintains its status as a major Edmonton cultural institution... Downtown is filled with spectators who have gathered on the streets to watch the parade that kicks off the annual Capital Ex. 

Jasper Avenue

Jasper Avenue looking towards the downtown core, during a hot, sunny lunch hour...

sleeping in the basement

It's been a hot and muggy few days hitting the 30 degree mark, and we're all sleeping in the basement. It's a bit hard to sketch the kids as they shuffle around every few minutes in their own struggles against the heat...

lazy summer morning

The kids... preoccupied.

Reds and Greens

 I bought three Thai eggplants as they looked like an interesting thing to draw, but I am still not sure how to cook with them...

Hole's (The Enjoy Centre) and Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park

 A scene from The Enjoy Centre, a place we used to think was simply Hole`s Greenhouse and Gardens, but which we discovered today had now been transformed into a one stop destination that is a bit like greenhouse meets Urban Fare meets Ikea.

















Only a short drive away was a great local discovery for us, the Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park, with its beautiful marshland habitat, made accessible for some great birdwatching with an extensive boardwalk.

Russel Metals yard

The torrential rain earlier in the morning on this Canada Day is gradually giving in to some rays of sunlight. As my kids nap in the car, I again make a trip into some laneways around an industrial neighbourhood, and find an interesting vintage truck.