Calgary Urban Sketchers

August 9, Sunday: 09:30 – approx 16:00

MEET AT VALES GREENHOUSE PARKING LOT at 9:30.

We would like everyone to meet at Vales Greenhouse (Vales) Parking Lot at 9:30. It is here we will get a head count, discuss the day, and decide where and when to meet at the end of the day. Janice will also give you ideas on what to sketch in Black Diamond.

A TENTATIVE SCHEDULE could be to sketch at Vales first, take a lunch break, then sketch downtown, with Marv’s Classic Soda Shop being the highlight. This may be where you/we have lunch. Then at the end of the day meet for a photo op and give us feedback about the day.

Be prepared to stay as late as 4 if you plan to stay the day. Or come and go as you please. Always, always, make it your day!

Huge THANK YOU to Jancie for pulling this together!!

Search for Vales Greenhouse on Google Maps to get directions and travel time. From my home in Edgemont it is an hour drive.

http://valesgreenhouse.com/ Note that this is not a secure website.

https://www.town.blackdiamond.ab.ca/

https://marvsclassicsodashop.com/

If you do not have Facebook, please comment below if you are going so we know how many are attending. If you have Facebook, please select GOING on the event page. Don’t forget your masks, as it may be hard to social distance, especially in Marv’s. As noted by Janice, masks are not mandatory as of this posting in Black Diamond.

Inclement weather: Event will be cancelled & not be rescheduled.

Please stay home if you feel unwell, uncomfortable or are exhibiting any symptoms. https://www.alberta.ca/guidance-on-outdoor-activities.aspx

Date has been moved to Aug 9, Sunday

Date in Event of Sketchers tab will be updated Tuesday. Sketch Details will be posted mid week here and on Facebook.

This is our first road trip, so be patient as we are organizing on the fly. You can make this an all day event or come and go as you please. Two highlights will be Vales Green House and Marvs Classic Soda Shop/Black Diamond Main Street. No times have been set yet. We are thinking we will have an organized start by meeting at Vales Green House parking lot in the morning. Depending on the weather, you are welcome to start your day at Marvs/Main Street and not come to Vales first. When at Marvs you will be expected to order something to sit and sketch. We are thinking we will meet at the end of the day in Vales parking lot. How you want to break up your day will be up to you. Maybe some decisions can be made when we meet in the morning.

We are getting a count on who is going, and who is leaning towards going on Facebook. If you don’t have Facebook, please comment below which is true for you.

• I am going.

• I have not decided yet, but I am leaning towards going.

Stay cool, and safe.

2020/07/28 – Tuesday Evening

Man that was hot 😎🌞 Accuweather tells me it was 29 Celsius, my car told me it was 31 Celsius. To top it off, very little breeze. Despite this, 11 souls found some shade, and hunkered down to sketch. Some sketched from the perimeter of the church, and some sketched from the churches garden. Fabulous work by all. This church was founded in 1899, and has been a cornerstone of the Eau Claire and downtown Calgary communities for over 100 years. 

We will meet again August 8. Road trip to Black Diamond! Janice Butterworth has kindly offered to host this event. She is working out the details, which will be posted here and on Facebook in the coming weeks. In the meantime see Events for Sketchers tab on this website.

Have a fabulous August long weekend. Stay well and safe, and see you soon!

It was the perfect summer day, a warm sun in the open parts of the cemetery and delightfully cool spots in the lush vegetation and babbling water of the garden.

Members of the Calgary Association of Lifelong Learners joined in the activity with their sketchbooks.

This was my first time. The garden is amazing!

Many tombstones are carved from sandstone. Sadly they are eroding and will likely disappear in time. I focussed on the grave stone of Cordelia who’s inscription is still readable.

There are many more.

Our next sketchcrawl is Tuesday July 28 in the evening from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Historic Trinity Lutheran Church, 840 3 Ave SW.

See you then!! Rod

It’s glorious summer in Calgary and the best time to sketch outside.

The Golden Inn has been in this location almost forty years making it an unpretentious landmark.

The Silver Dragon was the go to place for Dim Sum when we came back to Calgary thirty years ago.

Last year we Urban Sketchers met up in the Muze Cafe after sketching the lions on the bridge. Coffee comes with egg tarts and pork buns. I never would have noticed the fish and the dragon atop the roof edge of this corner building.

Now historically designated, the Canton Block ca. 1912 is one of the oldest structures in Chinatown. Simple and unpretentious but appealing is it’s brick facade.

Keep sketching!

Rod

Saturday, July 18 10:30 to 13:00

Note earlier start time, this is so you can find your spot, and still get 2 hours of sketching in. 

Parking and Erlton LRT Station nearby, see map below.

Start sketching right away, we will not meet at the start.  This is a smaller space so be mindful of where you set up so that regular visitors can get by you. 

At 1:00pm we will meet on the lawn beside the house.  If the lawn area is crowded, we will move down to the parking lot to give all regular visitors room.  If you don’t see our group, just come down to the parking lot.

Reader Rock Garden Historic Park is one of Calgary’s most unique cultural landscapes (and a National Historical Site) featuring the restored Reader house, rock pathways, bridges, benches and beautiful flowers. The adjacent Union Cemetery, established in 1890, is a unique sketch experience.   You can access Union Cemetery from the top of Reader Rock Garden or from the parking lot. Don’t forget the bug spray. 

Inclement weather: Event will be cancelled & rescheduled to July  25.

Please stay home if you feel unwell, uncomfortable or are exhibiting any symptoms.  https://www.alberta.ca/guidance-on-outdoor-activities.aspx

Funny, when I sussed out this place it was winter, and all my vantage points were from my car. At that time it was all about getting a good view from the road or parking lot. I had forgotten about the pathway that took you under the bridge and into Bowness Park. So, much to my delight, it was a real up-and-close experience.

There were 16 sketchers in attendance🎨 Welcome to the first timers😊 We miss those who can’t make it 😦

We will meet again July 18 to sketch in Reader Rock Gardens and/or Union Cemetery. I will post here and on Facebook next week with more details. In the meantime see Events for Sketchers tab on this website.

Stay well and safe, and see you soon!

If you go to the website you can click on the images below to get a closer look.

Hello!

Fourteen is the magic number so far.  Two new members joined us, welcome Patricia and Laurie.  YYC Urban Sketchers were splattered throughout the grounds.  Some sketched the Ranche House (Bow Valley Ranche Restaurant), some found a bench in the Artisan Gardens, and some found a view of the Foreman’s House (Annie’s Bakery Cafe).  Although the rain threatened, only a few drops materialized.  Mosquitoes where out to begin with then thankfully left.  Time to add mosquito spray to the kit!!!

Watch the Events for Sketchers tab on this website to see formal sketch outings in July.  They will be posted in the coming weeks.  If the weather behaves it is my intention to go back to Heritage Hall at SAIT on June 20.  I will post later in the week here and on Facebook.

Thanks everyone for selecting GOING on the Facebook page.

Stay well and safe, and see you soon!