Tiny Perfect Library

 I have a great little library just down the street.  Its free - no library cards, fines, or need to be quiet.  I first saw one of these on Toronto Island and attributed it to the Islands' strong cultural identity, but have learned that Little Free Libraries have been springing up all over the continent.  I check it out on the way by on my various dog walks and have slowly left two boxes of books that I've been carting around for decades.  There is always something of interest there and it's rarely depleted.

The other thing I appreciate is the design.  I've never talked to the owner, but clearly the cabinet was designed by a professional - an industrial designer, I'm thinking.  Very thoughtful detailing and skillful fabrication. Kudos to the designer/builder.

A Little Colour on a Grey Day

A little bit of colour is welcome on a grey winter day when there aren't even distinct shadows.  This yellow shed around the block from my home was the closest to sunshine I saw yesterday - unusual here in Ottawa which is known for is cold but clear, sunny winter weather.

before dinner cocktail

Just mix, water, paint and a small dog together in your neighbourhood park and you have a delightful late summer afternoon cocktail.  My friend got to run crazy with a succession of afterwork dogs, as I focussed on the various hues of green and reflections in Upper Brown's Inlet.

This is a tiny little painting in my 5" x 3 1/2" Laloran sketchbook - minus the taped edges.  Maybe someday, I'll have the courage to paint without lines, but in the meantime I did manage to avoid the "detail trap" just by working small.

Blessed Sacrament

I would have described this Catholic church built in 1931 as art deco, however Wikipedia tells me its "perpendicular gothic".  At first glance it is very simple, but upon farther study the tower has stepped and bevelled corners and is tall enough to be seen from several blocks away.
There are some decorative elements and a couple of niches presumably waiting for saints.
It's a well attended busy place judging by the ebb and flow of cars and families at various masses each weekend.

Flapjack's Pancake Shack

While according to City by-laws this may not be a food truck, it looks deceptively more like a an old milk truck, than a shack to me.  The Flapjack logo is a burly lumberjack and the coat of arms is a fine piece of Ottawa Valley heraldry, which includes a crossed pan flipper and axe.

The "shack" is visible from Bank Street in a an informal courtyard behind Mrs. Tiggy Winkles, close to Fourth Avenue.  Thematic patio furniture is made of from large logs fashioned as chairs and tables - very lumberjacky.

Backside of Bank Street

There is an informal courtyard behind the shops on Bank Street between Fourth and Third Avenues.  I went to sketch the food truck there, but it was rainy and this back of Mrs. Tiggy Winkles was easier to see from the sheltered location od a building alcove.

Theresa Apartment

The entrance to this small apartment building here in the Glebe is classic art deco.  The rest of the building is well proportioned, but plain.  It's saved  however by the detailing of the entrance, the place where her residents approach and experience the exterior.  I've never pressed my nose to in inside to get a sense whether that character was carried through into the interior.

Yellow Garage

I've been noticing this little garage all winter walking by, but only stopped yesterday to finally sketch it.  As usual, this is also about the big maple tree in the rear yard.

There is still some snow lingering in the shadowy north sides of the houses.  Some people have not been willing to wait and have been shovelling it out just to get it gone.

Irene's Pub

Irene's Pub is a bit of an institution here in the Glebe. Affordable and cosy through the week and a bit of a community centre on weekends. Always worth a visit on Friday or Saturday nights for live music.  A cultural institution, if there ever was one.

Waiting for Spring

It's interesting how many basketball nets live between the houses, all waiting for spring.  You don't think of Ottawa as a basketball town  but it was actually invented not far form here in Almonte, Ontario.  Unsurprisingly however, that took place in a indoor gym.

When sketched this a nearly a month ago, I was thinking the snow would not last much longer and that I would soon, not just be drawing, but be painting on site.  No such luck, so I'm returning to some older drawings and painting inside.

Home Hardware in the Glebe

I laid down more ink than I normally do when planning to paint.  That's why I've included the line drawing before painting below. Just for comparison and to show how the paint gives it volume.  Normally my pre-paint drawings are very brief and don't look like much without colour.  But this morning, it was hard not to keep scribbling, sitting in the front window of the Bridgehead coffee shop, like a cat in the sun, avoiding getting back to work.  Its still too cold, at -15, to sketch outside comfortably, but the bright sun is at least cheery.

