More B & W

a scan of the lino, itself...."backwards"

It seems I've gone back to my old black and white ways.  I drew with ink  for fun for years and then stopped as it became an occupation.   As an architect, it was all about lines, or sometimes lines and heavier lines, not colour, so I  think maybe, that I started to think that way, in my very visual mind.

My wonderful mentor, Jim Belisle , explained that to me a couple of sketching trips ago.   He makes wonderful "smudges" in his endless sketchbooks and has become very painterly in his approach.

All to say, I've been playing around with lino-cut this winter and have ambitions to do a series of the huts that I love to cross-country ski to in Gatineau Park.

Several winters ago I visited each one and it was great fun to experience different trails and be first, often, to light the wood stoves.  (that's another theme - lighting fires)

Anyway, back to the lino-cut.  Shilly Shally was the first one to come to mind, as I'm very fond of that little cabin.  The first lino-cut  was a "learner" and I will never show a print, in part because, duh,  I forgot about the mirror image part and also, I've been working on a two press thing, to add the red of the barge board, window frames and doors.  Although, this image does remind me of skiing in at night, which I love to do.

I've got to get this series done then find a good workshop on woodcut print-making.....

Back to the Hills

Suddenly, its cool and while the leaves are just changing colour, it clear that winter is not far off.  For me that means skiing and skating, so its time to do some long walks and get my legs ready.

This is my favourite shelter in Gatineau Park, Shilly Shally.  It was nice enough to sit outside and do a quick scribble while having a cup of tea from my thermos, but too cool to sit and paint.

Back to Mooreside

I went sketching today with Marc Holmes who is one the Urban Sketchers ringleaders. ( AKA Citizen Sketcher - http://citizensketcher.wordpress.com/2012/05/20/drawing-experiments/) He and his wife, Laurel, were visiting  Ottawa from Montreal for a few days to draw and photograph the Mayan exhibit at the Museum of Civilization.

I took them up to Mooreside, the McKenzie King Estate.  I figured that they would have found the good subjects in Ottawa on their own and that with Mark's affinity for Victorian architecture, the faux ruins at the estate would be something they would be unlikely to discover on their own.

It was a pleasure to share my affinity for  the estate and chat as we did what we do.  As it worked out I  completed one drawing in my little sketchbook at Mark's halfway point and after checking out his work I had time to do a second sketch. Those interludes were influential in helping me loosen up and leave some white space. The photos are Marc working his magic, and the drawings below are my little sketches. You can see the effect of just a few minutes of looking at his work in my second  sketch.

Surprise - An abandoned mill in the woods

On the south side of Meach Lake a narrow, unmarked trail leads to this old mill.  Not what you'd expect to find out in the woods. It was built in the early 1900's by Thomas Wilson.  His nickname, Carbide came from the invention of carbide, which is the dry compenent of accetyline.

Lac Fortune

Last Sunday was one of those perfect winter days when the conditions and sunshine combine to make a few hours experiencing nature a spiritual and renewing experience.

This sketch is looking over Lac Fortune from the Fortune Parkway and the bald patch on the hill behind is Camp Fortune downhill ski area.  Thankfully Gatineau Park is a national fortune -  riches beyond measure.

Keogan Cabin

Keogan Cabin is one of the largest in the Park which is a good thing as it is also one of the most accessible.  For years it was my nightime destination as my son, Alec, was downhill training at Camp Fortune.  I do downhill ski, but its much warmer cross-country skiing out of the wind in the woods on a cold, dark night and Keogans always made for a good little jaunt while Alec ran gates.


On Sunday the conditions were superb.  Bright sunshine and around - 8C.  The trails were full of people , many with young children on skis, or in polks (sleds). My wax was right and I think my technique, such as it is, is returning as I had a terrific and fast visit here and along the Fortune Parkway.

McInstry Cabin

McIntstry Cabin is near the end of the Ridge Road trail - the shortest access is 10 1/2 km.s from he Meech Lake parking lot.  Last Saturday was warm, which is a problem because its difficult to wax for.  With the hilly nature of the terrain my friend Robin and I were rewaxing every couple of kilometres as the downhill runs scraped even the sticky red wax off our skis.

The cabin is large and has a sunken "pit" around the wood stove.  This is the one cabin in the park which seems to have been purpose built for skiers.

Renaud Cabin

Renaud is one of the cabins accessed from the Lac Philippe entrance to the park.  It is different from the other cabins in that it is in an open field with an apple tree and lilacs hinting at a former farmstead.  Once again I saw a whole flock of blue jays raiding the bird feeder, which is unusual as normally I've only seen blue jays in pairs.  

Close by there is a campsite with a three-sided log shelter.  I can just imagine telling ghost stories to a group of young adventurers by the light of lanterns in this structure and then having to escort them one by one to the outhouse before bedtime.

Forest Nobility

The forest around Lac Philippe is upland deciduous, not the white pine dominated association of the Ottawa valley.  Two of my favourite species hang onto their leaves well into the winter - American Beech and Red Oak.  I regard these as noble trees as they become magnificent large specimens, are slower growing and yield denser wood than many of the other species in the forest.   I particularly love the smooth beech trunks.

The leaves slowly blow off through the winter and often become lodged in the ski tracks, which can be a problem on mild days as the sticky grip wax stalls or picks up bits of leaves.  This was not a problem last weekend as it was a 'blue wax' day which is very hard and allowed me to glide over these vestiges of summer.

