Moynahan Studio

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

48th World Wide SketchCrawl - July 25

The idea for a world wide sketchcrawl originated with Enrico Casarosa of San Francisco in late 2004 . Enrico is an Italian storyboard artist and director who works at Pixar Animation Studios.

Since 2004, SketchCrawl has become a worldwide phenomenon participated by artists around the world armed with sketchpads, pencils, watercolor and other sketching materials.

Join Us - In Ottawa - July 25

So - put your pen to paper on July 25th for as long as you can (be it 20 minutes or 6 hours) drawing, sketching, journaling about your day and what you see around you. For one day, slow down, look around you, see ... and draw or write. Record your day. No specific level of skill is expected ! Anyone is welcome.

Sign Up On Facebook!

Click here to sign up on facebook for Ottawa's 48th World Wide Sketchcrawl

10:00

We will meet at the National Gallery near the sculpture "maman" (aka the spider).

There is plenty of parking.

We can gather, get to know each other and sit and sketch "maman",

the Basilica or head to the next spots: Major's Hill Park,

Parliament Buildings or the Bytowne Museum (canal locks)

12:00

Show and Tell: Bytowne Museum (canal locks)

Before lunch, we will have a quick show and tell

for the benefit of folks who are sketching for only a half day.

By meeting at 12, artists could decide where to have lunch together

and even sketch their lunch location!
RAIN CHECK-IN LOCATION
We will meet under the bridge: Sussex & Rideau Canal
(There is a large sheltered area directly beside the canal to meet)

The Bytown Museum

2:00

The afternoon could be spent in the alleyways and/or the colourful vendor areas
of the Byward market.

There are plenty of places to sketch
RAIN CHECK-IN LOCATION
Byward Market Building
(We can meet indoors at the Moulin De Provence Bakery end)

The Byward Market

4:00

Show and Tell: Farewell
We will meet at the corner of York and Sussex
at the western end of the Byward Market

RAIN CHECK-IN LOCATION

Byward Market Building

(We can meet again indoors at the Moulin De Provence Bakery end)

World Wide Sketchcrawl Links:

Want to know more about World Wide Sketchcrawls?

Visit the links below.

Other Canadian Urban Sketching Groups

Want to now more about Urban Sketchers in other provinces?

Visit some of the blogs below:

48th World Wide SketchCrawl Ottawa Report

Read the 48th worldwide Sketch Crawl Ottawa report here: http://moynahanstudio.blogspot.ca/2015/07/48th-ww-sketchcrawl-ottawa-report.html

Monday, July 13, 2015

Trees and Forests

I have always loved trees. I love urban trees and have often thought about sketching some of the awesome urban trees I walk by daily in Centretown, Ottawa. Look at these two beautifully symmetrical trees framing the driveway to a Nepean St.construction site!

Entrance to Nepean construction site
My art journal: water colour and ink

Photo reference

As a hiker, canoeist and artist, there is something wonderful about being surrounded by trees. There are no words.

The Germans came up with the word "waldeinsamkeit" that is untranslatable into english. “Wald” meaning forest, and “Einsamkeit” meaning loneliness or solitude.

(Source: "11 Untranslatable Words")

In my youth there was an incredible oak tree in Cooksville (now Mississauga) that was a gathering place for me and my friends. It sat in the middle of a farmer's field and had huge branches so large that you could climb the tree and comfortably lie down on them without fear of falling.

I loved sketching trees. Below is a page (now thirty years old) from my 1986 sketchbook where I was trying to practice silhouettes of conifer trees.

My sketches of conifer silhouettes from my 1986 sketchbook
(on flickr)

1973 Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting

I love the way John Carlson directs the artist to paint trees: "You will learn to paint trees only by understanding them, their growth, their nature, their movement - and realizing that they are conscious living things....To the artist, the forest is an asylum of peace and dancing shadows."

John F. Carlson
(The black and white reproductions of
Carlson's trees in his book do them no justice)

Ottawa's Dominion Arboretum

The Friends of the Central Experimental Farm (FCEF) in Ottawa will be offering a wonderful Guided Tree Tour on Sunday July 19 and I signed up. ( If you are interested, the tour is free and open to the public, but you must register in advance at info@friendsofthefarm.ca or call 613-230-3276.)

Tour leaders Owen Clarkin and Roman Popadiouk will lead the group through the Arboretum and discuss the kinds of trees which can be found growing in Ottawa. Techniques for identifying trees at the genus level (e.g. oak vs. maple) and species level (e.g. Bur Oak vs. Swamp White Oak) will be explained using the trees encountered on the tour as examples.

Below, Sunday's tour leader Owen Clarkin was recorded giving a talk at the Grace Centre in Sydenham on April 12th, 2014. His talk was entitled: "Trees Worth Knowing in Eastern Ontario."

