Mathilde Blais
Early yesterday morning Montreal citizens gathered to memorialize the death of 33 year old speech therapist Mathilde Blais.
Last week she was struck by a transport truck and killed instantly while cycling under the Des Carrières railway bridge.
For a long time now people have expressed concern about these underpasses – but there are no other alternatives for crossing the train tracks that divide the island. Cyclists and vehicles, including the oversized trailer that claimed Ms. Blais, are expected to share these narrow lanes.
There are perfectly safe elevated sidewalks in the tunnel, but last year the city handed out over eleven thousand tickets to cyclists riding on sidewalks. Further complicating matters, many of these underpasses have barriers specifically designed to keep cyclists off these sidewalks. You’d have to dismount and carefully weave between staggered poles, one rider at a time.
It took Mathilde’s death, the first fatality while riding one of Montreal’s much loved Bixi bike-shares, to get these barriers removed, and a tacit agreement in place that police will use judgment, only ticketing cyclists actively endangering pedestrians.
Today, an all-white ghost bike hangs from the railing, standing vigil. A hand lettered sign says simply “Une Cycliste Est Morte Ici – Mathilde Blais 2014-04-28 – A Cyclist Died Here”.
Here is the drawing I made, after the TV crews, the photographers, and the cyclists had left.
Montreal Croissant Festival
Today was the Montreal Croissant Festival. A magical day when bakeries all across the city put forward their most flaky buttery crescent shaped delicacies – for only $1 a piece! Well ok, if you want the chocolate ones, or the maple bacon – that might run you a bit extra. But for basic melt in your mouth croissants – today is the day for stocking up.
We tried out a range of almond and maple choices at Marius et Fanny, and couldn’t resist a second stop at Les Co’Pains D’Abord after meeting their friendly Croissant Girl with her basket of free samples. Brilliant marketing apparently, because they were jam packed. I needed the long walk home after five croissant in one morning.
The other day I was doing a little sketching in my old Plateau neighborhood. There’s a little storefront on my ex-block that seems to change hands faster than a bitcoin key. It’s been a lot of things, mostly fashion related – but recently it’s changed over to a Vape shop.
You may not have heard of Vaping yet? – it’s basically using a cute electronic gadget to vaporize the chemical laced payload in a (refillable?) cartridge, then inhaling these mysterious fumes (ok, water vapor) in order to get the flavor, and possibly a nicotine buzz.
But, I feel bad for this little Vape shop in its cursed retail location – because I’ve already been reading about legal bans on e-cigs in New York, and the possibility of the same restrictions coming to Montreal.
[The magic E-Liquid, E-Cigs and my favorite, the E-Pipe. As Magritte says “Ceci n’est pas une pipe“]
Proponents are saying their pocket hookas are a huge boon to the light headed inhalers among us – saving us from the serious health consequences of traditional coffin nails. Advocates say it’s ‘common sense’ that inhaling pure water and nicotine has to be safer than burning pesticides and tobacco right? I mean, who knows what’s lurking in that loamy Virginia soil. So it’s win-win all around, and pure reactionary buzzkill to be talking about bans.
The problem with this cigarette alternative comes in here: the contents of the vaporizing ‘juice’ is completely unregulated at this time. We don’t know what’s in it, or where it comes from, or how consistently it’s manufactured. So it seems impossible to know if in fact it’s safer than the old fashioned match-to-paper cancer sticks. Do you want to be inhaling fumes cooked up by an entrepreneur jumping onto a new stimulant market, trying to cash in before FDA regulations can catch up?
Personally, I can wait and see what happens. I’m getting all the carcinogens I need from licking points on my brushes. And apparently, all the buzz as well.
USK:MTL Griffintown Sketchcrawl
For this month’s USK:MTL 4th Sunday sketch-out we did a walking tour of Griffintown. This historically Irish part of Montreal has been undergoing gentrification for a few years now – I was hoping to find some left over urban decay, but it seems pretty well cleaned up these days.
I had scanned the area in google street view and picked out a few likely drawing spots. I am told by people in the know I wasn’t really looking in Griffintown proper, but I think after some wandering around we found some things that qualify.
You’ll have to consider that I’m not a very reliable guide. But if you’re anywhere near metros Lionel Groulx or Lucien L’Allier and looking for something to sketch, here’s my map for the sketch walk.
Wikipedia has this to say about the neighborhood:
The name Griffintown was derived from Mary Griffin. Ms. Griffin illegally obtained the lease to the land from a business associate of Thomas McCord in 1799. She then commissioned land surveyor Louis Charland to subdivide the land and plan streets for the area in 1804. Griffin’s husband, Robert, owned a soap manufactory in the area, and went on to become the first clerk of the Bank of Montreal upon its formation in 1817.
[Sketches are Lamy washable ink and W&N watercolor pans in an 8×8″ HandBook sketchbook]
Our first stop looking for G-town was this two-towered basilica. I’m not sure the history of this looming structure – but today it’s the Korean Martyrs Mission. It surely must have been something before that, as it has the hallmark look of all of Montreal’s historic religious architecture. I don’t know when all this lot was built – perhaps I’m going to have to read a book. This is the kind of stuff I love to draw – I’m always game for a dome’d tower.
All the little speckles by the way, are rain. When I closed the book, the water-soluble ink transferred from the branches to the raindrops.
Next stop, Robbie Griffin’s Bank of Montreal. A fine looking red sandstone block, with a fun roof decorated with Griffins and Lions. This family might have had some clout in this area? I dunno. One day I’ll have to go back and do some detailed drawings. This place has numerous gargoyles and medallions that would make for great pencil drawing studies.
