Urban Sketchers Edmonton

January 2023 Sketch-Meet

Posted on January 6, 2023 by Marlena Wyman

Where: Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival is always a lot of fun and a perfect opportunity to capture Edmonton shenanigans with our sketches. A free festival that runs primarily along 118 Avenue between 90-95 streets, it celebrates Ukrainian, Indigenous, and French cultures in art, music, dance, stories, ice carvings, food, and more. It spans two days from noon to 6:00 with some activities going on to 10:00 pm on Saturday. The scope of the festivities in terms of performance schedules and locations is huge.

When: Saturday January 21 from 12pm to 2pm. For those wishing to meet together at the beginning, this urban sketching event will officially begin at noon at the main doors of the Alberta Avenue Community Centre and finish up at the same place. Can someone take a group photo for our FB group? However, you may decide to come later in the day or on Sunday to see specific performances and sketch at different times.

For complete information, including performances, schedule, and site map, see:
https://www.deepfreezefest.ca/

In addition to continuous outdoor activities , performances, and people-watching, indoor and sheltered stages include:
Carrot Community Coffeehouse
Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts
Big Bear Yurt Stage
New Moon Pavilion
The Hearth in the Alberta Avenue Community League

Parking is on the street. Please observe all parking signs.

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Festival of Trees Holiday Market Sketch-Meet, Dec 17, 2022

Posted on January 2, 2023 by Marlena Wyman

The cold temperatures and other holiday happenings kept our sketch-meet small, but there were a few of us who managed to get tickets and find warm spots to sketch at the Festival of Trees Holiday Market held at RE/MAX Field.

Other sketchers captured some seasonal scenes:

Heather Markham, Christmas tree at home, Edmonton

Heather Markham, back yard view, Edmonton

Gordon Ramsey, Rossdale Brewery and Hotel Macdonald, Edmonton

Karen Boschee, view of downtown from Old Timer’s Cabin, Edmonton

See you for more sketching in 2023!

Posted by Marlena Wyman

Stanley Milner Library Sketch-Meet, November 19, 2022

Posted on December 1, 2022 by Marlena Wyman

Some of our lovely sketchers met up at the Stanley Milner Library, the main branch of Edmonton Public Libraries, on November 19th and captured some of its many great vantage points for sketching.

Other sketchers chose other libraries, and other subjects to sketch, near and far.

Diane Smarsh, Sunrise Mountain Library, Peoria, Arizona

Gordon Ramsey, Cloverdale neighbourhood, Edmonton

Gordon Ramsey, demolition of Michener Park U of A student residences, Edmonton

Karen Dee, Whitewood Barn bridal event, Millet, Alberta

Lorie Taylor Leech’s back yard, Edmonton

Karen Boschee, Candy Cane Lane, Edmonton

Posted by Marlena Wyman

Posted in Urban Sketchers Edmonton | Tagged Coronavirus pandemic sketching, Edmonton, sketching | 2 Comments

December 2022 Sketch-Meet

Posted on November 30, 2022 by Marlena Wyman

NOTE: I just heard that the Festival of Trees Holiday Market on Dec 17th is now sold out.

“Pre-booked admission to the Holiday Market is currently sold out, but guests without a ticket can still come and wait in line to enter as capacity is available.”

Hopefully, anyone who wanted to sketch there has booked their ticket. However, if you haven’t booked a ticket, since it is a quick-sketch event anyway and we won’t have time to share sketches there, please also feel free to sketch another urban sketching subject of the season and post your sketch on our Facebook page.

Happy festive sketching!

Our December sketch-meet is Saturday December 17 at the Festival of Trees Winter Wonderland Holiday Market at REMAX Field. It is a bit different this time since you have to book a time slot, although there is no fee for entry. The event starts at 12pm, so if you can book the 12pm to 1pm time slot as soon as possible, that is when we will try for the group to be there.

I don’t know whether we will be able to stay beyond our time slot, so this is one to test your quick sketching skills! The market and decorated trees are both indoors and outdoors. If it is a nice day, you can also sketch the ballpark from outside.

If you are not able to come for the 12pm to 1pm time slot with the group, you are welcome to book another time slot. Remember to post your sketches on our Facebook page!

We hope to see you there!

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November 2022 Sketch-meet

Posted on November 6, 2022 by Marlena Wyman

Stanley Milner Library, 7 Sir Winston Churchill Square

Saturday November 19 from 11am to 1pm

The renewed Stanley Milner Library, our downtown Edmonton Public Library, opened two years ago to much controversy about its new architectural design. Dubbed by the library itself as #ThinkTank!, the library is a wonderful resource that provides both familiar and new opportunities for education, entertainment and creating. Important for us, the Stanley Milner library offers many vantage points for sketching.

