Urban Architecture Circa 1997

This is a drawing I gave a friend of mine back in 1997 before I drove around North America for 3 months. Back then, as I am still, I was very interested in old buildings, disused buildings and the way that light would play on them.

I lived in the area of Queen and Sherbourne and it was a lot rougher then, most everything was derelict (please no Zoolander references) and even the hoarding that was up around abandoned lots advertised business and investment that had clearly gone bust 5 plus years earlier.

The images from that time were based on observations gleaned as one of the unemployed (who had no need for subways) wandering around Queen, Richmond St, Adelaide and over to Temperance Street around the (at the time) defunct Bay Adelaide centre.

Man the city has changed quite a bit, that long afternoon light appears in less spaces as there is so much more development.

drawings of Scotty

This is a pastel drawing I did using old Grumbacher pastels on a piece of thick carton board like I'm some contemporary of Toulouse-Lautrec dans la Belle Epoque! I love looking at that style of drawing- the strength in the lines.

Scotty was sitting in the studio for a haircut for some video thingy and it gave me a chance to do some drawing, like this portrait of him and a double portrait of Duncan cutting his hair, I took the theme further and gave Scotty some dog tags like he was a GI being sent to Viet Nam.

Long Time Comin'...

I thought I would log in an entry while the workers next door bash the crap out of the adjacent apartment, ...serenity now.

I decided to put this picture up on the blog, I drew it in 1994 0r 95. I say drew as it is oil stick on top of oil pastels on paper. I suppose it was to be a study for a another piece but it was rather large and the other drawing/painting was never completed- instead this is what started my 'urban architecture' series of that era which continued until I re-entered college in 1998.

(wow, 19__ really looks good and carries more weight than 20__. so take that 2012 and shove it)

This drawing/painting was severely damaged and I recently restored it, something I am very happy to have accomplished, so now it sits on the wall next to my computer.