Author: oilguy

I’ve been missing in action this summer, departing Calgary for Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. Really basic living conditions (a cabin is actually a cabin in this part of the world); very few people, and unreliable cell coverage. But, water, rocks, trees and sky in every view-the four components of every Group of Seven landscape…

I had to change my point of view on this one several times in order to find an architectural element. Note the flag pole!

Into town for supplies! Tom Thomson made this bridge in Parry Sound famous. The Trestle Brewery has the best view, fortunately…

I love the area, the water, the 30,000 islands. But, it’s always wonderful to get back to civilization when autumn rolls around…

Turns out that it’s very difficult to draw in a boat! The horizon keeps moving!

Far easier (and more successful) on dry land…

Trying weird angles in an attempt to add interest. It isn’t really working, but that’s no reason to give up!

In addition, the Snug Harbour sketch was done in a larger book (11 x 14 in). The bigger format makes perspective easier, but takes a lot longer…

It’s raining here too!

Cabin fever on Blind Bay! So 40 km into Parry Sound (the nearest town), where it was equally wet…

Sketched this from the front seat of the car…

 

 

 

Other than buying things at this shop from time to time, I have no connection with it. They are offering an urban sketching course that people might be interested in…

The Desk Drawer : 09
— Read on mailchi.mp/6cb85f48bd76/thedeskdrawer09

From high school Shakespeare, pathetic fallacy occurs when the elements reflect the mood of the character…

I walked past the shuttered General Electric plant in Peterborough just as a storm approached. GE bought the 100 year old company that employed me for 28 years (Baker Hughes), stripped the cash and put the remainder up for sale. A dark subject to sketch; I expect there are restless ghosts on the shop floor…

Peterborough has a huge street scene; it’s an arty town with a university, plus a lot of people drifting around the city center. Every time I stopped to sketch, a number of people made a point of visiting. However, I was surprised to see my old looking hands on the Silver Bean Cafe’s Instagram feed…

Just spent a couple of weeks in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. A ton of great old buildings and streetscapes; we could have filled six months worth of meetings and not covered it all…

For the first time I tried some twenty minute sketches; I have seen a number of our group doing them, but I’ve never had the courage. These were dashed off in a few minutes, then quickly coloured later. Really challenging with strange shapes and perspectives-some winners and losers!

Wandered into a “Japanese Lifestyle” shop on 14th Street in Kensington. Tons of interesting stuff, including fabulous brush pens that work better than anything that I have ever tried before (they do tend to bleed with water, though).

Anyway, it has launched me on a people drawing compulsion. Victims are everywhere!

Some sort of record for me. And, having found a place where you can sketch during happy hour, I now have a better understanding of what it means to be a tortured artist. (The barwoman was a true patron of the arts; she brought water for painting, beer for inspiration, and was very encouraging).

I would also like Jim to notice that I am capable of drawing cars on the correct side of the road…