Farm, Village, Lake Exhibit - a few of the drawings

A few seconds of video showing the drawings at the General Wolfe Hotel in Marysville in the summer of 2020.  There were 24 drawing sand 2 title sheets mounted on fences along the main street of the village.  There is a stand-alone web site explaining the project.

Cup-cycling

This fall I've been sketching in the Inner Harbour / Skeleton Park neighbourhood of Kingston ....on coffee cups.  

The Elm Cafe was started only four years ago and has become a bit of a community hub for the creatives who are colonizing what has been a neglected part of town. From the beginning the Cafe has been used as a gallery, now curated by the Skeleton Arts Festival, as well as the venue for a musical coffee house hosted by our multi-talented friend and neighbour, Gary Rasberry.  And so, with this context, I hope you can see the symbolism behind using their coffee cups a medium for vignettes of the neighbourhood. 

 

As I write this I've done about 50 cups, and as I walk the neighbourhood, I see more subjects everywhere.   The first ones were done as felt-tip pen line drawings, but I quickly moved on to ink and watercolour and have had some fun experimenting with different amounts of colour and even     popping elements up on foam core.  There are no rules, other than combing the Elm cups with the immediate neighbourhood.              

Logan (the L of ELM) has been generous in allowing me to have a bit of wall on to display the cups.  The plan is to change them weekly through until spring and with some luck, find a gallery or venue to display the whole batch as a show at some point.  I hope the sketches draw attention to the interesting character of the neighbourhood and encourage my neighbours to read the stories in this urban landscape.

Repairs Underway

 

On any boat there are always little jobs to do - whipping lines, small repairs and such.  This day it was re-stitching the leather cover on the wheel.  Once again we were powering along with the autohelm steering so the wheel could be removed for better access.

There was plenty of time for that job as well as some other nautical pursuits such as practicing knots and taking measurements to make a dity bag.

Some Calm Sketching

 

Lake Ontario can be windy and rough, but mid-summer is as likely to be dead calm.  On our recent trip to and from the Thousand Islands from Toronto, we had both extremes, often from one day to the next.  I prefer to sail, but chugging along under power with autohelm steering, is another reason to have a sketch book on hand. 

All's Calm on .calm

I just spent a few lazy days, on a pal's sailboat, reading, swimming and sketching while at anchor in the Navy Islands near Gananoque on the St. Laurence River.  It was as busy as I had heard about but was beautiful nonetheless.  

An Urban Sketcher Hits the Street

With the Wolfe Island Gallery  closed indefinitely, the idea came to me to use the main Street in the Village of Marysville to exhibit large versions of the sketches I did last winter and spring of the islands and village.  The exhibit title is FARM VILLAGE LAKE as the 24 drawings describe the cultural landscape of Marysville, Wolfe and Simcoe Islands. I reflects my ongoing fascination with development patterns and how they are changing the Ontario Landscape.

The drawings went up in time for Canada Day, including a couple of title sheets which give the url for an explanatory web site.  I deliberately worked fast, standing, with a broad marker to keep the energy of the small original sketches.  I pleased that the scale and number of panels gives the exhibit the right amount of presence on the street.

So far the tyvek is holding up well and villagers assure me that its unlikely that any will be stolen, although I'm sure they'll be a little fatigued by Labour Day.

Scaling Up for an Installation

Several months ago I bought a lovely sketchbook and some new fountain pens and have filled it almost exclusively with line drawings of Wolfe and Simcoe Islands.

There was no plan, other than a sort of fixation with the islands and the village of Marysville in particular and faith that it would lead to something else.  Along the way, I joined the Wolfe Island Gallery, which is an artists co-operative in the village, again with no clear idea of just what I would display.  When word came through that the Gallery would not physically open this summer, a purpose for the drawings

occurred to me, as I had hoped it might.

In the absence of the Gallery, I decided to redraw the little sketches on 3' x 4' sheets of durable tyvek and lace those as banners along the main street of Marysville.  This is also the prompt I needed to do much larger, stand-alone pieces, which will be better suited to exhibition than my tiny little bound sketchbook, not to mention omit the seam of the 2 page spreads.

The photos are of my tiny 6" x 9" sketchbook,

selecting from photocopies which sketches to re-draw and a 3' x 4' test enlargement.

Outdoor Room

I ran into my friend Matt the other day in the ferry line up.  He had been working with a contractor pal, building a dock and commented that the island was "bucolic".   An apt term and particularly appropriate to describe the porch in the sketch.

I had noticed it the day before, but as its such a domestic space it seemed intrusive to sketch it - almost like looking into someone's living room.  But luckily, the next day the owner was sitting out with friends and I asked for permission to draw -  not only out of courtesy but because it can look a little creepy to be parked in a car staring out the window at someone's home.   I was welcomed and even offered a drink - that seems to be a consistent vibe in the village.  Visitors Welcome.

