Here's a few things I did in Edmonton during my recent blogging break --
Summer Orchestra Concert
I attended a lovely free concert by the student symphony orchestra of the University of Alberta's Department of Music. They very ably performed pieces by Vaughan Williams, Mahler, and Rimsky-Korsakov. A truly pleasant Sunday afternoon!
Continuous Line Art Workshop
I like trying my hand occasionally at "continuous line art" (where the pen/pencil is never lifted from the paper while sketching). The workshop instructor supplied various objects for us to draw, including some plants. In my defence, I feel obliged to say that the following plant actually looked that wonky in real life, honest!
[continuous line drawing
done directly in Sharpie marker,
with India Ink wash and accents]
Every single thing I did in the workshop later ended up in the garbage at home. This one almost did too, but I relented at the last moment and decided to post it here, LOL.
Pasquale Grasso Concert
At last month's Edmonton Jazz Fest, I was thrilled to attend a wonderful concert by Pasquale Grasso, the Italian-born New York jazz guitarist. In the following video, he is accompanying the fabulously talented singer Samara Joy (who I featured once as a "Beautiful Woman of the Day" on my other blog). And I must thank blogging buddy Tom of Tom the Backroads Traveller where I first saw this video, thereby learning of Pasquale Grasso's existence and becoming a fan!
wonderful art pieces he has collected over the years --
John inspired me to create my own little gallery wall
to the right of my computer desk in my den!
These are all small, mainly original art pieces of birds and animals
which I have collected or been given over the years.
Each petite artwork would be lost by itself on a wall,
but looks great when collectively displayed
as part of a themed gallery.
Starting from the top and going clockwise, these pieces are --
1. An early ceramic wall sculpture by Winnipeg artist Jordan Van Sewell illustrating how to let a sleeping dog lie, purchased in the early-to-mid 1990s.
2. "Beware of the Cat" ceramic plaque purchased in Assisi, Tuscany in 2008. It looks just like HRH!
3. A terra cotta wall sculpture of a "Curled Hare" bought in Glastonbury, England in 2009.
4. The "Catitude Coffee Co." metal sign was a gift from my sister a few years ago, again in homage to You Know Who.
5. A painting entitled "Love" by blogging buddy Magic Love Crow (Stacy), which she created and gave to me in 2021 for my blog post HRH's Pet Purride Pawrade! Stacy described her work as follows: "This crow is surrounding the world, which is under its beak. The crow has no gender, it represents all, spreading love and peace."
6. A watercolour painting by an artist named Denise of a Sacred Hare near Bride's Mound under Glastonbury Tor, purchased in Glastonbury, England in 2009.
7. In the centre is a woodcut entitled "Shy Rabbit" by Canadian artist Gerard Brender à Brandis, purchased at the artist's studio in Stratford, Ontario in 2007. When I was a university student in the late 1970s in Winnipeg, I saw an earlier woodcut of a rabbit by him which I badly wanted, but was much too poor to afford. It brought me "full circle" to be able to buy this one 30 years later.
[Photo #1 by John Gray and used with his permission;