The beech leaves are like thin parchment while the oak leaves are leathery and tough.

Lusk Cabin

This weekend I headed up to Lac Philippe at the north end of the Park.  It was -18 C and while my skis were slow with the cold it wasn't uncomfortable with dry air and no wind.  Lusk Cabin is small but has six bunks and can be rented for the night.  I was in early and probably stayed for an hour.  It was nice to not be rushed.  The cabin overlooks Lusk Lake and is not far from the caves, which I'll have to return to another day.

Chilly Chalet

 I arrived at Shilly Shally last Sunday morning and it was as hot as a sauna - I had to dampen the stove and prop open the door to let the tiny cabin cool.  This reminded me of the story about the origin of it's name.

Until 20 or 30 years ago this cabin was rented out. I recall a lovely older couple with European accents who spent weekends there and stocked the birdfeeder, when I first visited the park in the 1970's.  In the 1940's Sheila Thomson's father rented the cabin for the use of Sheila and a group of girl friends.  It was not in the state of repair that it is today and the girls were not very adept at getting it's old wood stove working.  Their nickname for the cabin became the 'Chilly Chalet'....which morphed into another colloquialism 'Shilly Shally'.  My sketch of the outside.

<a href="">My sketch of the outside. </a>

There is a clip of Sheilla recalling the Chilly Chalet in the Gatineau Guide website.
http://guidegatineau.ca/blog/418/why-is-shilly-shally-called-shilly-shally/

View from the Western Cabin

On Sunday I returned to Western along the Ridge Road and did this sketch while having a snack.   This is the view from one of the window tables from high up on the Eardley Escarpment  out over the Ottawa Valley.  The river is very wide here, but hard to point out as it is frozen over and covered in snow.  I  was happily drawing this while listening to a pack of serious skiiers discuss the  Canadian Ski Martahon - these guys were training with full packs as they are in the 'Couiers de Bois'  Gold class which in addition to skiing the full 160 km. sleep outside overnight during the 2 day event. Luckily they didn't embarrass me my asking about my route that day.

The Western Cabin

Yesterday I climbed up McCloskey Road from Meach Lake up the escarpment, prosaically renamed by the NCC as Trail # 2.  Now the only vestiges of the McCloskey farm is a bit of a clearing and a foundation, with the forest reclaiming the thin soil.  I can only imagine their farming experience to have been like the trail - short and tough. Next time I'll stick to the Ridge Road route.


 The reward for all that herringboning uphill was the view over the Ottawa valley from the Western cabin.  I tipped the waiter and got a window table.

Healy Cabin

This cabin is named after the farmers who built it 100 years ago.  Hard to imagine it as a farm today as the forest has reclaimed whatever they worked so very hard to clear.

This cabin has the largest windows of any of the warm-up shelters in Gatineau Park which must have caused some angst with the heritage types at the Commission, but makes for a great destination as you can watch the birds at the feeder and other skiers approach.

Herridge Cabin

This is another warn up cabin in Gatineau Park.  It is constructed of hand-squared logs with dovetailed corners and second floor beams mortised through the walls.  It was -17 C yesterday which gives me only a few minutes before my hand seizes up from the cold so I blocked this out in pencil and finished it inside the cabin.  It's a 5 km ski in to this cabin with moderate hills so its another good nighttime destination.

New Years Eve at Keogan's

Our New Year's eve tradition is to ski into one of the cabins in Gatineau Park  and have a light dinner with friends.   Our children are now too cool to accompany us, but we manage to have fun without them.

Last night we were off the grid, just like settlers...well, except for the wine, cheese fondue, fresh veggiess and dip, pineapple, mango and clementines and chocolate fondue.  Luckily the ski out is mostly downhill.

Kingfisher

I stopped into the Park Visitor's Centre and took a look at the display of animals which can be found in the Gatineau hills.  I was thinking of woodpeckers and bluejays, but they didn't have any.  Instead I sketched this Kingfisher.  I haven't seen many kingfishers, but when I have there is no mistaking their distinctive profile.

True confession: this one was stuffed - that's how I got so close.

Keogan Cabin

The largest cabin in the Park is Keogan.  Its the destination of choice to night ski in for dinner as you're sure to get a table. I arrived just before noon today and started to sketch.  Within minutes there were about twenty people in for lunch.

Everyone on the trail today had a big smile...solar powered skiers.

Shilly Shally Cabin

Today was a real Ottawa winter day...minus 20 C, deep blue sky and sunny.  The snow was squeeky and I needed mittens over my gloves.  I wasn't the first past Shilly Shally cabin, but I did get to light the fire.

This is easily the smallest cabin in the park, but the best for birds.  I saw a downey woodpecker on the way in and there were two flickers at the feeder. The trail in tunnels through a hemlock grove which is one of my favourite places on the planet.


A sketch of the inerior and the story of this cabin's name :   http://johnssketchjournal.blogspot.com/2012/02/chilly-chalet.html

Huron Cabin

We finally got enough snow to ski, so I headed up to Gatineau Park for a short ski.  There are miles of nordic trails and several cabins which serve as destinations and allow skiers to take a break and dry off.  I was first into Huron this morning and lit the fire in the wood stove.   

There were the usual black capped chickadees and a flicker at the bird feeder, but then a flock of 6 or 8 bluejays arrived and pushed the smaller birds out of the way.  Its unusual to see more than a pair bluejays together - they are such bickersome birds that its hard to imagine them getting along.  To top things off, I came across a white-tailed deer on the  way out.