:: Parc des ancres ::

“The world is what exists and what happens, but we gain enormous insight by talking about it — telling its story — in different ways.”
— Physicist Sean Carroll

Every Tuesday mornings from the middle of May to the end of August, Linda Drewry has been inviting plein air sketchers/painters to join her. She has been doing this for the past 22 years — quite a feat if you ask me! Today was a breezy summer day, full of sunlight and I counted about 15 painters dispersed here and there on the beautiful grounds. The east lighthouse was one of two, each one illuminating its end of the Canal Soulanges, indicating east or west.

I first drew in a value sketch to see where my lights and darks should be and of course I forgot to scan it in tonight… will do so tomorrow. Then I drew on a quarter sheet, light pencil lines, followed by ink lines and finished off with the watercolour paints.

Paper: Fluid 100
Colours: New Gambodge, Burnt Sienna, Cobalt Blue
Ink: Noodlers Lexington Grey
Location: Parc des ancres, Pointe des Cascades

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Summer day :: Journée d’été

“The protection of minorities is vitally important; and even the most orthodox of us may find himself in a minority some day, so that we all have an interest in restraining the tyranny of majorities.”
— Maria Popova

The Urban Sketchers of Montreal met up today at the Maison Smith on Mount Royal. We had been invited by Les amis de la montagne to sketch/draw/paint the mountain and at 15:00 we went up to the second floor to show our paintings. I counted 65 paintings! The ambiance was relaxed and friendly and the Amis de la montagne had prepared munchies and drinks and someone was scanning & printing our paintings for those of us who lived too far away to come back to fetch our paintings in one week or had painted in a sketchbook. Very nice indeed! These will be shown on the second floor of Maison Smith until the end of next week.

It took me quite awhile today to find a spot in the shade that was not already taken with a spot that I liked. Once I found it, I stayed put for the whole day -)
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Les Sketchers urbains de Montréal se sont rencontrés aujourd’hui sur le Mont Royal. Nous avons été invités par Les amis de la montagne pour esquisser/dessiner/peindre la montagne et à 15h00, nous sommes allés au deuxième étage pour regarder toutes les peintures — 65 peintures!. Un festin pour les yeux. L’ambiance était détendue et amicale et les Amis de la montagne avaient préparé des grignotines et des boissons et quelqu’un numérisait et imprimait nos peintures pour ceux et celles d’entre nous qui demeurent trop loin pour revenir chercher leurs peintures dans une semaine ou avaient peint dans un sketchbook. Ceux-ci seront affichés au deuxième étage de la Maison Smith jusqu’à la fin de la semaine prochaine.

Il m’a fallu un certain temps aujourd’hui pour trouver en endroit à l’ombre qui n’était pas déjà pris avec une vue qui me plaisait. Une fois que je l’ai trouvé, je suis resté sur place toute la journée -)

Paper: Fluid 100
Colours: New Gambodge, Hansa Yellow, Burnt Umber, Q. Rose, French Ultramarine
Fountain Pen: Pilot Prera F
Location: Belvedere Lookout, Mount Royal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

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I am showing my working setup (below)  as a few people really liked it. I took my 12″ x 9″ Fluid 100 paper and put a masking tape vertically three-quarters of the way through so that I had a square painting area but also an area to create a thumbnail and test out my colours. Very handy & practical.
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Je montre ma configuration de travail (ci-dessous) car des peintres ont vraiment aimé. J’ai pris mon 12 “x 9” 100 papier fluide et j’ai mis un ruban de masquage verticalement aux trois-quarts du chemin pour que j’aille une zone de peinture carrée, avec un espace pour créer une vignette et tester mes couleurs. Très pratique.20160522_WorkingCoroplast

USK:MTL Sunday Sketching Sunday Sketching May 22 : Draw me a Mountain!

Hello everyone — I will be there with many others this coming Sunday and the weather will be gorgeous. Come and join us -)

It is time again for the Mois du Mont-Royal / Month of the Mountain! For the second year we will meet on the 4th Sunday in May to sketch and paint in Mount Royal Park.

  • Sunday May 22d:
  • Meet at the Smith House / Maison Smith in Mount Royal Park at 10 AM
  • Go sketching together!
  • Return to the Smith House at 3 PM for an impromptu exhibition in the upstairs gallery of everything we drew that day. Everyone is invited to show their work.
    There will be tables and some wall space to display artwork.

There also will be free art supplies available on loan from les Amis de la montagne. Just look for our USK:MTL volunteers at the Smith House, the Belvedere and Beaver Lake to pick up a sketching kit. This might be a great day to come out with the kids and have them draw along.

More info here: https://urbansketchersmontreal.wordpress.com/

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:: Sleep well Mom ::

But it is light that counts above everything. Not colored light, but color that gives off light–radiance! — Robert Motherwell, 1915-1991 I received a phone call this morning at 4:00 am & it was my sister telling me that my 91 year old Mom had fallen & had just been rushed to the hospital. I dressed quickly, cancelled my classes for the day, ordered a coffee at Tim Hortons & drove down to be with her. Two broken ribs, probably a head concussion & alot of dizziness, she is still there but that is the best place for her at the moment. As she fell asleep a few times, I took out my small Moleskine Sketchbook & drew the people surrounding the Emergency Ward. Difficult to capture people when they keep moving non stop. Sleep well Mom. Paper: Moleskine Sketchbook Pen: Pigma Micron 01 Location: Valleyfield Hospital. 20160503_receptionist_jane-hannah-drawing2 20160503_nurses_jane-hannah-drawing.jpg