EFor those acquainted with Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the brick and wrought iron wall separating the parliament buildings from the city streets (or as some would say, separating the Crown from the town) is approximately 600 m (2000 ft) in length and an built in the Gothic Revival style like the parliamentary buildings on the Hill. Known as the Wellington Wall, it was designed by Frederick Alexander and built from 1872 to 1875. Unfortunately I couldn't find much more information about it in my research. A central gate found in the Wall in front of the Centennial Flame is called the Queen's Gate but there are several other gates along the Wall which do not appear to have been given names despite their distinct beauty. This image is of the gate at the corner of Wellington and Bank Streets. I first sketched it with a pen and ink, and then coloured it in watercolour.

Tags:   watercolour ink p

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For those acquainted with Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the brick and wrought iron wall separating the parliament buildings from the city streets (or as some would say, separating the Crown from the town) is approximately 600 m (2000 ft) in length and an built in the Gothic Revival style like the parliamentary buildings on the Hill. Known as the Wellington Wall, it was designed by Frederick Alexander and built from 1872 to 1875. Unfortunately I couldn't find much more information about it in my research. A central gate found in the Wall in front of the Centennial Flame is called the Queen's Gate but there are several other gates along the Wall which do not appear to have been given names despite their distinct beauty. This iimage is of the gate at the corner of Wellington and Bank Streets. I began by sketching it in pen and ink, and then scanned it and coloured it on my iPadPro.

Tags:   digital Parliament

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This is a sketch of the East Block (one of the parliamentary buildings in Ottawa). The perspective on this sketch is intentionally a bit lopsided - for my reference photo, I was looking straight up at the Southwest Tower of the East Block and attempted to focus on some of its grotesques and frescoes. I've always been impressed by the character of this building and had the good fortunate to have worked there for several years. The East Block was constructed between 1859 and 1866 when the city had a small population under 15,000 and was reached by steamboat from Montreal on a long day's journey when the river wasn't ice-bound. (Winter must have made the city very isolated in this era.) I find it amazing that such a grand building, which many consider to be a highlight of the architecture of the Victorian Age, could have been built in what was essentially a wilderness. While the Southwest Tower isn't as tall as the Peace Tower in the Centre Block or the Mackenzie Tower in the West Block, it commands attention due to its large ornamental windows, its cowbell-shaped roof and its beautiful stone carvings. An interesting article on the building by R.A.J. Phillips entitled, The House that History Built, can be read in the Canadian Parliamentary Review here - www.revparl.ca/english/issue.asp?param=100&art=442. This is one of many images that I've made of the East Block and I hope to make many more.

Ceci est un croquis de l'édifice de l'Est (l'un des édifices parlementaires à Ottawa). La perspective de ce croquis est intentionnellement un peu déséquilibrée : pour ma photo de référence, je regardais directement vers la tour sud-ouest de l'édifice de l'Est (l'un des édifices parlementaires d'Ottawa) et j'ai essayé de me concentrer sur certaines de ses grotesques et fresques. J'ai toujours été impressionné par le caractère de ce bâtiment et j'ai eu la chance d'y travailler pendant plusieurs années. L'édifice de l'Est a été construit entre 1859 et 1866, alors que la ville comptait une petite population de moins de 15 000 habitants. On y accédait par bateau à vapeur de Montréal, après une longue journée de voyage, lorsque la rivière n'était pas pris dans les glaces. (L'hiver a dû rendre la ville très isolée à cette époque.) Je trouve étonnant qu'un bâtiment aussi grandiose, que beaucoup considèrent comme l'un des points forts de l'architecture de l'ère victorienne, ait pu être construit dans ce qui était essentiellement une nature sauvage. Bien que la tour sud-ouest ne soit pas aussi haute que la tour de la Paix dans l'édifice du Centre ou la tour Mackenzie dans l'édifice de l'Ouest, elle attire l'attention en raison de ses grandes fenêtres ornementales, de son toit en forme de clochette et de ses belles sculptures en pierre. Un article intéressant sur le bâtiment par R.A.J. Phillips intitulé, La maison que l'histoire a bâtie, peut être lu dans la Revue parlementaire canadienne ici - www.revparl.ca/5/1/05n1_82f_Phillips.pdf . Ce croquis est l'une des nombreuses images que j'ai faites de l'édifice de l'Est et j'espère en faire beaucoup d'autres.

Tags:   watercolour and ink Ottawa Parliament

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Imagine a summer afternoon where you’re kayaking on a lake. Clear blue sky. Calm water. And oh so quiet. You glide over the surface of the water almost effortlessly. After a while, you’re getting hot in the sun and decide it’s time to head back. You paddle towards a shoreline where trees grow tall and provide deep shade and coolness against the heat of the day. Imagine what it must look like.

Imaginez un après-midi d’été où vous faites du kayak sur un lac. Un ciel bleu clair. Une eau calme. Et si, si calme. Vous glissez sur la surface de l’eau presque sans effort. Après un certain temps, vous avez chaud au soleil et décidez qu’il est temps de rentrer. Vous pagayez vers un rivage où les arbres poussent haut et offrent une ombre profonde et de la fraîcheur contre la chaleur de la journée. Imaginez à quoi cela doit ressembler.

Tags:   Landscape oil painting

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This is a scene that I imagined and drew after reading the Prologue to Lucy Foley’s, The Midnight Feast, which is currently a best-selling mystery novel. My drawing shows a forest under a full moon with woodland creatures moving about. An extract from the Prologue reads as follows:

“A fox, browsing in the dead beech leaves for the trail of a rabbit, stops still. Raises its head, ears pricked, paw raised, before turning and fleeing. The owls halt their night-time chorus, lifting as silent pale ghosts from the branches to find another patch of woodland. A small herd of deer scatters more noisily, crashing through the undergrowth in its haste to get away. Something is moving through the trees now, disturbing the normal night-time harmony. Shadows with form, with substance. Rustling through the leaves, treading upon the woodland floor, snapping twig and bracken.”

The author certainly made a strong impression on me by using words to paint a beautiful image.

Voici une scène que j’ai imaginée et dessinée après avoir lu le prologue de The Midnight Feast de Lucy Foley, qui est actuellement un roman policier à succès. Mon dessin montre une forêt sous la pleine lune avec des créatures des bois qui se déplacent. Un extrait du prologue se lit comme suit :

« Un renard, broutant dans les feuilles mortes des hêtres à la recherche de la trace d’un lapin, s’arrête. Il lève la tête, les oreilles dressées, la patte levée, avant de se retourner et de fuir. Les hiboux interrompent leur chœur nocturne, s’élevant comme des fantômes pâles et silencieux des branches pour trouver un autre coin de forêt. Un petit troupeau de cerfs se disperse plus bruyamment, s’écrasant dans les sous-bois dans sa hâte de s’enfuir. Quelque chose bouge maintenant dans les arbres, perturbant l’harmonie nocturne normale. Des ombres avec forme, avec substance. Un bruissement dans les feuilles, un piétinement sur le sol de la forêt, des brindilles et des fougères craquantes. »

L’auteur m’a certainement fait forte impression en utilisant des mots pour peindre une belle image.

Tags:   ink drawing Landscape

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