We will meet at the interactive display wall on the main floor at 11:00. Sketchbook throwdown will be at 1:00 in the seating area by the Second Cup on the main level. Anyone who wishes to stay for coffee, treats, and conversation afterwards is welcome to do so.

Parking is available in the library parkade, there are bus stops nearby, and it is about a 6 minute walk from the Bay/Enterprise LRT station.

Covid19 health & saftey requirements: Most library staff continue to practice health safety by wearing masks. Despite different comfort levels, masking is encouraged while in the library, and please do not come if you are feeling ill.

Quoted from the Teeple Architects website:
“The reshaped library’s interior reflects and supports modern library service delivery, in which EPL has been a leader, bringing greater focus to community-building and engagement, social responsibility, and access to technology, in addition to “traditional” library uses. Visitors now enter into a bright six-storey atrium defined by a sweeping new “reading ramp” and a two-storey interactive display wall. Basement lobby space for the building’s theatre and event rooms is now visible through voids in the floor, increasing the sense of welcome and interconnection. From the entry, visitors are led on an intuitive path towards new amenities including large galleria spaces, a café, a multi-functional children’s library, makerspaces, gaming space, teaching kitchen, meeting spaces and administrative offices. The spiritual heart of the building is the PÎYÊSÎW WÂSKÂHIKAN (Thunderbird House), an Indigenous gathering and smudging space designed in consultation with local Cree Elders and their communities.”

Thanks to Yvonne Rezek for planning our November sketch-meet.

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University of Alberta Astronomical Observatory, October 22, 2022

Posted on November 1, 2022 by Marlena Wyman

Thanks to Berta Beltran, one of our sketchers, for arranging this special visit for our October 22nd sketch-meet at the U of A’s Astronomical Observatory. This was a wonderful opportunity to sketch both inside and outside of the observatory. The observatory is accessed through the CCIS (Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science) building and is part of the Department of Physics at the University of Alberta. It is open to the public for some evening observing hours, but we were very fortunate to have the space to ourselves for our sketch-meet.

Various sketches were created outside on the rather chilly 5th floor deck, some were inside the observatory domes, and some inside the classroom. We had 20 sketchers show up and we had a great day!

Brenda Raynard, U of A Observatory domes

Marlena Wyman, U of A Observatory dome seen through the classroom window

Angie Sotiropolis, telescope inside U of A Observatory dome

Sarah Lee, historic telescope inside U of A Observatory classroom

As always, everything around us is inspiring too:

Lorie Taylor Leech, Telus World of Science, Edmonton

Gordon Ramsey, downtown Edmonton from Bonnie Doon

Gordon Ramsey, Italian Center from Giovanni Caboto Park – view west across 95 Street, Edmonton

Gordon Ramsey, Imperial Oil Refinery, southeast Edmonton

Zulima Acuña, house in her Edmonton neighbourhood, one year apart.

Heather Markham, fall colours in her Edmonton neighbourhood

Merts Belmes, Pigeon Lake Provincial Park, Alberta

Braden Pihowich, Covenant Bay Bible Camp, Pigeon Lake, Alberta

Posted by Marlena Wyman

Posted in Urban Sketchers Edmonton | Tagged Coronavirus pandemic sketching, Edmonton, sketching | Leave a comment

October 2022 Sketch-Meet

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Marlena Wyman

Thanks to Berta Beltran, one of our sketchers, for arranging this special visit for our October 22^nd sketch-meet at the University of Alberta’s Astronomical Observatory. This will be a wonderful opportunity to sketch inside, and hopefully outside, the observatory.

There are good views the telescope domes from outside, and the domes can also be seen through the windows from inside the classroom/exhibit area, and from the deck off the classroom/exhibit area.

Please observe Covid 19 protocol: keep distance both indoors and outdoors, and wear masks indoors.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Berta needs to accompany us up to the observatory since she is the only one of us who has authorization to do. WE WILL MEET AT THE ELEVATOR ON THE MAIN FLOOR AT 11AM (see directions below). PLEASE BE ON TIME. If you unavoidably detained, you can contact Berta at bertika.beltran@gmail.com

TIME: Saturday Oct 22, 2022 from 11am to 2pm

LOCATION: CCIS building, University of Alberta. Leave yourself time to get to campus and then find the building and the observatory! The observatory is accessed through the CCIS (Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science) building. It is south of the Biological Sciences building and north of the Main Quad.

