Drawing at the Rooster

August 18 was my first time "Drawing at the Rooster" (DATR) and I had a blast. I have not sketched models since high school in Miss Kertesz' life drawing class!

On the DATR facebook page it says, "Drawing at the Rooster is a monthly life drawing event. There are multiple live models (clothed/costumed) that will do a variety of short and long poses. Each event has a different theme! 

 Drawing at the Rooster is a no cover event, and is a creative, non-judgmental environment where artists of all skill levels will have an opportunity to practice their life drawing skills. Bring your own sketchbook and be sure to come a bit early to ensure you get a good seat. 

 Please post pictures or sketches from Drawing at the Rooster Events! As always, there are food and beverage specials too".

The DATR facebook group has 336 members!

The poster for the event

A LOT of folks showed up to sketch. There were three models: Emilie, Karen and Sarah who each posed for a 2 minute, 3 minute, 5 minute and then a 20 minute pose.

Model #1 - Emilie

My 2, 3 and 5 minute sketches

The 20 minute pose

My 20 minute sketch

Model #2 - Erin

Model #3 - Sarah

At the end of the evening there is an optional contest for the best sketch. The artists, if they chooose to participate, all pick their favourite sketch of the night and the best sketch of them all (democratically voted on) wins a gift certificate for the Atomic Rooster.

The sketches being voted on using pencils to vote

The beautiful sketch that won!!!

I had a blast and I am looking forward to September's "Drawing at the Rooster"!

Artist's Bike-easels and Stroller-easels

You know what they say, "Necessity is the mother of invention". Plein air painting requires that the artist carry a fair amount of gear and I wondered, "How did they manage in the days before cars?" and how do "car-less" artists manage today?

Biking and painting. 

The photo of the painter's bicycle from the first half of the twentieth century below was found at Museo Galileo : "With the increasing use of the bicycle, artists who painted en plein air began to use them to wander through the countryside, stopping at attractive sites. The vehicle was usually equipped with wooden cases holding the paints, brushes, rags and palette. The bag on the front could be transformed into an easel."

The Painter's Bicycle
( First half of the 20th century) 

It made me curious about current day modifications and "Painter's Bicycles" so I searched for images.

Artist Robert Genn did a blog post entitled "Mobile Methodologies" and said "A few years ago I built an "Art-Dog", a mobile paintbox I towed behind my bike."

Robert Genn's "Art Dog"

I understand the need to tow art equipment but, for my personal needs, I was hoping to find something more compact and lightweight.

I like this compact modification (below) from the Try Everything blog.

Found on Try Everything blog

Matthew Mattingly went mobile with his rig, which he calls the Bi-Sketch-Cycle. (Instructions here)

Bi-sketch-cycle

This one from Brian Bickrell is quite an elaborate modification of the towing variety but Brian travels extensively in his RV and this set-up was exactly what he needed.

Brian Buckrell's modification
and bike-easel set up

I was actually drawn to much more simple modifications and there are a few more images with links to the artist's pages below.

Poppy Balser's set-up

Andre Jute's acrylic set up

Found on a Wet Canvas forum

Found on a Wet Canvas forum

Brazilian artist from Rio de Janeiro, Sandra Nunes bike-easel set up

Brazilian artist from Rio de Janeiro, Sandra Nunes bike-easel set up

Artist Strollers

I loved when I stumbled across artist strollers like this one complete with instructions at Loriann Sigori's blog. She explained, "Last year I met up with my friend Mike McMullin in Washington state. He was sporting a new plein air painting machine, the Cadillac of transports. The magician that he is, Mike took a used baby jogging stroller and turned it into an easel and transport system on the go. Check it out!"

And here is a modification of an umbrella stroller by Diana Horowitz who found it challenging to cityscape paint with small children:

Diana Horowitz stroller modification

And lastly, I love this one that I found at Gurney's Journey gas station painting challenge page. He writes, "Jared Cullum captured the full scene with all its detail: the signs, the plantings, and even the cars. The result gives a strong feeling of being there....He deserves special commendation for doing the painting while babysitting and adapting the stroller into an easel."

Gurney's Journey Gas Station challenge

More Bike-Easel Internet Finds Since August 2015

Florida artist David Alejandro Del Toro‎ post in the
Plein Air Painters Facebook page (Oct 8, 2015)

Last, but certainly not least, 

enjoy this James Gurney video 

of the 

Unicycle Painter!

Links to DIY Easels

• Gurney's Journey Lightweight Sketch Easel
• DIY Sketchbook Pochades

Related Links

• Motorcycle Riding Is Plein Air Perfect

Ottawa Street Gourmet

I am so happy when folks like my sketches. 

