ICYMI - Franklin McMahon: Reportage Master

I wanted to bring attention to the final episode of Urban Sketchers (USk) Talks (Season 2/2021) on reportage featuring the art of Franklin McMahon (1921-2012) https://youtu.be/cmshT5JXt0o

This episode features educators and storytellers Mário Linhares and Deborah McMahon Osterholtz who are speaking about Deborah’s father, Franklin McMahon.

This was my personal favourite episode of  USk Talks this season. I am so grateful for Mário Linhares' enthusiasm for the subject of reportage and for his personal interest and knowledge of Franklin McMahon.

June 2021 Update & A Fond Farewell

Greetings to my Ottawa urban sketcher friends. It's Cindi Moynahan-Foreman here with two important announcements about the Ottawa urban sketching group and an important technical announcement for email subscribers to this blog.

Centretown house (Lisgar ST.) scheduled for demolition. Mixed media by Cindi Moynahan-Foreman

May 16th Urban Sketchers Administrators Zoom Meeting

Administrators from urban sketching (USk) chapters around the world met on ZOOM (May 16th) to talk about “What now?”

There has been a lot of worry and concern about a lot of things in our USk community. With so many cities in lockdown, how can we keep our groups together and active?

 

Screenshot of one of two pages of USk administrators on the ZOOM call

A V-Sketch Hunt in Ottawa

"COVID Sketching" by Mark Leibowitz (used with permission)

If you follow the New York City urban sketchers group (like I do) you will know that they have been leading the charge in developing new ways to build community, sketch "together-apart" and share our sketches online.

The urban sketching manifesto really insists on sketches done from direct observation (rather than photographs) but desperate times sometimes call for desperate measures!

Mark Leibowitz ( a friend of the Ottawa Urban Sketchers) has come up with a brilliant plan to explore our surroundings, find interesting subjects to sketch and share them online.

With BIG thanks to Mark Leibowitz, Mary Lynch, Arthur Fredericks and the New York City Urban Sketchers, let's do a V-Sketch Hunt in Ottawa!

Urban Sketching During COVID-19

"Coronavirus or COVID-19 threats to individuals and groups are real and should be taken seriously. We strongly advise that all sketchers, administrators, instructors and volunteers follow the guidelines and recommendations available to them from their local and national health organizations regarding what to do and how to stay safe. We all need to take on the responsibility of not putting ourselves or others at risk."

#3 - Urban Sketching Challenge 2020

Welcome to the Ottawa Urban Sketchers third sketching challenge of 2020!

March 2020 Update

The COVID-19 (coronavirus) is having an impact on Urban Sketcher (USk) chapters around the world. Some USk administrators have reported that sketching meetups in their cities have been prohibited or cancelled. With 300 chapters around the world, some urban sketchers are in cities that are at the epicenter of this crisis. Let’s keep them all in our thoughts and prayers.

#2 - Urban Sketching Challenge 2020

Welcome to the Ottawa Urban Sketchers second sketching challenge of 2020!

#1 - Urban Sketching Challenge 2020

Welcome to the Ottawa Urban Sketchers first sketching challenge of 2020!

Sketching the Christmas Market Sunday December 15, 2019

Join the Ottawa Urban Sketchers 

Sunday December 15, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.

at the Landsdowne Park Christmas Market 

for our last sketching event for 2019!
(Check-in at Christmas Tree)

November Update

Just catching up on posting some of the photos from our last three outings this fall:

1. Oct 18: Hintonburg
2. Sept 22: Remic Rapids
3. Sept 15: Chateau Laurier

 NOTE: There will be no sketch event in November unfortunately due to scheduling conflicts.

Sept 15: Chateau Laurier

Sept 22: Remic Rapids

Sketching Hintonburg

Join us for a day of sketching in the Wellington West neighbourhood of Hintonburg 

Sunday Sept. 22 - Remic Rapids

NCC Remic Rapids http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/remic-rapids-park

Sunday Sept. 15 - Sketching the Chateau Laurier

Please join the Ottawa Urban Sketchers on Sunday September 15th, from noon (to 3 p.m.) at Major's Hill Park for an afternoon of sketching the historic Chateau Laurier hotel in Ottawa

Photo credit: Michel Rathwell; Flickr; 2010 Labelled: Creative Commons (C.C. BY 2.0)

Ottawa Workshop with Captain Tom

On July 20-21, 2019, thirty lucky Ottawa sketchers, architects, artists had an amazing weekend of workshops with Tomas Pajdlhauser (aka Captain Tom) called: “Effective and Expressive Urban Sketching” http://captaintom.studio/about

Tom initially scheduled an Ottawa workshop for July 21 and it immediately filled up. There was SO much demand for his workshop that Tom graciously added an extra one on July 20!! That tells you it's going to be great! Oh, and the fact that someone came all the way from L.A. to Ottawa to take Tom's workshop - you know its going to be great!

This was the ad for the first workshop offered by Captain Tom - demand was so great, he added another on July 20, 2019!

Who is Captain Tom?

Captain Tom demonstrating in the afternoon portion of the workshop

In Memoriam: Ottawa Urban Sketcher Mike Lomas

Forever remembered - our friend and fellow urban sketcher Michael ("Mike") Lomas passed away peacefully on May 27th, 2019 at home with his beloved wife Liz at his side. 