Ottawa Artist - Aleta Karstad

This tree talk video introduced me to Ottawa artist Aleta Karstad. Owen Clarkin commissioned a painting of the ancient Rock Elm (his preoccupation) in Merrickville (oil, 36 x 24 in.) by Aleta Karsta.

The Ottawa Society of Botanical Artists featured Aleta's painting progression on their blog: http://ottawabotanicalart.blogspot.ca/2014/04/painting-tree-ancient-rock-elm-in.html

Rock Elm commissioned by Owen Clarkin
Oil (36 x 24 in.) by Aleta Karstad

I learned that after Aleta studied for three years at Central Tech in Toronto, she then studied with Doris McCarthy (whom I had written about before). Oh, how I would love to hear more about that!

Tree Sketches

Sketch of oldest live oak tree in Mobile, Alabama
My art journal: water colour and ink

Ottawa Tree Links:

Owen Clarkin - Trees Worth Knowing in Eastern Ontario (video)
Tree Ottawa Champions
Ecology Ottawa - Tree posts
Loving Trees Clare Walker Leslie's Guide to Sketching Trees

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Summer Plein Air: 4/6

The fourth day of plein air painting took place at the beautiful Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa on Morningside Lane.

Google image of Morningside Lane around the Central Experimental Farm

I started, as I always do, by creating some quick and loose sketches of potential compositions.

I was immediately drawn to the image of the red barn with its silo right next to Morningside Lane. I loved the red and green together and the "mower lines" in the grass that would form the foreground and two-thirds of my panting's composition.

I had to edit a lot of details out from my view: the fenced in storage area in front of the barn and the tree on the left that blocked my ability to see the full silo ( I later had to capture the silo details from another angle where David Jones had set up his easel. See below)

My "Red Barn" painting in progress

David Jones' easel offering an unobstructed view of the silo

For my afternoon painting, I decided to let the cloudy sky dominate half of my composition with the quilt like patches of corn fields and canola fields forming the other half in the foreground.

My quick and loose sketch and setting up my easel to start

I wrapped up the painting session earlier than scheduled because in the distance I could see cows grazing in one of the fields and I really wanted to stop and do some quick sketches and photograph them. I love ALL farm animals, but, I have special affection for cows and horses. I could sit and sketch them all day.

Maybe next time.

I love cows!
Some quick sketches

Experimental Farm Cows

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Summer Plein Air Tuesdays: 3/6

The vrtucar ready to be loaded with art supplies

Our location was the shady park on the Rideau River opposite Billings Bridge Shopping Plaza.

Google map of painting location

The park had ample parking, plenty of shade and there was a pathway along the Rideau River where everyone in the group set up their easels.

We all faced Clifford Allen Island from various vantage points and we were entertained by the many birds, ducks, geese and gulls while we painted.

First painting

I decided to do a small painting to start and I focussed on a beautiful tree that sloped out over the river. The rocks on the shore had interesting shapes and colours.

For my second painting I wanted to have water in the foreground. The water was shallow and an interesting shade of blue-green-burnt umber. My composition featured horizontal tree trunks in the middle ground that sat on a small sandbar that jutted out from Clifford Allen Island.

My second painting (incomplete)

Both paintings need some sprucing up at home.

Painting number one (below) was a small piece ( 5x 7) and only took one hour. I love the colours (blue-orange-burnt umber) but the quick and loose style that I was using meant that the upper left section could use some more attention.

Painting number one needing a litttle more attention

Painting number two (below) was a larger piece ( 8x12 ) and took three hours. This painting also needs more attention. It was slightly damaged in transport (wet paint) which needs fixing.

In addition to the repair, the background and foreground need some adjusting .

I was happy with the middle ground though - the horizontal trees, the shoreline along the sandbar.

Middle ground detail

I would like to add some of the geese and gulls that came and went as I painted.

Geese and ducks visited and left over the three hours

Would like to add some geese and ducks here

A gull on the large rock.

My reference photo

I took a reference photo at the end of the session so that I would be able to touch up my painting.

The plein air group reviewing potential locations for our next session.

Looking forward to the next session.

Through consensus we agreed to paint at the Experimental Farm next.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Ottawa Urban Sketchers- Week II

Week 2 - Ottawa alleys

Really enjoyed this week of urban sketching. I managed to pull off four sketches in about two hours.

The light was great and there were plenty of friendly folks travelling through the alleys.

My stamp!

I liked the graffiti art in the alley

The light was casting interesting shadows.

The back of Bramasoles caught my eye.

Looking forward to next week in Hintonburg. Date and place TBD.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

The Saturday Farmers' Market

Some fun sketches from last Saturday's visit to the Ottawa Farmers' Market at the Nature Museum.

Art journal sketches of the Main Farmers' Market

Notre Petite Ferme ~ Our Little Farm booth

I love this booth and bought some delicious broccoli from the vendor. Having the Nature Museum as a backdrop to the farmers' booths made for an interesting composition.