I was out for a long walk, with no intention to sketch, but as always, I had my sketching stuff with me. I was walking down Rue St. Claire from Rue St. Jean and saw this little scene containing my favorite thing – a fire hydrant. My stool comes out, I sat down, and the next thing you know, this little sketch was completed. Sometimes it’s the little things that count.
Moleskine watercolor book (5×3), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black
Moleskine watercolor book, Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black
It’s the end of August and we’re finally experiencing summer and we Quebec sketchers are determined to take advantage of it. Claudette and I decided to meet in front of Parliament for a sketching session. I got there a few minutes early and decided to spend that time sketching this monument at the entrance to Battlefield Park (the Plains of Abraham to anyone who lives here). I’m not even sure what it’s a monument to but it served as a target for my pen. Claudette showed up as I was slopping on some color.
If you climb onto the wall that surrounds the old city and walk over the St. Louis Gate and a bit beyond, you can see this pleasing view of the Quebec Parliament building sticking up above the tree line. Both of us thought this a good place to sketch. I got a bit carried away given the amount of time alotted, but this was a lot of fun.
Stillman & Birn Alpha (10×7), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black
It was windy and this cooled us down to the point that both of us needed coffee, so a short walk ensued and we got some. After kibbitzing about sketching and consuming our go juice, we decided that we should go out onto the Plains of Abraham, err…I mean Battlefield Park, and find something small to draw as both of us were a bit tired.
Claudette chose a cannon, an infinitely wise choice. I decided to do a quick sketch of a larger scene, the refinery across the St. Lawrence, an infinitely not so wise choice. By the time we finished we were, done, fatigued, worn out, dragging, wiped out, spent, exhausted. But it was a good kind of tired and we headed home quite satisfied with our day.
Stillman & Birn Alpha (10×7), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black
It’s been three days since I went out sketching with the gang. It didn’t make it to 60F that day so, of course, as we headed out for a road trip to Berthier, Quebec the prediction was for temps in the mid-80s with a humidex pushed to over 90F. Mr. Jetstream is oscillating like crazy these days.
This trip was timed perfectly as we would be sketching next to the St. Lawrence River, where there’s always a breeze to cool things down. Claudette, Fernande, Yvan and I headed over the bridge with Fernande at the helm. Once on the south shore we turned east along the river on our way to pick up Louise in St. Vallier, half an hour away.
Monologue 9×12, Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black
Berthier is just down the road from St. Vallier and I’d never been there before. I’ll be going back ‘real soon’, though. It’s a sketcher paradise. There is a small marina with lots of sailboats to sketch. There is a quay with benches so you can sit and sketch either passing boats or the other side of the St. Lawrence, which features Mount Tremblant. There is a large park area with lots of picnic-partaking folks to draw. There are rocks along the coastline and farm buildings if you look in the other direction. And if that ain’t enough, there’s a place to get coffee and restrooms to cycle it.
The five of us headed for the marina to sketch boats. I wanted to capture the height of the masts and chose a scene and vertical format to emphasize their extraordinary height. I probably worked too fast but that’s always the case when I’m with a group.
Moleskine watercolor 3×5, Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black
Monologue 9×12, Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black
Once finished there we sketched a bit more, up in the park area and then set up at a table overlooking the marina for lunch. We’d collaborated and brought cheeses, baguettes, grapes, and wine for lunch. Claudette made some fantastic roasted peppers that were great along side cucumber slices. We were living high. I ate too much.
To be honest, by the time lunch was over I needed a siesta. I sketched some but decided that a coffee might perk me up. I think it did and I sketched some more but the sun and food had slowed me to a crawl.
Monologue A6 sketchbook, Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black
Evidence of that is here. I’d sat down on a bench looking out at the river. It was thoroughly enjoyable but there wasn’t much to sketch except for a large ‘other side of the St. Lawrence’ sort of sketch and I didn’t have the energy for that. But, in front of me, on the storm wall was a light, part of a series of them along the wall. Behind, and well below them were rocks and the river. So, I drew one light, drinking coffee and breathing in the fresh air. I was thoroughly content with the day and this sketch was the final drip from my pen.
My goodness. It’s the middle of August and we didn’t make it to 60F yesterday. Seems the arctic is warming faster than the equator, as predicted by scientists, and causing some ‘interesting’ trends around our old planet. While those around 30-degrees north are experiencing extreme droughts and high temps, those of us closer to 45-degrees north are losing our summers and getting an excess of rainfall as jet stream oscillations are increasing…as predicted.
And so it was yesterday when Fernande, Claudette and I needed a place to sketch. The Quebec aquarium is an ideal spot for sketchers because it is full of both indoor and outdoor subjects. And stupid me, in spite of the weather, I still wore shorts. For the most part, on this day, we remained indoors.
I want to master sketching sea anemones. I find them quite beautiful. Members of the Coelenterata, these guys feed themselves with tentacles full of tiny little spears that capture plankton in the water. They’re a paradox of an animal as they don’t move and yet are in constant motion. Their foot is forever attached to the substrate and they wave their tentacles constantly, giving this sketcher fits trying to draw the tentacles. Here’s my meager attempt.
Stillman & Birn Alpha (10×7), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black
One of the amazing creatures of the sea is the Nautilus. No, not the submarine, the animal. They are Cephalopods, related to octopuses (octupii?) and squids. And while the octopuses and squids have mostly lost their ‘shells’, the Nautilus seems to want us to know that they went to math school by sporting a shell that follows a beautiful Fibornacci spiral. It’s truly an animal designed to be drawn. Here’s mine. I was cold when I finished. Darn shorts.
Stillman & Birn Alpha (10×7), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black
As we ate lunch we noticed the skies clearing a bit. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but Claudette wanted to sketch outdoors so we did. Claudette and Fernande were dressed properly. Did I mention that I was wearing shorts?
I don’t function well when I’m cold so I knew I couldn’t sketch anything too complex but there are a bunch of really fun playground toys and most look like great subjects for sketches so I tried this one, a little submarine that kids get in and ‘drive’. It was fun. I was cold.
Stillman & Birn Alpha (10×7), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black
In all, we had a great day. We’ve got annual passes to the aquarium and we’ll be using them a lot over the next few months. It’s a great place to draw. Why don’t you come along?
As part of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City, the Fontaine de Tourny was placed in front of Quebec’s parliament building. I’d like to provide you a concise history of this fountain but, its history depends on who you ask.
The fountain gets its name from two identical fountains that sat at each end of the Tourny promenade in Bourdeaux. Mathurin Moreau was its designer. That much is certain. But some reports suggest that the French government gifted the fountain to Quebec. A more complete story is that a guy named Marc Maison acquired it when the fountains were removed from Bourdeaux and much later sold to Peter Simons, a Quebec entrepreneur. It was restored given to Quebec for the 400th anniversary. Most stories in Quebec suggest there were two of these. A few admit to the existence of five scattered around the world. The internet has a way of turning up info on such things and the total has climbed to 19 or 20 of them. I suspect the foundry wanted to get their money’s worth from the molds (grin).
What I do know is that it’s a magnificent fountain, towering some 21-feet in the air. I was with Claudette and Yvan while drawing this one and we had a great day.
Stillman & Birn Alpha (10×7), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black