November 3, 2018 sketchout

Thanks to our sketcher Karen (and an Artist on the Wards) for planning this sketchout at the U of A Hospital

We can meet at the 112 St entrance which is #7 on this map, with a lobby area and art gallery to wait in (if it’s open.) The hospital has a healing garden and various interesting views over the campus and waiting rooms full of models and of course all the usual hospital things to draw. The cafe is closed on the weekend,but there is a Burrito Libre across the road on 112 St where we could meet for lunch at 1.00.

If you’re not familiar with the place, it is immense but here is a handy map.

Hope to see lots of you then.

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Ortona Armoury Arts Building, September 1, 2018

Urban Sketchers Edmonton are joining me in one of my goals as Edmonton’s 5th Historian Laureate: sketching Edmonton’s architectural heritage (or as much as we can!)

Another off-and-on rainy day greeted Urban Sketchers Edmonton at the historic and arty Ortona Armoury Arts Building, 9722 – 102 Street, but that did not deter our hardy little gang.

A City-owned historical resource built in 1914 as the Hudson’s Bay stables and warehouse, the building has been home to many of Edmonton’s businesses and organizations over its 104 year history.

Sketch by Barry Hollingshead

Sketches by Heather Jenkins

Sketch by Angie Sotiropoulos

For the last 30 years or so, the Ortona has been a vibrant part of Edmonton’s arts community, providing much needed artists’ studios and arts spaces. I had my studio in the Ortona for many years and have a great fondness and regard for it, and helped to have it designated as a municipal historic resource in 2004. In 2019, the artists must move out and the building will be closed for up to two years while the City brings it up to code.

Urban Sketchers Edmonton in the Ortona 2nd floor kitchen (this was the  HMCS Nonsuch wardroom bar during the Navy years)

The artist-tenants and I have been in discussions with the City to retain as much of the historic Navy era interior as possible, which works perfectly for artists who appreciate and gain inspiration from spaces with character and heritage.

Sketch by Irina Kruglyakova

Sketch by Irina Kruglyakova

The floorplan layout has remained largely unchanged for 80 years, and I was able to locate Navy era floor plans at the City of Edmonton Archives that indicated the Navy’s use for the rooms that the artists now use. For example, the present Ortona Room (multi-purpose arts room) on the main floor was the Navy’s Chief and Petty Officer’s Mess; the artist-run Ortona Gallery on the second floor served as the Navy’ Clothing Stores; artists’ studios were the Navy’s WRENS’ Mess (Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service), the offices of the HMCS Nonsuch Officers, storage for sails, ropes & rigging, and much more.

Sketch by Marlena Wyman

Sketch by Marlena Wyman

As expressed by arts writer Agnieszka Matejko who was reviewing a group arts exhibit in the Ortona Gallery, “…the strongest impression I am left with is the building’s palpable sense of rich community life among artists of all backgrounds.” Vue Weekly 21 January 2003, “Ortonary People”.

Sketch by Marlena Wyman

Posted by Marlena Wyman

 

October 6, 2018 Sketchout

Thanks to Angie Sotiropoulos for planning this sketchout:

Hello everyone! Marlena will be away for the October sketch out so I’m posting an event suggestion that was made at September’s sketch out. Meet spot will be at the west entrance of the Federal Building (9820 107St NW) facing Capital Plaza. It’s located on the Legislature Grounds. We can sketch the grounds or if the weather is bad go into the Federal Building. It has a large living wall, gift shop, art gallery and small movie theatre inside. As well I am told it houses some interesting art related installations in the corridors. Sketch time is 11am-1pm. I will be there a bit earlier to sketch as I have to leave at noon for an appointment. This means I won’t make it to lunch but I’m going to suggest the District Cafe and Bakery a short walk away (10011 109st). Since I won’t be there if anyone has a better suggestion or wants to act as the meet person please feel free to suggest away and I can update the event info.

 

September 1, 2018 sketchout

For our September 1^st sketchout, come on out to the historic and arty Ortona Armoury Arts Building, 9722 – 102 Street. We will meet inside the lobby at 11am, or start sketching outside on your own. There are no restaurants nearby, so pack a picnic lunch that we can eat in the courtyard. If it rains, we’ll eat in the 2^nd floor kitchen. Microwave, fridge and tea kettle available.

This City-owned historical resource, built in 1914 as the Hudson’s Bay stables and warehouse,  has been home to artists’ studios and arts spaces for two decades. In 2019, the artists will have to move out and the building will be closed for up to two years while it is being brought up to code. The artists and I have been in discussions with the City to try and retain the historic Navy era interior, for which the layout has remained unchanged for 80 years.

The Ortona is located across from Telus Field, north of 97 Ave.   https://bit.ly/2vTlQvJ

Posted by Marlena Wyman

 

Mill Creek Ravine Park, August 4, 2018

Urban Sketchers Edmonton are joining me in one of my goals as Edmonton’s 5th Historian Laureate: sketching Edmonton’s architectural heritage (or as much as we can!)

Included in Edmonton’s built heritage are bridges, and the recently restored pedestrian bridges in Mill Creek Ravine were once the trestle bridges constructed between 1900 and 1902 as part of the Edmonton, Yukon and Pacific Railway.

Photo by Marlena Wyman

Sketch by Terry Elrod

We had a great turnout of 14 sketchers at Mill Creek Ravine Park. A few showers here and there did not bother our dauntless crew. Most of us gathered to sketch across the creek from the historic pedestrian bridge near 76th Avenue and 92nd Street, and other sketchers made their way through different parts of the ravine.

