Vancouver Scenes, and a Bit of Painting

This is the side entrance to the Vancouver Art Gallery. It was a gorgeous, warm, sunny day, and I wanted to be outside, but I also really wanted to see this exhibit - it was the final day. The gallery was showing an exhibition of 500 years of Italian art, on loan from several Glasgow museums. There were several exquisite Renaissance works - very inspiring!

I had to take a photo of the skyline near the gallery. Vancouver has changed so very much. Every time I visit [which isn't often],  there are major changes.

Photos were not permitted in the gallery proper, but I was drawn to some of the renovation work that is being done inside the foyer. To me, it looks quite lovely and has  a European flavor.

I had my sister pose at the bottom of the winding stairs. 

On the way home, we drove through an older section of  Vancouver called Gastown. This isn't  the showy, store-front view. It's one of the grungy alleys, and I thought the photo would be a perfect reference for an exercise in perspective for my drawing class.

The other side of the street - another good perspective shot.

We passed through Chinatown ...

... and along Commercial Drive where some fair was being held. I just had to get a photo of the "bee-man" with his wings.

Also on Commercial, I took a photo through  the windshield of this woman's wild green dreadlocks. I am like a tourist in my own city. My niece once said that going out in the city with me was like going out with an alien from another planet - always looking, always fascinated and amazed at what I saw. 

I did some painting this week - finished the contented cow, by giving her a solid shadow and ground.

And I am still slogging along with the tugs. I was darkening the treed areas in small bits and pieces with a dry brush technique, and it was so slow going.  So I decided to bite the bullet, and put some masking on and get it DONE. I will have to darken the water and foreground tug, and then re-assess.

The watercolor classes are still going so well - all are happy with their work, and inspired [including me].

I taught my first drawing class last Tuesday. That was not so inspiring! The class is extremely diverse - from those with absolutely no drawing background to others with many years of doodling and drawing. As for me, I have been drawing for as long as I can remember, and I'm finding it somewhat awkward to explain something that is so natural to me. Like ... how do you explain to someone how to walk who has never done so??? Somehow, I'll figure it out. I think the next class will involve much looser work using charcoal on large sheets of paper. One overall mistake I noticed with the class was that they were all very tight, and trying to be "perfect" in creating a drawing. And I must do more demonstrations.

Anyway, that's life right now. Thank you for dropping by!