A Great Evening At The Canadian Museum of Nature!

Many Ottawa artists came out Thursday night to sketch the Canadian Museum of Nature.  It was our first event in 2016 and it was also our first event as an official urban sketcher regional chapter!

It was quite wonderful to visit each of the museum's galleries and find artists everywhere sketching!

Here are some photos from the evening

We are all looking forward to the next sketching event!

If you are interested in joining us

Please visit our facebook page to receive announcements 

https://www.facebook.com/urbansketchersottawa/

It's OFFICIAL!

We received word this morning that our application to have Ottawa become an official urban sketcher regional chapter had been accepted by the USk membership committee!

Artists Colin White, Kristina Corre and Cindi Foreman made the application in late 2015.

This is such great news!

Urban sketching is free and open to sketchers of all ages and all levels. Join us by liking our facebook page where we announce sketch meetups and share our sketches https://www.facebook.com/urbansketchersottawa/

 Urban Sketchers Regional Chapters

An Urban Sketchers Regional Chapter is a geographically-based community of individuals who practice on-location sketching in the spirit of the Urban Sketchers manifesto and has been recognized as such by the Urban Sketchers Executive Board.

Urban Sketchers Manifesto

• We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation.
• Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel.
• Our drawings are a record of time and place.
• We are truthful to the scenes we witness.
• We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles.
• We support each other and draw together.
• We share our drawings online.
• We show the world, one drawing at a time.

Regional Chapters

From the urban sketchers.org website:

"The global Urban Sketchers community offers the opportunity to make new friends in your area and to learn from others as you start capturing your surroundings with pen and paper and sharing your results. 

We are a supportive group where you’ll find inspiration online and a network of sketching buddies all over the world. If you’re planning a trip, you may wish to arrange to sketch with members of an USk Regional Chapter in the city you will be visiting. 

You may also connect with fellow sketchers in our groups on Flickr and Facebook.

ARGENTINA

• Argentina (National chapter)

AUSTRALIA

• Australia (National chapter)

BHUTAN

• Bhutan (National chapter)

BRAZIL

• Brazil (National chapter)

CANADA

• Kitchener-Waterloo
• Montreal
• Toronto
• Vancouver

CHILE

• Chile (National chapter)

CHINA

• Hong Kong

COSTA RICA

• Costa Rica (National chapter)

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

• Dominican Republic (National chapter)

ENGLAND

• Birmingham
• London
• Manchester
• Southampton
• Yorkshire

FRANCE

• France (National chapter)
• Paris

GERMANY

• Germany (National chapter)
• Berlin
• Düsseldorf/Cologne
• Munich

HUNGARY

• Budapest

INDIA

• Pune

INDONESIA

• Indonesia (National chapter)

IRELAND

• Galway

ISRAEL

• Israel (National chapter)

ITALY

• Italy (National chapter)
• Milano
• Sardinia

JAPAN

• Japan (National chapter)

KOREA

• Seoul

LUXEMBOURG

• Luxembourg

MALAYSIA

• Kuching
• Penang

NEW ZEALAND

• New Zealand (National chapter)

PALESTINE

• Palestine

PHILIPPINES

• Philippines (National chapter)

PORTUGAL

• Portugal (National chapter)
• Açores
• Beiras
• Madeira
• Norte

RUSSIA

• Moscow

SINGAPORE

• Singapore (National chapter)

SPAIN

• Spain (National chapter)
• Girona

SWEDEN

• Eskilstuna
• Skane

SWITZERLAND

• Switzerland (National chapter)

TAIWAN

• Taiwan (National chapter)

THAILAND

• Thailand (National chapter)

TURKEY

• Istanbul

UKRAINE

• Ukraine (National chapter)
• Odessa

UNITED STATES

• Charleston, S.C.
• Chicago
• Cleveland
• Central Florida
• Hawaii (Oahu)
• Memphis
• Midwest (Regional chapter)
• Minneapolis-St. Paul
• New Jersey
• New York City
• Portland
• San Diego
• San Francisco - Bay Area
• San Francisco - North Bay Area
• Seattle
• Tacoma, WA
• Texas
• Washington State Tri-Cities
• Washington D.C.