I was waiting at the corner of O'Connor & Albert to meet my nephew for lunch and it was one of the hottest days of the summer. I started waching the folks on the Ottawa Street Gourmet food truck serving food and I couldn't imagine how incredibly hot they must have been inside the truck as I watched drenched in sweat from a shaded place on the sidewalk.

They were so cheerful and happy despite the oppressive heat. I was truly impressed!

I was ten minutes early for my lunch meeting with my nephew so I pulled out my sketch book and did a quick ten minute sketch and tweeted it later to their twitter (@streatottawa) later.

Well, they liked the sketch and asked if they could use it. Of course I said yes! I am truly honoured.

Here it is as a banner on their twitter page:

Twitter Page of Ottawa Street Gourmet

There is a heat advisory in effect for Ottawa on Monday August 17 and I was thinking about these great folks out there in the oppressive heat again! I have been advised that unfortunately the truck is in the shop for repairs but fortunately that means that they will be staying cool on Monday!

Then they'll back on Tuesday at the corner of Albert and O'Connor Monday to Friday from 11:30 until 2:00. Their food is locally sourced & inspired and the menu changes daily. Check out their website: StreetOttawa

Check out the weekly menu on their Facebook page

Where are you eating lunch today? Head over to Albert and O'Connor and tell them Cindi sent you.

Alley Project Week 8

My art journal with  my three sketches

For Week 8 of the Alley Project the weather was beautiful and there was a great turnout of sketchers with some new folks. The location was Bank and Sunnyside and the alleys were wonderful. The alleys were filled with great colours, great mural art and grafitti and lots of greenery.

I loved the way the sun setting in the west was lighting the alley.

The alley "walk through"

My twitter collage

My second sketch: ink and wash

Lots of greenery at this end of the alley

Door reads: "Probably Bad Guys"

My first sketch: Loved the red fence with the green oak tree

As we were getting ready to leave, two dogs on a rooftop starting barking at us until we all started taking their pictures. Then they started wagging! It was a great finish to a great night.

Movies About Artists

Movies about artists

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love movies! When the Elgin video store sadly closed its doors recently (after thirty years) they sold off their eclectic and off-the-beaten path collection of videos. I decided to research names of movies that were focussed on the lives of artists and head to Elgin Video to purchase them. Luckily I found several  on my list below.

Some of the older movies in the list below are available online for free (see my note *WATCH ONLINE*) There are also a number of excellent documentaries that are available for free online like the one on Johannes Vermeer -  Master of Light (that I absolutely loved) but this blog list is strictly about movies. I am planning an artist documentaries list for later (check out the Top 10 Documentaries Every Art Lover Should Watch)

Enjoy the vintage video of artists Renoir, Monet, Picasso and O'Keeffe that I have embedded at the very bottom of this page.

If you enjoyed a movie about an artist, and it is not included here, please add it in the comment section below.

Movies about Women Artists

• Frida Still Life (1983)  The most prominent female painter of Latin America, Frida Kahlo, is agonizing in her Coyoacán home. 
• Camille Claudel (1988) Biography of Camille Claudel. Sister of writer Paul Claudel, her enthusiasm impresses already-famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. 
• Carrington (1995) The platonic relationship between artist Dora Carrington and writer Lytton Strachey in the early 20th century.
• Artemisia (1997) Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653) was one of the first well-known female painters. The movie tells the story of her youth, when she was guided and protected by her father.
• Frida (2002) A biography of artist Frida Kahlo, who channeled the pain of a crippling injury and her tempestuous marriage into her work. 
• Miss Potter (2006) The story of Beatrix Potter, the author of the beloved and best-selling children's book, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", and her struggle for love, happiness and success.
• Séraphine (2008) Based on the life of French painter Séraphine de Senlis.
• Georgia O'Keeffe (2009 TV Movie) Biopic of American artist Georgia O'Keeffe and her husband, photographer Alfred Stieglitz.
• Camille Claudel 1915 (2013) Winter, 1915. Confined by her family to an asylum in the South of France - where she will never sculpt again - the chronicle of Camille Claudel's reclusive life, as she waits for a visit from her brother, Paul Claudel.

