Drawn to Quebec: a new illustrated newspaper column

I am absolutely thrilled to share some great news with you.*

Today marks the third week of an illustrated column - Drawn to Quebec - I have begun penning for North America's oldest newspaper.

The Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph is Quebec City's only English-language newspaper, and I've been a contributing journalist and photojournalist there for a couple of years. 

"Drawn to Life" workshop: Register now to learn how to record your life visually

I am delighted to announce I'll be leading a workshop in my hometown on May 3rd (with my sister). 

We'll focus on basic sketching techniques and some exercises for exploring the world around you. If you are in the area (or can plan to be), please get in touch and sign up!

Click here to see all the details and reserve your spot today!

What could we do in Paris in the winter?

Most likely, we'd go to a museum or three.  

Sketchbook: in the raw

Lately, I've been trying to capture the character of various raw ingredients found in the kitchen. 

Sketchbook: flipping through the pages

It's been almost a year since I came back to sketching and field journaling with the kind of dedication I had during university days.  It is cathartic, exercise for my mind and muscles, and helps build a record of what's going on around me.  I don't intend to let the practice lapse again.

Here are some sketches from the past few months - ever since the weather turned cold and most location sketchers in the northern climes moved indoors.

Biodome Montreal

In November, I passed several giddy hours scribbling, capturing the many critters living in Montreal's Biodome.  Jerod was oh-so-patient.  

The Queen's Bells

Wednesday nights are out for me.  Period.  I'm already busy.

Cheese and wine?  Sorry.  Pints and free dinner at the local pub?  No dice.

Why?  Because I'm busy ringing bats out the belfry at the local Anglican Cathedral. 

'Merrily on High'

Ding Dong!  Merrily on High, 

in heav’n the bells are ringing . . . 

(from a classic Christmas carol from the 1500s)

"Many of the most beloved holiday traditions involve bells — ringing to accompany carolers, playing seasonal melodies, and pealing out to summon celebrants to church services. Quebec City is part of a unique heritage, change-ringing, which dates back to the 1600s in England.  Today, more than 6,000 bell towers around the world ring in this style." View rest of article published in the Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph (12.12.2012).

'Performance Art': Sketching opera in the dark

Click on images to view a larger version.
All sketches done during the opera; color added later.

Thursday was another press pass night at the opera - dress rehearsal for La Traviata this time. The lighting and sets were really interesting, the live orchestra (music by Verdi) was exquisite, and the story line was suitably tragic. 

As we are in Quebec, the Italian score is still in Italian, but subtitles posted above the stage are in French.  Now, imagine making sense of it all in English!  Happily, I was not on assignment, but rather in the company of the writer who was.  As a result, I was able to indulge in the details in my own way, and there was no pressure to get a perfect photo in a darkened theater.

When Artists Cook: Harvest Abundance (and what to do about it)

This post is part of "When Artists Cook," a series in which I am a guest writer.

My previous posts in the series: "Coming of age in kitchens"

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Harvest season always fills me with ________________________ .  

How would you fill in that blank?

. . .

I’ve been mulling this over for the past month or so, as the garden peaks, the farmers markets flood with produce, and I write and rewrite the list of things to preserve for the winter. [ . . .]  I tend to get a little ahead of myself when it comes to harvesting and preserving.  By that I mean, there’s no limit for me.  It’s never enough.  As long as there is a nook or cranny in the house that is reasonably stable in temperature, and not exposed to much light, I am interested in filling it with food that will keep through, or at least into, the winter.
[ . . . ]

Having a hands-on relationship with our food is one of my absolute favorite things about the mayhem that is harvest season. The kitchen is aswarm with fruit flies, which one cheeky friend describes as “indicators of abundance,” and the occasional stow-away earwig always shows up in the least expected corner. But, even when I’m busy picking snails out of the beet greens, or scrubbing tomato splatters off of...well, everywhere, this is still about as real as it gets.

. . . Keep reading - - >

Equinox...generally speaking

Does autumn fill you with energy and cheer, 

or do you resist it with every leaf that falls?  

For us, it is a landslide of harvest, returning to the office, 

and trying to notice all the changes happening outdoors. 

Simply 'plummy'

 

We didn't even notice the trees when we moved in, nearly two years ago.  In the spring, though, a profusion of flowers caught our attention, and our curiosity was piqued.  A few small, hard, green orbs left us less than satisfied at the end of last year.  In fact, we wondered then if the trees were just ornamental.

But, the 'jammy' sweetness of spring blossoms raised my expectations again this year.  And, what a year it was!

