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Woodstock Public Library

3/28/2023

 
A little bit of the history of the Library. To see the complete history see: www.mywpl.ca/library-history.
1904 - City of Woodstock passes a by-law for the establishment of a public library and donates land at northeast corner of Hunter and Graham Streets for a library building
1905 - Carnegie Foundation awards City of Woodstock a grant of $24,000 for the construction of a library
1909 - Carnegie funded library building opened
1935 - Membership 3,341
1976 - City of Woodstock designates Carnegie library a historic building
​1984 - Membership 8,100
Greeting card showing the Woodstock Public Library.

​The Woodstock Public Library, plus Theatre Woodstock and Woodstock Market are all available as greeting cards at the Woodstock Art Gallery (WAG) gift shop. Reproduced from original illustrations, which are also available at the WAG gift shop.
Greeting card showing Theatre Woodstock.
Greeting Card showing Woodstock Market.

Christmas Golf

12/31/2022

 
Played a little golf over the Christmas break. A long drive to South Carolina, but missed the nasty weather here in Ontario, CA. Colder than normal temperatures in Myrtle Beach, but played 5 rounds of golf.  The course I liked the best was World Tour Golf Links. After the round, while enjoying a Yuengling Traditional Lager, I sketched the 18  holes in my sketchbook with Micron pen and graphite. 

November Events...

11/18/2022

 
Excited to be part of the "Meet the Artist" Series at the London Public Library. Kym Wolfe and I will be discussing the history and architecture of significant London buildings. 
Location: London Public Library
Branch: Central Location
Date: Saturday, November 19
Time: 2:30 to 3:30 pm
No registration required, 2 hours free parking at Citi Plaza, cost: Free

Holiday Market at London Brewing Coop - I'm a Vendor!
Location: London Brewing Coop 
Address: 521 Burbrook Pl, London
Date: Saturday, November 26
Time: Noon to 7pm
Stop by, check out the holiday market, and enjoy a truly local beer! It’s not just great-tasting beer and it’s not just brewed there. Their beer is as local and as organic as possible.

WAG Gift Shop

8/29/2022

 
I am pleased to say that the Woodstock Art Gallery Gift Shop, now carries my artwork and art cards. Last Friday, I delivered nine pieces of artwork, some framed, some matted plus 8 of my greeting cards. Framed pieces include the architectural illustrations: Woodstock Streetscape with Capitol Theatre, Theatre Woodstock, and Woodstock Market. All these pieces of art were completed in 2022. And working on some more. And Woodstock architectural greeting cards to come.
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The Woodstock Art Gallery Gift Shop features unique items crafted by local artists (and your purchase supports both artists and programming at the Gallery), including pottery, glass, jewellery, fabric arts, paintings, prints, art cards and more. If you become a member of the Woodstock Art Gallery you receive a 10% discount.

Plein air with handmade Charcoal

5/30/2022

 
I have been invited to show 3 pieces of my golf course artwork at a plein air exhibition at Westland Gallery. The French term plein air means out of doors and refers to the practice of painting entire finished pictures out of doors. My artworks are not really paintings, but rather charcoal drawings that were completed on location. The more interesting part is that I made the charcoal from trees on that very golf course.

Name: Plein Air Group Exhibition 2022 (Various Artists)
Dates: June 7th to June 25, 2022
Live Painting in Wortley Village: Friday, June 17th from 4 - 7 pm and Saturday, June 18th from 9 am to noon

​I read a book called "The Organic Artist" by art instructor Nick Neddo. He covers a lot of techniques and projects including making paper, wild ink, working with soapstone, clay, wood, printmaking, and the list goes on. The book inspires creativity and encourages you to get out into nature. I tried a few projects and then I decided that I would make charcoal. The author recommends willow. The 18th hole at Greenhills Golf Club is lined with willow trees. I started picking up the appropriately sized sticks and went from there. The process infographic is below.

​The charcoal was made last summer. The plein air drawings were completed this month. May 2022 at Greenhills Golf Club.

See more golf course illustrations.

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Graphic showing how the artist made charcoal from willow sticks to use on drawings of where the willow sticks were picked up.

Woodstock Streetscape with Capitol theatre

4/19/2022

 
A video of the creation of a "Woodstock Streetscape with Capitol Theatre" a section of Dundas Street in the City of Woodstock. (Note to Self: My video creation and editing skills could use some improvement!)