Movies About Men Artists

• Rembrandt (1936) This character study joins the painter at the height of his fame in 1642, when his adored wife suddenly dies and his work takes a dark turn *WATCH ONLINE*
• Lust For Life (1956) The life of brilliant but tortured artist Vincent van Gogh. 
• The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965) The biographical story of Michelangelo's troubles while painting the Sistine Chapel at the urging of Pope Julius II.
•  Edvard Munch (1974) *WATCH ONLINE*
•  Oviri (1986) This biographical film, based on the life of French artist Paul Gauguin (Donald Sutherland), follows the painter as he returns to Paris after a long stay in Tahiti 
• Vincent and Theo (1990) The familiar tragic story of Vincent van Gogh is broadened by focusing as well on his brother Theodore, who helped support Vincent. The movie also provides a nice view of the locations which Vincent painted.
• Van Gogh (1991) The final 67 days of Van Gogh's life is examined.
• Crumb (1994) An intimate portrait of the controversial cartoonist and his traumatized family.
• Surviving Picasso (1996) The passionate Merchant-Ivory drama tells the story of Francoise Gilot, the only lover of Pablo Picasso who was strong enough to withstand his ferocious cruelty and move on with her life.
• Basquiat (1996) Basquiat tells the story of the meteoric rise of youthful artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
• Rembrandt (1999)
• American Splendor (2003) 
• Paradise Found (2003) A successful 19th century French stockbroker (Gauguin) leaves his profession to become an artist in Paris.
• Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003) A young peasant maid working in the house of painter Johannes Vermeer becomes his talented assistant and the model for one of his most famous works
•  In the Realms of the Unreal (2004)  A documentary on Henry Darger, visionary artist, janitor, and novelist.Modigliani (2004) The story of Amedeo Modigliani's bitter rivalry with Pablo Picasso, and his tragic romance with Jeanne Hebuterne.
• Goya's Ghosts (2006)  Painter Francisco Goya faces a scandal involving his muse, who is labeled a heretic by a monk.
• Nightwatching (2007) An extravagant, exotic and moving look at Rembrandt's romantic and professional life, and the controversy he created by the identification of a murderer in the painting THE NIGHT WATCH
• Caravaggio (2007 - TV Movie) The tumultuous and adventurous life of Michelangelo Merisi, controversial artist, called by Fate to become the immortal Caravaggio.
• Midnight In Paris
• The Mill and the Cross (2011) The film focuses on a dozen of the 500 characters depicted in Bruegel's painting. The theme of Christ's suffering is set against religious persecution in Flanders in 1564.
• Renoir (2012) Set on the French Riviera in the summer of 1915, Jean Renoir -- son of the Impressionist painter, Pierre-Auguste -- returns home to convalesce after being wounded in World War I.

Other

• The Moon and Sixpence (1942) Loosely inspired from Gauguin's life, the story of Charles Strickland, a middle-aged stockbrocker who abandons his middle-classed life, his family, his duties to start painting, what he has always wanted to do. He is from now on a awful human being, wholly devoted to his ideal: beauty *WATCH ONLINE* (subtitles)
• Local Color (2006) A successful artist looks back with loving memories on the summer of his defining year, 1974. A talented but troubled 18-year-old aspiring artist befriends a brilliant elderly alcoholic painter who has turned his back on not only art but life.
• Waiting for Hockney (2008) A young working class Baltimore man spends 10 years on a single portrait, believing it is his means to fame and fortune.
• Herb & Dorothy (2008) Herb and Dorothy Vogel redefine what it means to be an art collector.
• Midnight in Paris (2011) While on a trip to Paris with his fiancée's family, a nostalgic screenwriter finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s every day at midnight
• Tim's Vermeer (2013)  Inventor Tim Jenison seeks to understand the painting techniques used by Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer.

Recent Movies

• Mr. Turner (2014) An exploration of the last quarter century of the great, if eccentric, British painter J.M.W. Turner's life.
• Big Eyes (2015) A drama about the awakening of the painter Margaret Keane, her phenomenal success in the 1950s, and the subsequent legal difficulties she had with her husband, who claimed credit for her works in the 1960s.

Vintage Movies

Ottawa Art Gallery - Summer Printmaking Workshop

OAG Summer Workshop

On Saturday, August 8, from 1 to 4 pm, the Ottawa Art Gallery offered a free workshop with Ottawa-based artist Anne Wanda Tessier to learn basic relief printing techniques.

Artist Anne Wanda Tessier (right) demonstrating inking
(My sister Kelly on the left)

Workshop Inspired by Mary E. Wrinch  (1877-1969)

This workshop was inspired by the exhibition: Female Self-Representation and the Public Trust: Mary E. Wrinch and the AGW Collection. I had written a blog post previously about my visit to the Mary E. Wrinch exhibit (click here)

In my earlier blogpost I quoted:

"In 1928, at the age of 51, Wrinch's style changed again. She began experimenting with linoleum block printing, interpreting the landscapes of her paintings into intricate prints that featured rich colours and strong outlines. She was also very interested in studying flowers and many of the prints feature flowers from her own garden." (Source: McNaught Gallery Newsletter June 2014)

Mary E. Wrinch, Morning Glories (1935),
colour linocut on paper, 41 x 32 cm.
Gift of The Gordon Conn – Mary E. Wrinch Trust, 1970. Art Gallery of Windsor

The Workshop

The registration had closed in early August as the workshop was full. It took place in the spacious courtroom inside the Arts court (2 Daly Av. Ottawa), All of the printmaking materials were provided.