Trans-Canadian Summer, part IV: Prince Edward Island

The land of milk and honey!  The land of milk and honey!  Er....rather, the land of Anne of Green Gables, which is very nearly as good.  Imagine me skipping a bit, as childhood excitement takes over.

P.E.I., as it is more efficiently called, is an (is)land of striking red beaches, a very long bridge (8 mi/12.9 km), quaint towns, and countless farms.  In fact, if it were not for the fact that Lucy Maude Montgomery's spunky redheaded character trumps nearly everything, the island would be known mostly for its seafood and...get this...potatoes.  You absolutely cannot imagine how many acres of potatoes we saw during our ~48 hours on the island.

Short shorts, tight tights, and roller skates, oh my! An inside look at roller derby, Québec-style

We have a friend here who skates in the local roller derby league, and I have to admit I'm intrigued.  It sounds like a lot of fun, and the retro elements of the sport - costumes and four-wheel skates - really appeal to the vintage side of my style.  On the other hand, I have never roller skated or roller bladed before, and only ice skated a couple of times in my childhood.  The idea of learning how to do it at high speeds on a concrete track is more than a little bit daunting.  And, they practice "in the middle of the night," because that's when they can get time in the sports centers otherwise dominated by off-season hockey practices.

So, I resisted pulling yet another "Oh yes, I'll do that too!"  Instead, I caught up with Stephanie, watched a derby match, asked a lot of questions, and even conned her into posing for a portrait sketching group that I participate in.  Keep reading for pictures and a recently published QCT article.  Living vicariously can be so much fun!  

Trans-Canadian Summer, part I: Saskatchewan

View the full Trans-Canadian Summer series

Tagging along behind a biologist can be great fun.  Despite the looonnnggg drive required to get to Prince Albert National Park, the trip was worth it.  There were lots of highlights of my visit which did not fit into the Chasing Bison series.  So, I've lumped them here, and assure you patient readers that this is the last you'll hear of PANP...for a while.  After all, it's harvest time back here in Quebec, and food, friends, and other adventures will surely require our attention.

When Artists Cook: Coming of age in kitchens

This post is part of "When Artists Cook," a series in which I am a guest writer.

View my other posts in the series:  When Artists Cook.

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I was recently invited to participate in an online series of articles by artists, focusing on how our artistic processes interact with how we cook and think about food. Created and curated by Australian-expat artist Dion Dior, the series will be an on-going exploration of how art and food play key roles in our lives.

My first piece for the series was recently published, and I wanted to share an excerpt here. You can read the full piece here - you'll see an introduction about me, and below that, the rest of what follows:

Sketching Jeanne d'Arc's park

Jeanne d'Arc is immortalized in countless mural, sculptures, and writings around the world.  Here in Quebec City, this iconic girl also known as Joan of Arc has her very own park.  In keeping with the city's fascination with battles, and tradition of transforming old battlefields into public leisure areas, Joan of Arc's park is across the street from the embattled Plaines of Abraham.  

During the 36th Worldwide SketchCrawl, a group of local sketchers gathered here for Quebec City's first ever.  I will admit, I could not fully tell you Joan's story, though I probably learned it in elementary school.  I wonder if any of the others, mostly Québeçois(e), could fill in the blanks.  

I tried to think of a clever title. In the end, though, this post is about some pages in a sketchbook.

Click on any image to view a larger version.

It seems I have caught the sketching bug hard...again...finally!  It has been a long time, nearly two years, since I really sketched anything, and I missed it.  Since starting the nature drawing class, and gaining momentum with two days' sketching at the naval rendez-vous, I've been on a roll.

Ships, ahoy!

Sketches from the 2012 Rendez-vous naval de Québec, completed 9 June 2012, down at the docks on the St. Lawrence River.

NGCC Pierre-Radisson, Canadian Coast Guard

THIS IS SUCH A COOL SHIP!  I find it remarkable that this ship can convert salt water to potable water, and get through ice a meter thick.  Looks are deceiving, too.  It looks kind of like the ferry we take across the river to Lévis, and you might think it was, if you didn't know better.  

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.

Drawn to Québec

As you may know, since February, I have been leading a drawing class series entitled "Nature Drawing in Quebec City."  We have been meeting once a month, and have focused on basic drawing skills and techniques which are useful for sketching outdoors, en plein air.  Because we are in a city, we are obviously also grappling with how to satisfactorily incorporate buildings, etc. into our sketches.

A sketch of the Morrin Centre and Canadian Institute,made
while waiting for a benefit concert to begin in Vieux-Québec.