Do They All Float?

Not surprisingly there are lots of boats on Wolfe Island stashed here and there in fields and open sheds.  This little fleet dwells in the village and all look ready to go for a swim.

No Gas

There is a garage in Marysville, but nowhere to buy gas, so keeping a tank full requires some planning.  Luckily there is a mechanic and they are right on the main street of the village.

"Ferry's in"

A large part of my attraction to Marysville is the island experience. The ferry trip back and forth,  despite the constrained views from the car, is a connection to the sea state on the crossing and the duration provides a sort of mental separation from the City.  Even staying in the car, it satisfies my  love of just being on the water.

In the village, there are views from Main Street out to Barrett's Bay, but more than that, there is a rhythm of activity tied to the hourly ferry schedule.  Cars queue up along Main Street to ensure a place on the next boat and when it arrives theres a sort of tidal flow of 50 or so vehicles disembarking.  Ten minutes before arrival of the ferry there is a rush to pay up and turnover of tables at the local restaurants and over and lots of waving and salutations as people acknowledge friends along the street and at the terminal as the ferry unloads and takes on a new load.

Visitors Welcome

At the side of Main Street at the edge of Marysville there is a small pull-off to a private dock.  Under the shade of a willow tree is a charming little bench with a couple of plaques remembering people, who I'm guessing enjoyed the spot.  What really caught my attention though was the message on the side - "VISITORS WELCOME".  Thats consistent with my sense of being a newcomer on Wolfe Island.

Marysville Long House

Like many older buildings, this house has been added to in several stages.  There is an addition to the north, with a wrap-around veranda for shade and a long drive-shed wing behind the main house.  And speaking on main houses, the long extension reminded me of the pattern of long sausage link houses in the State of Maine.  I have never taken the time to research why that pattern is so ubiquitous in Maine, but surmise that its some intersection of building ordinances and the practical desire to stay under shelter when moving from house to drive sheds.

Cormorant

Now here's an honest working boat, standing at the boat repair shop outside of Marysville.  She's a no nonsense utility boat from Garden Island, where several families live year round without ferry service.  I' sure its nudged through rotten ice  and felt its way through heavy fog many times over the years making necessary trips to the mainland.

General Wolfe Hotel

The General Wolfe Hotel is a cultural institution in Marysville.  Although it holds a dozen rooms or so, most would think of it as a tavern and may have gone there for live music.  Like so many businesses, its been closed these last few months as we get through the pandemic.

Its a long rambling structure that looks over Barrett Bay and the longer views to Fort Henry and Kingston, but this end of the building with its celebration of the military past made for the more interesting sketch.

As with many in this Marysville series, its a shame about the fold in the middle of the drawing.  I bought a lovely little sketchbook last fall, with smooth paper and a faint grid of dots that are helpful.  Its just the right size for sketching in the car in cold weather, but now that its warming up I'm thinking I should switch to a larger, one sheet format.  Maybe even break out the watercolours!

Holey Buildings

Abandoned barns are a common site on Wolfe Island.  Often the farm itself is still working but the barn has no utility now that the large hay bales are wrapped and left outside.  More often the whole complex is abandoned as smaller farms are consolidated, hedgerows and fences removed to create  into massive open fields.

What caught my eye, here on Simcoe Island, was a single long plank propping up a large barn.  I didn't enter the property, but had I walked closer to the barn you can bet I wouldn't walk under that corner!

Nine Mile Point Lightstation

As a Sailor, I have rarely been close enough to a lighthouse to read the Canadian Coast Guard sign that identifies them as a "Lightstation".   I suppose this is more accurate as most are unoccupied and if there is a house associated, its probably been sold or rented and has nothing to do with the actual operation or maintenance.  And, for that matter, if we're going to be all sticky about describing the contemporary function, should it not be the 14.48 Kilometre Point Lightstation?

Simcoe Island is much smaller than Wolfe Island but large enough to be connected with a year round ferry operated by the Township.  I know it from the water, having sailed the channel between the two islands and also passing the lighthouse on the west end on the Kingston side.  

Technically it marks the division of Lake Ontario from the St. Lawrence River, and to a sailer often the lee of the islands from the waves across the long fetch of Lake Ontario.  This last week there have been clouds of midges - tiny flies - that are mildly annoying especially if you breath some in, but don't bite.  The smudges on the page are a couple of those that gave thier lives for art.