The building on the corner of Second Avenue at Bank Street, which houses Home Hardware and Felinas Restaurant was originally a theatre.  I don't know if it had a marquee, but that does explain the large facade without second story windows.  Oh, and if you are there with your dog, they'll give him a cookie.  Brilliant.  Now Sailor tries to take me in every time we walk by.

Streetcar Neighbourhood

I continue to be fascinated by the interiors of the blocks here in my "streetcar" neighbourhood of the Glebe in Ottawa.  The term streetcar refers to the era in which it was built.  From the 1920's through the second world war years when people may have had cars, but didn't nescessarily use them to get to work daily as they would walk or take the streetcar.  As a result there are few homes with attached garages.  The garages are usually in the back often accessed by narrow shared lanes between the houses.

So as I walk my dog, or the few blocks to skate on the canal or do errands at the shops on Bank Street, I am continually looking into the gaps between the houses. These lanes offer a glimpse to in interior of the blocks and the interesting back sides of the homes which more often than not have been expanded in one or more stages.  Sort of urban anthropology.

3rd Ave. at Bank St.

So, I'm back at it now that the temperatures are a little cooler and invigorating.  This is the backside of some commercial buildings along  Bank Street in the Glebe.  The walls have been strapped with pipes and wires and contain air conditioner units, vents phone boxes and electrical stacks.  Despite it all it has a sort of urban charm and sitting out on the apartment balconies would offer green views up the middle of the residential block.

Spring in Ottawa

I did this last week,  just after the first day of spring.  This is what passes for spring here in Ottawa - we see patches of bare pavement.  I am very active all winter and seem to feel the cold less than many people, but enough is enough.

Joe Mamma

It's the man himself, Joe or Jose as he is known, waiting for things to heat up so that he can move some stock.  And by that, I mean warmer weather.  Hard to sell bikes with snow on the ground. Joe Mamma is the bmx shop here in Ottawa and a major online vendor as well.  It's the sort of place where customers become friends and stop in to chat, or ask advice about parts.

A Quiet Night In the Shop

The truism in the ski business is that you don't sell skis until it snows.  That doesn't necessarily mean you sell skis while it snows.  Like tonight.  With 20 cm. of snow this afternoon and a slow drive home there wasn't much action in Kunstadt Sports.  Adam was catching up on some research on the computer and answered about three phone calls while I did this sketch.

Show up. Adam would love some company, and if you don't need skis, maybe you are ready for a new bike.

Patterson Westfalia

The block between Patterson and Strathcona Avenues is a narrow.  Maybe not half the width of the regular Glebe blocks, but thin enough that the homes face one way and have rear yards, driveways and garages facing the other side.  To add to this eccentricity, homes on the two end blocks face south, while those in the middle block face north.  Infill projects are changing this middle block is to back to back houses, presenting front doors to both Avenues, which is gentrifying it's lane-like character.  Too bad.  I like it as it is, but that's the trend across the whole neighbourhood.

This sketch is the middle block, the Patterson side. Aside from the large trees and saplings, I have a soft spot for vw camper vans.  As noble a cause as it is, sadly this venerable Westfalia is not likely to last a whole lot longer than the adjacent garage.

Pond Hockey

So, I'll start this with excuses....it was pretty cold (-7C) and I have been trying to draw quickly with energy.  The problem is that my hand seems to turn into a claw after about 5 minutes. I did the sketch outside then retreated to my car to muddle and fuss and overwork with some paint.  

In any event, sketching is about the moment. Yesterday was bright and sunny and the pond at Brown's inlet was smooth and hard.  Perfect for some shinny. It doesn't get much more Canadian than that.

Unused Garage

Unused may not be the right term here, as you can still get to the door of this garage, you just can't get a car inside.  The tree is a Manitoba Maple which was apparently trimmed at some point, but the remaining trunk angles off in front of the garage door and over the neighbouring property.

The garage itself is also unusual. I'm guessing it was a multiple bay garage which was truncated at some point.  Before or after the tree started growing, who knows.

2nd Ave. E of Bank

Behind many of the buildings with shared driveways in the Glebe, there are open parking courts with informal configurations and often large trees.  Despite their utilitarian purpose they can be very charming places.