Sketching History: The Artists Part IV

Fourth post in the series featuring the artists and some of their sketches from the exhibit Sketching History: Rediscovering Edmonton’s Architectural Heritage through Urban Sketching. Click on this link to go to the post.

Sketch by Brenda Raynard

Posted by Marlena Wyman

April 4, 2020 Sketch-In

Thanks to Yvonne Rezek for planning a Sketch-In: Sketch Where You Are! for our regular April 4th sketching time.

With current health advisories being adjusted daily, admins have decided that it’s probably prudent to avoid a group sketch outing in April. Instead, the sketch out will be held at home. We’re calling it a sketch in!

So, how do you make urban sketches in the familiarity of your home without just drawing random objects? The thing to remember about drawing on location is giving the viewer a sense of place or a sense of story.

Draw what’s happening in your living room or basement. Draw the view from your bedroom window. But, you want to draw a vase of flowers? Ok, how about drawing it on a table next to a book and a plate with a half-eaten bagel, and the clock on the wall? Show us the cozy nooks of where you live. Or, you’re desperate to draw an onion! You can draw the frying pan, a bottle of olive oil, the stove, and the cook, too! Show us what’s cooking for dinner and who’s making it. Go for a walk and draw your quirky next door neighbour’s house that still has Christmas decorations out front. Feeling housebound? Go for a little drive and draw the vista outside your car. Why not? Just remember, if you decide to go out to sketch, please practice good hygiene and safe social distancing.

The point, as always, is to take two hours out of your day and have fun sketching on location.

Then, as usual, at 1:00, stop, have lunch and pass your sketchbooks around the virtual table. Post your work! We can’t wait to see your sketches!

Stay healthy everyone, wash your hands, and be well!

Sketch by Yvonne Rezek

Snow Valley Ski Hill 7 March 2020

Thanks to Berta Beltran for organizing the March sketchout at Snow Valley Ski Hill so that we could sketch skiers in action – something that has always been a big part of Edmonton’s winter heritage.

Photos by Berta Beltran

From Snow Valley’s website: “In the 1940’s, Adsum Ltd., a commercial organization, rented out land from the city on the west bank of the Whitemud Creek Basin. The area was known as Snow Valley. Adsum Ltd. then began developing and running a private ski operation off this land. Operations were limited at first but over the next several years improvements were gradually made.” In 1961, Snow Valley Ski Club was officially registered and today it maintains and operates the facility through a lease arrangement with the City, providing a place for Edmontonians to enjoy outdoor recreation.

Sketch by Berta Beltran

Sketches by Brenda Raynard

Sketches by Brenda Raynard

Sketch by Gordon Ramsey

Sketch by Gordon Ramsey

Sketch by Karen Boschee

Sketch by Merts Belmes

Posted by Marlena Wyman

Sketching History: The Artists Part III

Third post in the series featuring the artists and some of their sketches from the exhibit Sketching History: Rediscovering Edmonton’s Architectural Heritage through Urban Sketching. Click on this link to go to the post.

Streetscape McCauley neighbourhood, 97 Street looking South of 108a Avenue by Terry Elrod, 7 July 2018

Posted by Marlena Wyman

Sketching History online exhibit

The online version of our exhibit Sketching History: Rediscovering Heritage Architecture through Urban Sketching is up!

Thanks to the City of Edmonton Archives for hosting this on their website and especially to Tim O’Grady and his team for their work on the online exhibit which was created from the physical exhibition at the Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre, up until December 2020. A smaller travelling exhibition is also being hosted by various branches of the Edmonton Public Library.

 

March 7, 2020 Sketchout

Thanks to Berta Beltran for suggesting and planning our March 7th sketchout at Snow Valley Ski Club. 

We can sketch from the windows in the lodge, or venture outside. We will meet in the lodge at 11am and sketch until 1pm and then eat at the cafe there.

Snow Valley is located at 13204 Rainbow Valley Road (119 St off Whitemud Freeway). Be sure to Google the location – you need to take Rainbow Valley Road from 122 St. Bus travel requires a bit of a walk.

It will be great to sketch of one of Edmonton’s winter activities, and the views of Whitemud Creek Ravine are beautiful too!

We are an official Urban Sketchers Chapter!

Thanks to Yvonne Rezek for working to have us become an official chapter of Urban Sketchers. Here is her announcement:

Great news! As you know, members of Urban Sketchers Edmonton (USkE) have been sketching on location and adhering to the Urban Sketchers manifesto since 2011. After all this time, we have applied for and been welcomed as an official regional chapter of Urban Sketchers, the international non-profit that fosters a global community of artists who practice on-location drawing. You can now find Urban Sketchers Edmonton listed under the Chapters menu here.

What does this mean? Well, nothing will change about how we practice urban sketching or conduct our sketch meets. But we are now entitled to share news and special events with Drawing Attention, the monthly zine that connects sketchers all around the world, and to have correspondents submit work to the USk blog. So, it’s kind of nice to be a recognized part of this constantly growing family of sketchers.

We do this very well already, but as a reminder, we are asked to comply with the USk “manifesto” which is to depict a place, culture, slice of time or event and to help promote the USk mission which, in part, is “to raise the artistic, storytelling and educational value of on-location drawing…”.

So, sketch on, you creative diamonds, you!