The Ottawa Urban Sketchers will miss Mike's presence at future sketching events and would like to pay tribute to him by sharing some of our photo memories of sketching with Mike over the years.

Mike Lomas sketching at the Rideau Mall - December 2016

Mike was one of our regular and most enthusiastic sketchers rarely missing an event. He was loved for his humour, his kindness, his sketching support and his wonderful smile.

Sketching The Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival

Join the Ottawa Urban Sketchers on Saturday June 22nd at the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival

Since 1996, June 21st has been recognized as National Aboriginal Day and events showcasing the culture and contributions of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples have returned to the National Capital Region each year for the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival.   

The Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival (SSIF) events inOttawa take place June 20 - 23, 2019
https://www.ottawasummersolstice.ca/

Sketching the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum

On Saturday May 11, 2019 close to thirty Ottawa Urban Sketchers 

met at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum.

We want to thank the Museum staff for their warm and generous welcome. 

This is one of our favourite places to sketch in Ottawa 

especially in spring when there are lots of baby animals to sketch.

Here are some of the sketches from our day that the artists shared online (on our Facebook page) 

and some photos that were taken throughout the day/.

Our April and May Events

Sunday, April 14, 2019

10 am - 1 pm

Ottawa Urban Sketchers Featured in “Drawing Attention”

I’m pleased to announce that the Ottawa Urban Sketchers are featured in the

April 2019 issue of “Drawing Attention”

Drawing Attention April 2019 https://issuu.com/urbansketchers7/docs/drawing_attention_april_2019/

Drawing Attention, the official monthly zine of the Urban Sketchers organization, 

communicates and promotes official USk workshops, symposiums, sketchcrawls, news and events; shares news about USk chapters ...

March Update

Even though there’s freezing rain and snow this weekend, we are still making plans to get outside and sketch Ottawa.

Latest update:

March 11: Join Us at the Fox and Feather for Café Scientifique

 

Join the Ottawa Urban Sketchers Monday March 11 at the Fox and Feather Pub for an evening of drinks, food and sketching at the Café Scientifique hosted by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society - Ottawa Chapter (CPAWS-OV)

Our Great Night at the Nature Museum

Thanks to all the urban sketchers who came out in the cold on January 31st and thanks to the great staff at the Canadian Nature Museum! Here are some photos and sketches from our evening.

Some of the Ottawa urban sketchers at the end of the evening at the Canadian Nature Museum

January 2019: Urban Sketching Moves Indoors

Ottawa had the dubious distinction of being the coldest capital in the world in January 2019 ("clocking in about 20 degrees colder than winter heavyweights like Moscow and Helsinki, and even edging out perpetual champ Ulan Bator, Mongolia, by a degree". Source: The Weather Network.)

And thats not all!

Low temperatures combined with nearly 30 cm of snow reported at Ottawa Airport last weekend, set the city up to chalk up another unusual milestone -- the coldest snowstorm in more than 100 years.

And I haven't even mentioned the winds of 30-50 km/hr!

Photo: Ottawa Heritage Home, Centretown: January 22, 2019

Thank You Ottawa Urban Sketchers!

Thank you to all of the Ottawa urban sketchers 

who joined us at our events in 2018. 

December: Sketching the Ottawa Art Gallery

Thank you to everyone who came out to sketch the Ottawa Art Gallery on December 1st, 2018.

For many of our Ottawa urban sketchers, this was their very first time visiting the recently renovated Ottawa Art Gallery and everyone was very impressed and plans to visit again!

Let's Sketch the Ottawa Art Gallery

On December 1, 2018, 

the Ottawa Urban Sketchers will be meeting to sketch at the 

Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) between 1 and 4 pm.

OAG’s new entrance on Daly Avenue between the University of Ottawa and the Rideau Centre
Photo: originally appeared OAG/Ottawa Magaine

A Great Day at the National Art Centre

The Ottawa Urban Sketchers enjoyed a great day sketching at the National Art Centre (NAC)! There were lots of familiar faces and lots of new faces as well. We had one urban sketcher from Spain join us and an art teacher joined us with several of her students.

Special thanks to Nadine who suggested this sketch venue and date when we were 

sketching at the WW SketchCrawl #61 in the Byward Market (Oct. 20)

Thank you to EVERYONE who came out to join us !! 

Ottawa Urban Sketchers at the National Art Centre

We would like to also thank the NAC staff for all of their assistance and for being so incredibly welcoming. This great space is one that many sketchers said they would love to visit again!

November 4: Let's Sketch the National Art Centre!

We will meet at the National Art Centre (1 Elgin St., Ottawa) 
on Sunday November 4, 2018 from 10 am to 1 pm.
Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1984208531878569/

Source: Ottawa Citizen 2014: NAC Faces front with new entrance facing Confederation Square

WW SketchCrawl #61 A BIG Success

Thanks to everyone who came out to the WW SketchCrawl #61 in the Byward Market on October 20, 2018 We started the day by meeting at 10 a.m. at the Ottawa Art Gallery on George St. in the Byward Market.

Ottawa Urban Sketchers at the Ottawa School of Art