JAN 21 An Evening of Sketching at the Canadian Museum of Nature

Source: KPMB Open Buildings

Join us on Thursday evening January 21, 2016 for an indoor evening sketch meetup at the Canadian Museum of Nature. The Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN) was the first purpose built museum in Canada! CMN is home to 10 million specimens gathered over 150 years.



To keep our sketch meetups free, we will be sketching at the museum Thursday January 21, 2016 in the evening between 5 and 8 pm.

NOTE: Some CMN galleries require an admission fee (see details below) but, if you want to see them for free, you can check out the OPL "Borrow A Pass" program (if you have an Ottawa library card)

Architecture

If the weather permits, there is plenty to sketch on the exterior of this magnificent CMN building.

The impressive limestone building (built in 1905, and beautifully renovated in 2010) is known to locals as “the castle.” Canada's Parliament was held in this building from 1916 to 1920 after the Ottawa fire of 1916.

Canadian Museum of Nature
240 McLeod Street, Ottawa, Ontario
(At the corner of McLeod and Metcalfe)
Photo Source: PCL : Victoria Memorial Museum Building Rehabilitation

The original building – known as the Victoria Memorial Museum Building (VMMB) - has been described as Scottish Baronial in design.

"The museum is one of the first public buildings to incorporate into its design animals and plants that are found in Canada. These are found in windows, exterior walls and interior embellishments, in addition to the two carved moose heads that guard the main entrance." (Source: CMN)

A stylized fox head, oak leaves and acorns adorn the newel of the main staircase.
It is carved from Missisquoi grey-green marble.
The cap and base are carved in Missisquoi bolder grey marble.
(Photo Source: CNM)

Two mooseheads appearing at the main entrance to the CNM
Source: Building The Victoria Memorial Museum Building 

The architecture inside the CNM building is stunning and would be very interesting to sketch.

The Lantern at the Canadian Nature Museum
Click here for interactive photosphere

Don't forget to visit the recently installed arctic-inspired iceberg sculpture by artist Bill Lishman (http://williamlishman.com/)!

Artist Bill Lishman in front of his sculpture at the CMN
(October 2015 Source CBC: All In A Day)

The Galleries

Two of the galleries (Birds and Animalium) are presently closed for renovations until June 2016 and two other galleries are special exhibits and require admission purchase even on the free Thursday night. 

There is a lot to sketch in three hours at the following open galleries:

• Talisman Energy Fossil Gallery
• Water Gallery
• Vale Earth Gallery
• Mammal Gallery
• Stone Wall Gallery

Galleries excluded/unavailable:

Closed temporarily:

• Animalium (closed for renovation until June 2016)
• Bird Gallery (closed for renovation until June 2016)
• Ultimate Dinosaurs: (opens June 2016)

Not included in the free evening. (Special exhibitions are excluded from free Thursdays) They will cost extra

• Bugs: Outside the Box (additional charge of $4)

The Details

• When: Thursday, January21, 2016. Free Admission to the Permanent Galleries Thursday evenings: 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm. We will meet in the main lobby at 5 pm and sketch until 8 pm; (If work schedules prevent you from arriving at 5 - no worries - arrive whenever you can and look for other sketchers)
• Admission Cost: Free Admission to the Permanent Galleries Thursday evenings: 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
• Show and Tell: 8:30 pm The Lieutenant's Pump, 361 Elgin Street, Ottawa, ON K2P 1M9 

• How to get there: The following OC Transpo buses will take you to the Canadian Museum of Nature:  
• Route 5, 6: Bus stop at the corner of Elgin and McLeod, one block from the museum 
• Route 14: Bus stop at the corner of Gladstone and Metcalfe, one block from the museum 
• Route 1, 7: Bus stop at the corner of Bank and McLeod, two blocks from the museum
• Parking: Paid parking is available on the Canadian Museum of Nature grounds; evening flat rate: $5 (4:30 pm – 4:30 am); there is free evening street parking at night in centretown but there are special restrictions if there is snow.
  