The love and appreciation of built history started after a trip to France in 2007. As an avid walker, living in the Blackfriars Heritage District in downtown London, I started to take notice of the visually-interesting buildings right here at home. I have been documenting the rich tapestry of buildings in Southwestern Ontario ever since.
This first drawing was completed in 2012 and shows the gaping hole where a building used to sit. Today, 10 years later, it's still a gaping hole. 
A little research shows that 391 to 395 Dundas Street in Woodstock was home to Woodstock Opera House built in 1893. In 1908, it became part of the Griffin Amusement Company of Toronto. The Famous Players chain took over in 1927, renamed it the Capitol Theatre. It closed in 1999 due to the new Gallery Cinemas opening. The structure was demolished in 2010.
India ink and ink illustration of Woodstock streetscape completed in 2012.
SS51 Dundas Street, Woodstock (ink on Stonehenge Paper) 6" x 9" ©2012

​After a little more research and I found some images of the Capitol Theatre, before it met the wrecking ball. I think this was the most beautiful building on this block. My final illustration captures todays streetscape with a black and white drawing of the demolished building, using a little imagination and guess work to complete the image. You will notice some history on the marque and you will also find "YOU DID NOT SAVE ME" strategically placed on the façade.
Woodstock Streetscape wtih Capitol Theate
Woodstock Streetscape with Capitol Theatre (ink & watercolour) 5" x 21" ©2022
Modern living room with streetscape on the wall.
A modern living room with framed "Woodstock Streetscape with Capitol Theatre" on the wall.

​International Women's Day 2022 Exhibition

3/14/2022

 
​International Women's Day 2022 Exhibition at Westland Gallery. 
February 22nd - March 12, 2022

International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. I was honored to be included in this exhibition. Many London and area women artists were also being represented. And it was fun to attend a (small) opening again, completed the afternoon with a beverage and some great conversation. Looking forward to be included in the Plein Air Show Group Exhibition @ Westland Gallery from June 7 to June 25.

Participating Artists Included:
Angie Quick, Margot Ariss, Kelly Greene, Pat Deadman, Danielle Hoevenaars, Meredith Milton, Patience Morrisey, Rosemary Sloot, Erica Dornbusch, Kerry Ferris, Agneta Dolman, Donna Andreychuk, Antje Laidler, Jen Hamilton, Bonnie Parkinson, Valda Christine Glennie,  Selma Popovic, Marcy Saddy, Genet Hodder, Cheryl Radford, and Johnnene Maddison. 
Save Me Series Painting of Dufferin Ave
Save Me Series Painting of Stanley Street
LPG Print Article about the Exhibition

Urban Sketching and NON Urban Sketching

1/25/2022

 
December Urban Sketching on December 12, 2021
A warm day for a sketch out with #uskldnont in downtown London, but the wind picked up and it was so cold! Found a protected spot to sketch a couple of the beautiful buildings on Richmond Street between King and York.
​Outside and on location, its an urban sketch.
January (NON) Urban Sketching on January 23, 2022
A very cold Sunday (feels like -15°C), so no outdoor sketching for me. I finished up the hemming, and patching so on to sketching of my new-for-me sewing machine, which was purchased used a couple of years ago.
​It's a still life, not an urban sketch.
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Urban Sketching London Ontario, December 2021.
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NON Urban Sketch, January 2022

Golf Done - so much more time to do artwork!

11/19/2021

 
I played my final round of golf for the season on November 13 (only front nine was open). 9 Holes + 4 extra, just because the opportunity was there. Played one of my best front nines of the season. Probably because - I was not expecting to play, it was quite cold, too many clothes for golf, so I had no expectations. It was relatively warm, when the sun poked out a few time, but temperature dropped as we were finishing. One final post round beer and we look forward to next season of golf!
For the next five months or so, I have so much time to do artwork! And now I have an extra day at home (no work Wednesdays) I have even more time. My "artwork to do" list just keeps growing. Check back to see my progress and new works.
Picture
Greenhills Hole No 4, November 13, 2021

Sketch Arva

10/16/2021

 
Its October, so it's fitting to go sketching at a cemetery. Urban Sketchers at St. John's Anglican Church in Arva. This cute little yellow brick church was built in 1875. The first sketch was of the cemetery at the back of the property, a unique heart shaped head stone caught my attention. It was a little windy and cool back there, so moved to the front of the church. Went across the street to sketch an elevation view of the church, warmer with no wind. Micron Pen and water brush filled with india ink/distilled water mixture for gray tones... I spent about 45 minutes on each sketch. 
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