Views of the neighborhood

Montreal-backyard-1, a photo by interior_perspective on Flickr.

This is the first of a series of drawings of the different views of the neighborhood I get from home. I wish I had sketched more while we still had snow.

Our neighborhood was built in the 50's. There are detached and semi-detached single-family houses lined by mature silver maple trees.

A quiet afternoon, cold and sunny. I like the way the shadow of the tree branches falls on the wall of this house.

Easter Sunday

We had a quiet Easter Sunday at home: church in the morning, homemade brunch, and lots of sketching by the Lakeshore Cultural Centre in Pointe-Claire, a West Island suburb of Montreal. My daughter and I packed a box of drawing supplies (sketchpads, watercolors, markers, brushes, pencils...) and sat on a bench overlooking the lake. I love this spot because there is a great view of the Saint-Louis Lake. It was a perfect afternoon for a walk to enjoy the warm weather and the breeze. My first sketch was of a maple tree, and later I drew a group of seniors sitting on lawn chairs close to the water (they were having a rather heated debate about physiotherapy!) The sun was setting and mosquitoes clouds began to rise. For some reason, they had a preference for the young sketcher by my side and left me alone to draft a general view of the lake and the distant church. She managed to finish her sketch despite the buzz, color and journal entry included, I am so proud of her!