River - Austin Street East - in progress
pastel 10 x 13
I've started a small series of pieces to explore the hidden rivers of the city.
Each day I pass by small rivers and larger rivers, all on their way to the ocean and I, as well as most people, take them for granted. They become swallowed up with the concrete and buildings and traffic that surround them.
Some are highly visible, some flow underground for most of their life, some are no more than trickles over pebbles and some are like wild rapids.
River - Austin Street West
pastel 10 x 13
In the area where I work, its very modern and urban, yet there is a touch of wildness in the little river that flows through the land, under the road, and on its way to sea. This is a small green space in a sea of concrete and glass. Until I decided to look more closely at the river system in the city and track its path to the sea, I didn't really pay much attention to it.
So now, here is a glimpse into the streams and rivers that flow through the City of St. John's. These are in soft pastel about 10 x 13" on Canson paper.
I am also tracking the my viewpoints of the river on Google Street View so you can see my vantage point most of the time.
10 comments:
what a lovely idea, secret rivers, look forward to seeing more, these two are very nice
Yes, a great idea - look forward to seeing how the series unfolds.
Jennifer
what a great idea - all those bits that people never even notice
that's a great start
I concur - a great idea. I really like how your work has developed some very distinct themes linked to the place where you live.
Mind you I never really associated the concrete jungle with Newfoundland for some reason - and that was a bit of a surprise - I guess it gets everywhere!
I love your theme and the soft painterly feel of your images.
Its rather fun Sarah, I'm busy sourcing more rivers and producing more pastels. There are lots more rivers than I realized.
Its an interesting process of both research and drawing Jennifer.
Its amazing what we don't see even when we pass by things daily Vivien.
Katherine, St. John's is a mix of both concrete and green space. Probably more green space than many cities. This is why I love finding little streams and rivers that go through the concrete jungle.
Thank you Pam. I hope I can keep the same size and look for all the pieces in the series, though I fear I may get sick of green soon!
Its rather fun Sarah, I'm busy sourcing more rivers and producing more pastels. There are lots more rivers than I realized.
Its an interesting process of both research and drawing Jennifer.
Its amazing what we don't see even when we pass by things daily Vivien.
Katherine, St. John's is a mix of both concrete and green space. Probably more green space than many cities. This is why I love finding little streams and rivers that go through the concrete jungle.
Thank you Pam. I hope I can keep the same size and look for all the pieces in the series, though I fear I may get sick of green soon!
Looking again I especially like the soft reflection of sky on the top one.
Beautiful Jeanette...and that second one(now I forgot its name..)is stunning, with so much atmosphere!
this will be a wonderful series...looking forward to it
Ronell
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