Yvan and I planned a sketching session on St. Denis street and we were to meet there. This street has many majestic residences and a large grassy area in front of them so it’s an ideal place to sketch.
As I arrived I realized that I’d forgotten my WalkStool. This is a big problem as my knees and me don’t much like sitting on the ground, for fear that we’ll never be able to get back up.
And so the search began for a sitting place with something in front of me to sketch. It’s not really rocket science but I wandered around for a while before finding such a combination. I ended up in the Parc des Governeurs, a small park between the Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City’s tourist landmark and the American consulate.
Both of these buildings are great sketching subjects but I chose this more humble structure that sits in the park. Yvan suggested that it was once a toilet but these days it looks to be used by maintenance people. In any case, it had a bench, in the shade, and so I sketched it in my Stillman & Birn Zeta (5×8) with a Pilot Prera and Platinum Carbon Black ink. I used Lexington Gray for the stairs in the background. I’m enjoying the contrast between these two inks. As always, I used Winsor & Newton watercolors like crayons to add some color.
What an interesting octagonal ? building, standing there so strong an independent with its copper roof and its own little chimney. Such an interesting, well-constructed little structure would never be built in a park today…they couldn’t afford to.
I’ve been told that it was originally a public toilet 🙂 You’re right that we don’t ‘think’ we can afford to build good-looking, solid buildings. But how’s that working for us? Our buildings have shorter life spans and require more frequent maintenance. They are cheaper to build up front and the result of the lowest bidder process. But are they REALLY cheaper? And what has it done to our day-to-day lives? The answer to that may come from the fact that people spend millions $$ every year to go to places that have nice buildings…typically built back when humanity placed some value on esthetics. Hmmm…
Thanks for bringing up this subject. Maybe others might weigh in. Personally I feel better after walking the streets of old Quebec. New Quebec is the same boring square, concrete building place as every other North American city, which is sad.
Cheers — Larry