• Museum Rules: When asked about sketchers in the nature museum, the officer of Visitor Experience Guy Romain advises, "Thank you for your question.  The only thing we ask of artists is that they do not set up easels or tripods or lighting.  They need to be mindful that the museum is open to all visitors so they cannot block any exhibits, panels, doorways or stairways. Please let me know if you have any further questions or comments." We asked  a follow-up question about artists bringing portable, small sketch stools and the museum replied (Jan 14) that artists are welcome to bring small stools.
• Official website: http://nature.ca/en/home
• Downloadable App: There is FREE Wi-Fi throughout the museum and there is a FREE android/iPhone app 
• Nature Trek "Show and tell" videos of CNM researchers and educators lead you through the galleries.

REMINDER: Visit Our NEW Urban Sketchers Facebook Page

Our Facebook Page has moved to a new location: https://www.facebook.com/urbansketchersottawa/

Be sure to visit and like our new page to receive notifications for 2016 sketching events in Ottawa!

Ottawa Urban Sketchers Visit the National Gallery of Canada

The last gathering of the Ottawa urban sketchers for 2015 took place at the National Gallery of Canada and everyone is looking forward to more sketching meetups in 2016!

The National Gallery of Canada

A great group of sketchers showed up for a wonderful evening at the National Gallery of Canada. There were some familiar faces and some new faces as well. We love that!

New sketchers are always welcome!

Part of the Ottawa urban sketcher group posing under the Christmas tree

There were many fun challenges on this sketchcrawl:

• There was a museum rule of "pencils only" and "no erasers"! 
• The time frame was short (5 to 8 pm) and there were so many galleries to choose from!
• The exhibit: Monet: Bridge to Modernity" drew large crowds.
• The busy holiday season meant that many of the Ottawa urban sketchers that wished to attend had to send their regrets instead.

At the end of the evening, everyone shared their sketches and it was clear that everyone enjoyed themselves overcoming the challenges and creating some great sketches

Our sketches from the show and tell.

Join Us!

If you are interested in sketching with this group, follow ("like") our facebook page where we announce events. We always contact the organization or institution in advance to announce our intentions to sketch in a group and ask that they let us know of any guidelines for artists sketching at their venue.

Our "sketch crawls" are free and open to sketchers of all ages and levels. Anyone who sketches in Ottawa is welcomed to join us!

Ideas for 2016 

Other indoor venues for this winter that we are looking at include:

• The Nature Museum (they recently responded to our email request)
• Three free indoor green spaces: Tropical Greenhouse (Arboretum);  Carleton Greenhouses; and  Rideau Hall Greenhouses (we will be contacting them regarding accommodations for a sketching group)

Outdoor venues being considered for future sketch crawls include:

• Winterlude (Jan 29 - Feb 15, 2016)
• Rideau Canal Skateway

Free things to do and sketch in Ottawa

If you have an idea for a great indoor (or outdoor) 

place to sketch this winter in Ottawa, 

please let us know in the comment section below!

Documentary: Forgotten Spaces by Justin Nalepa

This is an 8-minute video by filmmaker Justin Nalepa 

of Ottawa urban sketchers who spent last summer 

urban sketching Ottawa's "Forgotten Spaces" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvkkgu60X0Yiuguyyd

Filmmaker Justin Nalepa says, "I'm very proud to share with you my latest documentary, Forgotten Spaces. A huge thanks goes out to Colin White for all his help in bringing together an amazing group of people and leading us on a journey around Ottawa's alleyways.

"Alleyways in Ottawa are forgotten spaces. They serve as loading zones, garbage pickup and areas for bar staff to smoke. More interestingly, they serve as rudimentary pedestrian zones. People use them to get off main streets or create shortcuts. There is a strange beauty in the aesthetic: because they are not being officially presented to the public, they are often decayed and decrepit. Alleys display the hidden operational needs of a city: dumpsters, scary bundles of hydro wires, venting and piping, grim and grease traps." - Colin White 

Featuring the remarkable works of Emma Cochrane, Marc Adornato, Mawt Trood, Kristina Corre, Cindi Foreman, Anthony Parravano, Colin White, Stephen Frew, Beccy Murphy and Chris Roussakis.

