A Cultural Interlude

One of the artists at work
Printed in the Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph (06.06.2012)

This past weekend, the Jeffery Hale Friends' Foundation hosted the 2nd Annual Cultural Interlude - a fundraiser event featuring an afternoon tea (catered by the Château Frontenac) and live art/art exhibit.  The event took place at Le Domaine Cataraqui, a remarkable estate built in 1831, and now owned by the City of Quebec.  Amateur artists and professionals exhibited and worked in a side gallery, some painting from photos, and others drawing the rainy view from the windows.  Women in bright dresses and bold hats, trailed by men in casual suits, strolled through, then settled in the salons for a fancy afternoon tea.  I had a marvelous time sketching it all.

A fabulously "crowned" volunteer

Technically, I was also on assignment for the QCT, tasked with photographing the event.  When I submitted the images, I included a couple of my sketches with the options, and . . . they were printed!  I'm definitely doing that again.  

Vines growing, with verdant abandon,
up the exterior walls of Domaine Cataraqui

I have been wanting to get back into watercolor for a while now - the last watercolor sketch I did was in Minnesota, around four years ago.  It's more than time to get back into the palette, and add some color to my sketches. 

Truth be told, my approach to watercolor has always been a little too controlled for my taste, probably due to my training in high school art classes, where the objective was to achieve photo-realism.  However, I've always admired the seemingly-effortless spontaneity of the spackling and splattering technique sometimes used by other watercolor painters.  At the Cultural Interlude, I went for it.  

My fingers were coated with pigment, and there was paint everywhere by the end of it - well, not so "everywhere" that other people noticed.  I was secretly, discretely, delighted.  Making deliberately "messy" sketches is so. much. fun!  Hip, hip for splattering!

Ladies enjoying tea at Domaine Cataraqui
Printed in the Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph (06.06.2012)

(L) An artist's palette knife;
(R) a delightful elderly couple viewing the art

A regal bearing topped with a brilliant splash of color

The full sheet, with all the sketches