Screen shot of our amazing instructor's Anne Wanda Tessier's FB page pictures.

Due to the short timeframe (3 hours) for the workshop, there was insufficient time to carve wood so workshop participants were given the choice of using either a pink Speedball Speedy-Carve™  ...

Speedball Speedy-Carve™

or a beige Speedball Speedy-Cut™ block. Linoleum was also available.

Speedball Speedy-Cut™

The Sunflower

My sister chose a beautiful sunflower to carve on to her block and accepted Anne's challenge to create a two colour print which required printing yellow first, then recarving her block and printing over the yellow in black. It turned out incredibly beautiful!

My sister putting her finishing touches on phase two of her sunflower print

Labrador Love

I chose to make a print of myself with my yellow labrador retriever Lexington ("Lexie"). I made a black and white print with the intention of making a heart stamp and printing it in red on Lexie's chest.

My Lexie print

The three OAG staff that were assisting in the workshop with Anne were wonderful and took hundreds of photos of everyone's prints. There were so many excellent prints produced.

I do hope that the OAG publishes the photos of the workshop and, when and if they do, I will add a link here.

It was great fun and my sister and I are so grateful to have had this opportunity to attend a workshop with such a talented artist and we highly recommend this workshop to anyone interested in exploring printmaking.

Daily Sketch

330 Cooper - Centretown
Art Journal sketch by Cindi Moynahan-Foreman
(watercolour on 100% cotton paper)

Daily Sketch

Art Journal sketch by Cindi Moynahan-Foreman
(watercolour on 100% cotton paper)

Ottawa Heritage Buildings - Fire Hall No 10 Graham Station

Ottawa now has approximately 350 properties designated under the Ontario Heritage Act ranging from simple Lowertown cottages to rural churches and stone farmhouses.

The Ottawa Heritage register includes a property at 260 Sunnyside Ave now known as the Ottawa South Community Centre but previously known as fire hall No. 10 Graham Station (1921-1974)

My art journal sketches of  Fire Chief Graham
& No. 10 Graham Station

The History of

No. 10 Graham Station

Fire Chief Graham won the support of the City to have Station No 10 built, by one  of the Ottawa's top architects W.E. Noffke (1878-1964), to serve the needs of Ottawa South which  grew rapidly following WWI

Chief Graham died on May 27, 1921 and did not live to see the station completed,  which was subsequently named after him and opened in September 1921.

No. 10 Graham Station served the City as a fire station till 1974. When the Station was decommissioned in 1974, its preservation was one  of the first issues addressed by the newly formed organization: Heritage Ottawa.

It is the only heritage Fire Station in Ottawa that is still publicly owned and accessible.

(Source: Bytowne.net)

Picture Source: ROFFA Photo Album No 1

Source: Heritage Ottawa Bulletin 1974
(Bulletin No. 2 Nov 74)

Google image of Fire Station No 10

Links

• History of the Ottawa Fire Department (150 Years of Firefighting)
• Retired Ottawa Firefighters Association (ROFFA)
• The Margins of History - Fire Sation No.6
• Ottawa South Designated Heritage Properties
• Ottawa South History Project
• History of the Old Firehall. ( David Bouse - 1999 essay)
• Application to Alter Sunnyside Community Centre (2008)
• The Ottawa City Directory 1910 (Internet Archive)

About Chief Graham 

Fire Chief Graham

Fire Chief Graham (in rear of car)

"Chief Graham was the son of Irish immigrants. He came from a family of fire fighters that included his father and 3 uncles. His Father Francis Graham was a member of Ottawa's first professional Fire Department. He was also the first Ottawa fire fighter to die in the line of duty in 1877 at age 37."

"Chief Graham was the founding President of the Dominion Fire Fireman’s Association of Canada. He advised Parliament that it had to take fire prevention more seriously. That advised was not heeded and in on Februay 3, 1916, the Parliament Buildings burned down.

Parliament fire - Feb 1916

Ottawa Fire Fighters Became Unionized 

Under Chief Graham's watch, Ottawa Fire Fighters became unionized and he convinced the City to install phones in firefighters' homes to improve emergency response times."

(Source: Bytowne.net)