Photo by Marlena Wyman

Sketch by Irina Kruglyakova

Sketch by Irina Kruglyakova

Sketch by Angie Sotiropoulos 

Sketch by Marlena Wyman

Sketch by Marlena Wyman

Sketch by Karen Wall

Another part of Edmonton’s valued heritage is the natural history of the river valley, ravines, trees and green spaces. As noted on the City of Edmonton’s website, we are very fortunate to have the largest urban park in Canada, with more than 160 kilometres of maintained pathways and 20 major parks throughout the River Valley.

Sketch by Terry Elrod (I happened across this sketch of Terry’s on the Waskahegan Trail Association website when I was researching the ravine)

Sketch by Angie Sotiropoulos 

Sketch by Karen Wall

According to the City of Edmonton’s Mill Creek Daylighting Plan, the City is considering a new initiative that would re-establish the natural, surface flow of the downstream reach of Mill Creek (94 Avenue to North Saskatchewan River) through a process known as “daylighting.” In the 1960s and 1970s, this portion of Mill Creek was diverted to a tunnel and concrete outfall structure several meters above the North Saskatchewan River.

Human alterations to the creek have resulted in the loss of a number of environmental and recreational benefits previously provided by the creek. 

Sketch by Marlena Wyman

Edmontonians are lucky to have our beautiful trees, green spaces, ravines and river valley to enjoy. They are all Edmonton treasures.

Posted by Marlena Wyman

 

 

 

 

August 4, 2018 sketchout

We’ll be doing some nature-within-the-city sketching in Mill Creek Ravine Park on August 4th. We can meet at the recently restored historic 76 Avenue pedestrian bridge on Saturday August 4th at 11am or start sketching on your own. I believe there is an access point to the trail on 76 avenue just west of 89 street but I have had zero luck in finding a decent map online. If that doesn’t sound right please let me know!

Thanks to Karen Wall for this info: There is access to the bridge/trail from the north side of 76th ave sidewalk at the west end of the bridge and also at the east end. If you follow the trail from the east end down into the ravine, you’ll get an interesting drawing viewpoint of the bridge understructure over the water. Then following the trail south across 76th ave there are several more bridges to encounter depending on how far you want to go.

Here are more helpful directions from Terry Elrod, and a map:

The trail crosses 76 Ave at street level. The bridge we’re meeting at is just north (and west) of this point.
There are two ways to access. One is to park along 89 St north of 76 Ave. Walk down 89 St to 76 Ave and then west along the avenue on the sidewalk on its north side to the trail crosswalk.
A gentler approach is from the west side of the creek. Park along 77 Ave east of 96 St and walk east to the trail access point. This location is also closer to the Blue Chair restaurant.
Map scanned from “River Valley Map – Central Edmonton”. Please disregard the smudges — my printer is acting up today.

 

If it rains hopefully we can huddle under a bridge, but bring your umbrellas too just in case.

Photo David Bajer/CBC

We will meet for lunch and sketch sharing at 1pm at the Blue Chair Cafe at 9624 – 76 Ave.

St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, July 2018

Urban Sketchers Edmonton are joining me in one of my goals as Edmonton’s 5th Historian Laureate: sketching Edmonton’s architectural heritage (or as much as we can!)

Sketch by Terry Elrod

Sketch by Karen Wall

One of our sketchers had suggested Church Street (96 Street) and our July sketchout happened to be when the Edmonton Historic Festival and Doors Open event took place, including a tour of Church Street on July 7^th. Because we always need an indoor venue in case of inclement weather, I contacted the tour organizer, Historian Tim Marriott, as well as Reverend Father Peter Babej, Cathedral Rector for St. Josephat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, which was one of the indoor venues for the tour. Father Babej kindly allowed us to sketch inside the church, which was fortunate because it rained most of the time that we were there.

Sketch by Marlena Wyman

At 10825 – 97 Street, St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral is just one block off 96 Street, but is include in the official recognition of Church Street on Edmonton’s Historical Board’s plaque in recognition of the unusual heritage of the area. As the plaque indicates:

Stretching from just south of Jasper Avenue northward to 111 Avenue, and spanning some seventy years of Church architecture in Edmonton, Church Street features a remarkable collection of thirteen houses of worship built between the turn of the twentieth century and the early 1970s.

Sketch by Merts Belmes

Due to weather, for the most part we stayed inside St. Josaphat Cathedral, sketching and marvelling at the historic beauty of this church and the incredible and abundant artistry of its iconography.

Sketch by Terry Elrod

The cathedral has been designated as both a municipal and provincial historic resource. In Lawrence Herzog’s article about the cathedral on the Edmonton Heritage Council’s City as Museum website, he states:

Built partly by parishioners and volunteers during the dark days of World War II, St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral is one of the finest examples of Canadian-Ukrainian church architecture. It was the first building constructed in what came to be known as Prairie Cathedral style.

Construction began in October 1939 with excavation of the footings and the basement dug by parishioners. The war slowed progress, and the project was completed in 1947…

Professor Julian Bucmaniuk was hired in 1950 and brought from Europe to decorate the expansive interior with Byzantine iconography. He and his son Bohdan began the commission in 1951…Their work took five years. In 1967, Bucmaniuk began work on an iconostas but was only able to complete the icon of the Mother of God in the lower corner before his death. Parascevia Ivanec, a former student of Bucmaniuk’s, painted five icons on the lower portions and the small icons on the royal and deacon’s doors. Ivan L. Denysenko, an American artist, painted the icons in the upper portion and completed the iconostas.

Sketch by Joanne Wojtysiak

Sketch by Merts Belmes

Sketch by Karen Wall

Sketch by Marlena Wyman (According to the Lawrence Herzog article, “The dominant colours are blue for heaven and serenity, and yellow for brightness and tranquility.”)

Posted by Marlena Wyman