Just up the street from there we found this old church. You can’t tell from the drawing, but there’s some kind of an interesting story here. There’s a lot of broken glass in the windows, and some of the doors are sealed with a small plaque. All the copper statues and finials are gone. Either sold off, or packed away for safety.
I have heard cases of valuable copper decor being stripped and sold for scrap. Something about a fellow from Laval killed by a falling saint. Some instant divine-justice there. Perhaps a precursor of what is coming for all of us. I don’t know where you think you can sell a 500lb statue anyway. Perhaps they have to cut the saint up and sell the parts piece-meal? Got to be some bad karma.
Anyway, I get the impression this place is on its way to being shuttered. Perhaps even demolished. There’s a lot of talk about how much of this area has been razed and replaced with freeways and warehouses, which are now being upcycled into condos and artist studios.
But on the other hand, I also hear people saying, good riddance to those old shacks. There probably aren’t a lot of fond memories of Ms. Griffin’s factory worker’s housing. I’m not the one to judge. But it was an interesting feeling to sketch this old church and wonder about the history there.
Exporting Winter
A few weeks back I was part of an Urban Sketchers art exchange. I had partners in Girona and in Sao Paulo. There were other swaps with NYC. All told, about 40 artists participated.
We each did sketches of our towns and sent them off to our partners. The drawings were meant to arrive as a surprise, so I’ve been waiting til is was safe to show these.
I’d been fed up with the cold and wet of winter, and was feeling envious of these guys in sunny countries. Somehow that meant I really had to paint some snow. They had to see something that could only be found in Montreal. Perhaps there’s a little northern pride going on.
We were lucky enough to get the last snow of the year that very weekend. I got up early and headed straight to Mount Royal Cemetery to get these scenes. It was a perfect day for it – cold but clear skies, the way it can be the morning after a snowfall.
I have to admit I’m playing a little trick on them. Making winter look a lot more attractive than it really is. Much better to have a picture of snow, than the real thing.
The Classic Street Sketch and Other Philosophy
This unassuming sketch is a perfect example of why I’m hooked on Urban Sketching.
I’m waiting on the street corner, meeting people before a show. I’m there a few minutes early, and they’re a few minutes late. It ends up being 25 minutes I’m sitting there waiting.
But this was actually perfect! I could pull out my book and sketch the building on the corner of Sherbrooke and Guy – which happens to be a favorite of mine. (Though locals will see I took considerable artistic license). I’ve heard these red stone hulks are called railway style? Remnants of the lost empire of Canada’s rail barons. There’s a good one of these on the map for our Griffintown sketchcrawl on the upcoming 4th Sunday.
So we got up to the theater, and the damn show is sold out. Since when is a show at the MFA sold out? But this is actually even better! Because we can go get something to eat and I can take out my half pans and add some color.
My point is – isn’t that the classic urban sketch? Something you can do in any spare moment. A slice of life, as you find it. Time waiting isn’t lost – it’s turned into something creative.
I haven’t been carrying a book at all times lately (because winter) – but I was inspired in Savannah when I saw Gabi Campanario make an entire drawing in the time it took the rest of us to find a restaurant on Google maps.
So that’s my self-refresher on what’s so awesome about carrying a sketchbook 24/7.
So, about the ‘Other Philosophy’ part – you might be interested in a short interview with myself, conducted by Julie Prescesky over at Design Inkarnation on the topic of urban sketching and living as an artist. She asked some thought provoking questions!
Every fourth Sunday USK:MTL meets for our open sketching. Everyone is welcome, all skill levels, all materials, whatever you feel like carrying around for the day. I’ll be packing light with a small sketchbook and travel kit of watercolor pans.
This Sunday outing will be a walking sketch tour of Griffintown. I’ve made an interactive google map with a few likely drawing spots, but of course, we’ll all find our own subjects along the way. It’s not necessary to keep up with the group – just wander as you will and we can find each other at the map markers.
Itinerary:
Starting Meetup: 9:30-10Am Metro Lionel-Groulx. Meet at the front entrance, say hello, then head out sketching. We can look for the spots on the map – or strike out on your own and find something cool to show us.
Lunch: 1pm, Le Boucan.1886 Notre-Dame St W. No reservations, we’ll take our chances. This is just a suggestion. If they’re full I’m sure there’s lots of options nearby.
Ending Meetup: 4pm Metro Lucien L’Allier. Meet at the front entrance, and we’ll hang our a bit, show and tell what we got for sketches today.
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Check out the list of future Sunday Sketching events [here].
Vertical Slice
I’ve never tried flipping a landscape format book this way. It seemed to suit the vertical subject. But it certainly makes an awkward sketch. I’m not sure I like the effect all that much, but you have to try things out :)
This is Morrice Hall, formerly the Presbyterian College, on the downtown McGill campus. The view is looking out from the second floor cafeteria windows across the street. Washable fountain pen ink and watercolor, Handbook watercolor sketchbook.
You can see the snow is still hanging around here – but it’s down to one and a half coats weather.
On Monday, March 31 you can register to attend the 5th International Urban Sketching Symposium taking place in Paraty, Brazil, August 27-30, 2014. Registration opens at 4:00 PM GMT.
This year we will accommodate more sketchers than ever by providing several passes for different levels of participation. More information about the passes can be found on the Symposium website, along with the full Symposium schedule.
Citizen Sketcher 