Canada

105-3149 – Galleria trees, downtown Calgary

Image | | Art-Chap-Enjoin

This day started with lazy morning followed by trip into town for a 3 hour tip-based waking tour of downtown (our guide was Daniel of Toonie Tours). The tour took in Stephen Avenue, Plus 15 (a network of elevated, weather-protected walkways), the beautiful central library, the Bow Building (and the giant wire mesh head sculpture in front of it), the ‘Family of Man’ sculpture, the King Eddy Hotel etc. We then had dinner some friends at Goro and Gun – lovely vegan ramen soup! The tree sculptures I sketched (along Stephen Avenue) were designed by the Cohos Evamy Partners architects and are supposed to mitigate wind gusts in the area.

Fri-6-Jun-2025

105-3148 – Heritage park

Image | | Art-Chap-Enjoin

On our second day in Calgary we took a longer bus ride to go to Heritage Park (described as “one of Canada’s Largest Living History Museums”). The place was swamped by teenagers benefitting the School Safety Patrol Appreciation Day Picnic (there were 4,000 kids there!), but thankfully we mostly avoided them. Most interesting to us were the original houses (from the 1860s to the 1950s) that had been dismantled and rebuilt on site along with furniture and the everyday stuff of the period …these really showed how people lived. There was an indigenous people’s part too but that could have been a lot larger and with more information. I sketched this (the Shonts Grain Elevator built in 1909) from the spot where we sat and ate our lunch.

Fri-6-Jun-2025

105-3147 – Calgary Zoo

Image | | Art-Chap-Enjoin

Here is my first sketch from our trip to Canada. On our first full day we made an easy trip (taking the bus and then the CT train from Franklin Station) to the zoo. It was huge and fascinating, and while I appreciate the role a zoo has (these days) in conservation, for me, a trip to a zoo is always tainted by the sadness of seeing animals in captivity. There were also many sculptures by @washedashoreart of waste plastic (my sketch is not of one of these), a reminder (along with the many “endangered” signs outside so many of the animals enclosures) of how fragile nature is and how we are either destroying it or putting it in prisons for display.

Wed-4-Jun-2025

42-1361 – Strange tables strange times

Image | | Art-Chap-Enjoin

I didn’t have time to sketch at the airport in Providenciales – it was very crowded and it wasn’t long after I got through security that we boarded. Instead I sketched this in Toronto between flights. In this part of the airport there are these peculiar shaped tables – like blue stars and tree trunks. Given the chaos around the world it was surprisingly normal at the airport. In case you are wondering I have already made it back home safely!

Sun-15-Mar-2020

41-1350 – Yellow lights no planes

Image | | Art-Chap-Enjoin

Here is another sketch done on my way to Turks and Caicos – I did this one while I was waiting for my flight in Toronto airport. I was hoping to draw a plane and wandered around trying to find a seat near a window (and near my departure gate) where I could see one. When I finally did, I sat down, drank my coffee and looked up to see the plane (not mine, just the one I had hoped to draw) had left. So I turned round and drew what I could see in the other direction.

Sun-1-Mar-2020

40-1277 – Grumbling not over yet

Image | | Art-Chap-Enjoin

Here is another sketch done on my journey back home from TCI to the Philippines. I travelled through Canada and had fun (not) with my baggage. It’s a long story…when I checked in I was told that my bags would be checked all the way to Manila. But when I got to Toronto several officials told me that I must collect my bags….which then didn’t show up on the carrousel. So then I was told to go out through customs and to the other terminal and ask there where my bags were when I checked in for the next leg. Staff there were a bit vague and it was only until the moment I got on the plane that they could confirm my bags were loaded. What fun! So this sketch was drawn while I was grumbling and annoyed!

Sat-7-Dec-2019

1251 – Food waste

Image | | Art-Chap-Enjoin

On Sunday morning after sleeping overnight in an extortionately expensive airport hotel I was back in the Toronto departure area heading off to Providenciales. Sitting down to breakfast I could only find a table with some dirty plates still on it…and so much left-over food. What a shame…apparently 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted each year causing economic losses and a huge impact on the environment…perhaps the person who left it was in a hurry to catch their flight?

Sun-10-Nov-2019

1235 – Going home on the love bus

Image | | Art-Chap-Enjoin

Here is my second sketch done in Toronto – late at night just before boarding. This is the plane I got on…and as soon as I saw what they have painted on it, I just had to sketch it. I have no idea why they have painted the love bus on the plane, should I be embarrassed or just laugh?

Sat-19-Oct-2019