MAP: The red star in the southwest corner of CCIS indicates the location of the observatory.

DIRECTIONS INSIDE CCIS:

Enter CCIS and walk to the atrium at the West end of the building on the Main floor. The west atrium has a large hanging model of the solar system.

2. The west elevators are in the back corner towards Saturn, through the side doors next to the washrooms (shown with red arrows on the image below.) Meet here at 11am and Berta will take us up to the observatory.

GETTING THERE: The LRT station is a 5 minute walk away from CCIS. Bicycle racks are located near the South entrances to the building. The most convenient parking lots are Lot V (near the Faculty Club, which is northwest of CCIS), Lot E (on the northeast side of CCIS), and Windsor Car Park (west of CCIS).

Some consideration to keep in mind:

The indoor classroom area is heated but the telescopes are outside, and the domes are not heated. So wear warm clothes.

The floors of the observatory’s domes are a metallic mesh. Please wear flat bottomed shoes, since high heel shoes are dangerous in this environment.

You can take a virtual tour here.

Hope to see you there!

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Imrie House, September 2022

Posted on October 2, 2022 by Marlena Wyman

On September 17th we had a beautiful day and an excellent turnout of sketchers at historic Imrie House in the SW river valley. Thanks to the Land Stewardship Centre for providing us with this wonderful opportunity.

Imrie House was first named “Six Acres”, built in 1957 by Edmonton architects Jean Wallbridge and Mary Imrie as their home and business office. They were Canada’s first female architectural firm, and they worked together for almost 30 years. Their architectural work was mainly residential, as was the case for most female architects of the time. In 1957, they won the Canadian Housing Design Council’s Prairie Regional Award for one of their home designs. Further background about the house can be found in this article written by Josephine Boxwell.

Other sketchers were inspired by other locations:

Gordon Ramsey, house on top of river valley at 199 Street, Edmonton

Lorie Taylor Leech, Lorie’s garden, Edmonton

Aeris Osborne, Oppertshauser House, Stony Plain AB

Aeris Osborne, Lake Agnes Tea House, Lake Louise AB

Posted by Marlena Wyman

Posted in Urban Sketchers Edmonton | Tagged Coronavirus pandemic sketching, Edmonton's architectural heritage, sketching | 1 Comment

September 2022 outdoor sketch-meet

Posted on September 5, 2022 by Marlena Wyman

Sketch-meet at Imrie House and grounds, Saturday September 17 from 11am to 2pm.

Thanks to the Land Stewardship Centre who are located at Imrie House, and to the Parks & Wildlife Ventures Program of Alberta Environment & Parks, Urban Sketchers Edmonton have the wonderful opportunity to sketch historic Imrie House and the surrounding grounds overlooking the river valley.

Remember that this is an urban sketch, so the house or other evidence of urban life should be part of your sketch. That means you can include other sketchers in your sketch too!

DIRECTIONS: Imrie House is at 17503 – 45 Avenue. At the intersection of Donsdale Road and 45 Avenue, take the gravel road to your left (east). A sign will indicate “Land Stewardship Centre”.

PARKING: Park along the gravel road before the gate, and then take a short walk in along the rest of the road to the house.

LUNCH: We will sketch from 11am to 1pm and then share sketches and have a picnic lunch at 1pm. Bring your picnic lunch if you would like to join in. There are no picnic tables, so bring blankets. Washrooms are located in the house. NOTE: We need to leave the property by 2pm.

NOTE: This is a rain or shine event so if it looks like it might be raining bring rain gear. Additionally, Covid is still among us, so keep distance outdoors and if using washroom in the house, please wear masks.

HISTORY: In 1950, Mary Imrie and Jean Wallbridge became the first Canadian women to establish an architectural firm. They built their home and office in 1957 and named it Six Acres. The name was later changed to Imrie House. Jean Wallbridge died in 1979, and upon Mary Imrie’s death in 1988 a large bequest was left to the Province of Alberta for conservation purposes which includes Imrie House and the land around it. Mary’s intention was that the land and the home be used and enjoyed by the people of Alberta.

Further history about Mary Imrie, Jean Wallbridge and the house can be found in this Edmonton Historical Board article and in this ECAMP article by Josephine Boxwell.

Imrie House photo Land Stewardship Centre

Posted in Urban Sketchers Edmonton | 2 Comments

Indigenous Art Park 20 August 2022

Posted on September 1, 2022 by Marlena Wyman

The Indigenous Art Park ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW) in Queen Elizabeth Park was the subject of our August sketch-meet, which provided wonderful sculptures and fabulous views of the river valley for us to sketch.