The Artists

• Marc Adornato http://www.adornato.com/home.php
• Emma Cochrane http://emmacochrane.ca/
• Kristina Corre http://goodthingsottawa.ca/
• Cindi Foreman http://moynahanstudio.blogspot.ca/
• Stephen Frew https://stephenfrew.wordpress.com/
• Beccy Murphy https://www.behance.net/BeccyM
• Anthony Parravano http://www.anthonyparravano.ca/
• Chris Roussakis http://www.roussakisphotography.com/
• Mawt Trood https://www.flickr.com/photos/trude_514/albums
• Colin White http://www.colinwhite.ca/

Reminder: Two Great Sketching Events This Week

There are two great evening sketching events this week: life drawing on Tuesday at the Atomic Rooster on Bank St (the theme is Star Wars) and museum sketching on Thursday at the National Gallery of Canada.

Both events are free and both events welcome sketchers of all levels. All you need is a pencil and something to sketch on so please join us!

Dec 15: 

Drawing at the Rooster

https://www.facebook.com/events/137964166571077/

There will be multiple models and short and long poses. Drawing at the Rooster is a relaxed and non-judgmental creative environment where all skill levels are welcome. 

As always, there are food and beverage specials, so bring your sketch book and your creativity. Be sure to come early to get a good seat.

No Cover or pay what you can | 19+

Dec 17: 

An Indoor Evening Museum Sketchcrawl

https://www.facebook.com/events/693187980818238/

Ottawa Urban sketchers are moving indoors to sketch this winter.

We will take advantage of Ottawa's Free Museum Thursdays and Dec 17 we will be sketching at the National Gallery of Canada.

Details can be found here: http://ottawaurbansketchers.blogspot.ca/2015/11/thursday-december-17-indoor-evening.html

This Friday: "Forgotten Spaces" Documentary

The documentary "Forgotten Spaces" by filmmaker Justin Nalepa will be screening at the Digi60 Filmmakers' Festival this Friday!

Forgotten Spaces follows a group of talented artists as they explore alleyways around Ottawa. Featuring artists Colin White, Emma Cochrane, Anthony Parravano, Marc Adornato, Cindi Foreman, Mawt Trood, Stephen Frew and Kristina Corre.

More information about the festival and the other films found here: http://www.digi60.org/documentary-filmmakers/ 

Poster design by Colin White, photo credit Chris Roussakis.

The Artists

• Marc Adornato http://www.adornato.com/home.php
• Emma Cochrane http://emmacochrane.ca/
• Kristina Corre http://goodthingsottawa.ca/
• Cindi Foreman http://moynahanstudio.blogspot.ca/
• Stephen Frew https://stephenfrew.wordpress.com/
• Beccy Murphy https://www.behance.net/BeccyM
• Anthony Parravano http://www.anthonyparravano.ca/
• Chris Roussakis http://www.roussakisphotography.com/
• Mawt Trood https://www.flickr.com/photos/trude_514/albums
• Colin White http://www.colinwhite.ca/

What is Digi60? 

The Digi60 Filmmakers’ Festival is a grassroots, local “catch” film festival where filmmakers have 60 days to create and complete a seven-minute short film. These films are evaluated by a jury of industry professionals from across North America. The films are screened at a public gala event, taking place this year at the Centrepointe Studio Theatre.

Digi60’s long time mandate has two important components: to provide opportunities for new and emerging filmmakers to create and screen their work while networking with other filmmakers, and to build a professional skill base for the participants of the Festival to enter the filmmaking industry.

Source: http://www.ottawalife.com/2015/09/taking-filmmaking-to-the-limit/

You See More When You Draw

rijksmuseum.nl

Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, which was recently renovated and restored by Cruz y Ortiz, have launched The Big Draw campaign, encouraging visitors to ditch the camera and pick up a pad and pencil. 

Under the tagline 'You See More When You Draw', the Dutch national museum want to "help visitors discover and appreciate the beauty of art, architecture and history through drawing" as a counter to what they describe as an often "passive and superficial experience" when seen through the lens of a smartphone. 

 https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/startdrawing

In response to the initiative, Wim Pijbes, General Director of the Rijksmuseum, has said: 
"In our busy lives we don’t always realise  how beautiful something can be.  We forget how to look really closely.  Drawing helps because you see more when you draw."

rijksmuseum.nl

rijksmuseum.nl

rijksmuseum.nl

rijksmuseum.nl