Bes, the dwarf Egyptian god was represented, in both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional form, everywhere in Egyptian society. Seems he had a way of scaring evil spirits away and the Egyptians were very worried about evil spirits.
This is the second or third Bes statue I’ve sketched at our museum, all showing similarities but each unique in its own way. I did this one in the 8×10 Stillman & Birn Delta softcover I reviewed not long ago.
Yippee!!! The Collections de l’Université Laval has reopened following renovations and we’re going to have a sketchcrawl there on Friday, March 11th, starting at 9:30AM. Don’t miss this one. Notice that this is a Friday rather than a Sunday. The collection is not open on Sundays.
Yvan Breton has arranged for us to start the day with a tour of the facility so it’s important for you to be there at 9:30. If you’re unfamiliar with this collection, it contains the contents of the abandoned Natural History Museum of Quebec and thus contains a large number of stuffed animals and many cultural and anthropological artifacts. In addition, there is a large plaster cast collection, another wonderful collection that was abandoned by the university fine arts department when they decided that drawing wasn’t nearly as important as being able to use a paint roller (grin).
There will be a LOT to draw so bring a bunch of paper. You’ll need to bring a lunch as well. I’m excited. How about you? For a complete schedule and directions, go to the Croquistes de Québec website.
Spring break was still going on when I headed to the museum. Because of this I expected lots of kids, with parents trailing after them, but since it wasn’t ‘free Tuesday’ I didn’t expect quite the people density we experienced on Tuesday. That turned out to be true but there were a lot of events going on for the kids, which generated a lot of noise. The kids were having a great time but it wasn’t an ideal sketching day.
I love this small spigot from the 17th Century. Shove it into a keg and pour yourself a beer.
I decided to set my sights low and did only a couple small sketches. I can’t wait for spring. I miss sketching on the street.
What 1950s kid didn’t have a Tonka truck? It was good to see this one.
This little guy was munching on a hamburger and fries. Stillman & Birn soft-
Alpha (4×6), Platinum 3776, Platinum Carbon ink
Yvan and I were going to sketch at a musical event in downtown Quebec City on Saturday morning but a blizzard was in progress and it was hard to get around town. Schools and offices were closed and even the buses were having a hard time.
As I trudged through snow on rue St. Jean I couldn’t help but think about how silly it was for someone, someone I resembled, to be expending this much effort to get somewhere to sketch. It was ‘free coffee’ week at McDonalds and I met Yvan there. We got coffee and looked out the window at the storm as we drank it.
Rather than be completely defeated, we both got out our small sketchbooks and did some quick sketches.
This plow was sitting down the street from McDonalds. The view from our second-story window was a bit odd but it made for a fun quick sketch. Stillman & Birn soft- Alpha (4×6), Platinum 3776, Platinum Carbon ink
Yvan’s last name is Breton and this sign was hanging about half a block up the street. Stillman & Birn soft- Alpha (4×6), Platinum 3776, Platinum Carbon ink
In many ways the storm and cancelled event could have soured the day. But we had some great conversations about art, did a bit of sketching and, like most sketching days, it was a good day. I’ll stop here as otherwise I’d have to start talking about the hours I spent the rest of the day clearing snow.
Yvan and I agreed to go to the museum Tuesday morning. Both of us knew that it was spring break for the kids of Quebec but neither of us knew that this particular Tuesday was also “free” day. When I arrived there were hundreds of people in the lobby. So many, in fact, that I didn’t even wait to check my coat because the line was too long. I just headed upstairs to the Egypt exhibit.
Realizing that the place would be crowded, I found a place where I had the side of a glass case at my back and a clear view of a statue and set up to sketch. I spent the next hour or so in that one place, sketching one statue.
But the sketching was the least important activity; I talked to kids. I love kids when I’m sketching. It’s hard to concentrate on drawing and my sketches sometimes suffer, but I still love them. They’re so inquisitive and I never have to listen to them tell me that they wish they had the talent to draw or that they’d love to draw but they just don’t have the time. Kids are the opposite of adults. For them, drawing is KOOL. They do it too. They’ll tell you what they like to draw. They’ll tell you that they like your drawing. They ask about my pen. A couple asked how long I’d been working on the sketch. But mostly they just stood around watching, at least until their parents came land hauled them away. Many of them dragged their parents over to see my drawing.
And on this day there were kids everywhere. I’ve never seen so many people at the museum. There were at least half a dozen kids around me at all times and I spent more time chatting than drawing. It was a lot of fun. As I packed up to leave I got to see what was really going on behind me. The exhibit room looked like a rock concert. People everywhere and as Yvan and I left we found there were lines of people waiting to enter the exhibit. It was extraordinary, but I had to wonder if I could have found a place to sit if I’d wanted to draw something else. I’ll never know as we left with smiles on our faces. Here’s the sketch I did during “free” day.
Stillman & Birn Beta (9×12), Platinum Carbon Black, Platinum 3776, watercolor pencils