Heidi's Unhurried House

 Today was a big day for our friend Heidi.  Not only was it her birthday, but Hulton Excavation showed up with a honkin' big shovel at her "unhurried house" renovation project.   The foundation was excavation and prep for a new septic system happened in just a few hours...but in a very unhurried manner.  The building next door was once the waiting room on the Marysville side of the Wolfe Island Ferry, but was hauled up Main Street to this location some 60 years ago.

Waiting for the Ferry

The Wolfe Island Ferry pier on the Kingston juts out into the St. Lawrence river just south of the La Salle Causeway and its Bascule lift bridge.  It offers views to the outer harbour and City Hall as well as east to the Royal Military College. Rich ground for future sketches.

Back to Marysville

Its looking like an early spring and I couldn't resist a ferry ride over to Wolfe Island to enjoy the bright sun and mild temperatures.  I haven't drawn in several weeks, and I'm always a little surprised to discover that I can still draw after a break. The main difference is that it seems like an effort and when in practice I would do three sketches in an afternoon, not just one.

I'm thinking that in a few weeks when its comfortable enough to sit outside, rather than in a car, I'll break out the paint kit and maybe even work a little larger.

The Foot of Division Street

Division Street in Marysville runs right down to the water as every street on an island should.  In my imagination this old shed contains several elegant antique wooden boats, freezing in the dark.  All aching to be restored and given new life back out on the River.

Expedience not Architecture

My eye is constantly drawn to collections of farm buildings. On a compositional level I love the overlapping forms, but also the functional organization and era of building type interest me.

This collection of buildings were a little unusual in that there is no house associated with them, but clearly support the movements required to store the large hay bales that have become standard on Ontario farms.

Back to Marysville

I'm have no real idea why I'm filling my sketchbook with Marysville, but have the sense that it will lead to something.  So in the spirit of "just do the work"  I'll keep going and see where it leads me.

Wolfe Island North Shore

If you turn right leaving the Marysville Summer Ferry Docks, Main Street continues west as Highway 96 and follows the north shore of Wolfe Island.  There are views of the water and Kingston beyond across what is technically the head of the St. Laurence River, as Wolfe Island is the point at which map makers differentiate between Lake Ontario and the River.

This boat house may have tried to be boat house during the high water springs of the last two years as it sits down low.

A Bruiser of a Cruiser

As you might expect, boats of all description are stored on Wolfe Island.  Most are simply out for the winter, but I suspect that many may never swim again.

 This steel cruiser keeps a couple of old transport trailers company in an old field overlooking the Lake.  I'm sure they console each other in their retirement , as they quietly rust, with recollections of their travels and harrowing tales of bad weather on road and lake.  The cruiser is heavily built of steel and I can imagine it pushing aside flows of rotten ice or even breaking through an early fall crust.

Eliza and Centre St.s Marysville

I managed to get back over to Wolfe Island last week to scratch my sketching itch.  I've been realizing that there the open space and overlapping forms of buildings offer interesting views, which is different from streetscapes or glimpses into rear yards that are typical of denser cityscapes.

With the lack of traffic, its  also easier to position the car to do a sketch, in freezing weather.  I sat at a stop sign to do this one, in deepest darkest Marysville and when a friend pulled up we talked out the car windows for a good 10 minutes blocking the intersection...a normal part of life in Marysville.

Back to the Boneyard

I'm inextricably attracted to boats - in the water or maybe even more alluring on the hard.

So, once again, I felt compelled to trespass onto the boat workshop grounds on the edge of Marysville, and snoop around a bit.

Oh, yes, I am a sailor, but here's a wee confession, I  love anything that floats, but real working boats ...deep seaworthy  steel hulls, purposeful vessels that earn their way, have particular appeal.

Rainy Day Sketching

Default sketching locations in poor weather are coffee shops and museums.  The choice is a no brainer, as museums won't allow coffee in the display areas!

The top sketch was done in Habit Coffee downtown Victoria and while I didn't get the circular perspective right, the people add character.   The lower sketch is in James Bay Coffee and Books and while the curved perspective is better,  the drawing would be more interesting if had there been some other people there to animate the composition.  Serves me right to show up at 7 am, I guess.

Choral Evensong

I spent a few days in Victoria BC last week and was able to slide into Christ Church Cathedral for their Coral Evensong.  I always enjoy the simplicity and serenity of evensong and, no surprise, the building's acoustics served admirably. And better yet, there were enough people attending, that I could sing without exposing my vocal ineptitude.

Normally, I'm not much for Cathedrals by way of places of worship , but the varied choices of the seventeen services per week intrigued me and I will return, should I have the chance.

On a more technical note, I wanted to emphasise the height of the columns by exaggerating the taper, but didn't get it quite right, in terms of their relationship to each other. If I could, I'd deek in and play with that concept some quite afternoon and find a way to avoid alarming any structural engineers looking at the drawing.