Downtown drawing

Street murals, six-floor galleries, vintage clothes and stylised tattoos – Toronto and its residents are covered in artwork! Arriving in Toronto has given us the chance to get involved in this creative community – perhaps not with tattoos – but the Toronto School of Art, the Art Gallery of Ontario and even St James’ Cathedral have given us opportunities to see and be part of this expressive city.

My first opportunity to get involved arose from an evening drawing class held at the Toronto School of Art (the TSA). With the title `Perspective Drawing`, this ten-week series uses graphite and charcoal to explore one-, two- and three-point perspective, taking inspiration from the surrounding city, subway stations and even a life model.

But before class can begin, students need to gather a shopping list of creative supplies. Set-square, check. Cartridge paper, check. Col-erase pencils, check. Ruler, sketchbook, protractor, charcoal pencil, putty rubber and bulldog clips, check! To pick up these essentials we headed to the flagship store of Ontario’s own Above Ground Art Supplies – an astounding array of vibrant art materials contained in a quirky painted Heritage Building, nestled behind the Ontario College of Art and Design. The website couldn’t be more accurate when it describes how the ‘delicious array of materials will give any artist that “kid in a candy store” feeling!’.

Equipped with my portfolio full of tools and every colour of Col-erase pencil under the sun, I turned up to my first evening class, greeted by the friendly tutor – himself a ‘mixed-media figurative painter’ – and my eight classmates – professionals, students, illustrators, watercolourists, computer-gamers, budding architects and graphic designers. The studio space is splattered with paint, as are the tables and chairs, suggestive of the years of dynamic classes that have gone before. The three hours passed quickly – a mixture of lecture, demonstration, practice and individual instruction – and then it was time to pack up the tools and be sent away with sketching homework. Next week, two-point perspective. Watch out, you vanishing boxes!

For a dose of inspiration, the Art Gallery of Ontario (the AGO) gave us an opportunity to gaze at the rich heritage of Canadian artwork, where bright colours and impressionist paint strokes are used to describe the snowy landscapes and city scenes we’ve come to love. Robert enjoyed works by the Group of Seven (1920-1933), the Toronto-based artists who formed the first national Canadian art movement with their dramatic portrayals of the natural environment. My favourites were female artists Emily Carr (1871-1945) and Annie Pootoogook (1969-2016). Carr conveys Aboriginal traditions in a Modernist style, while Pootoogook (a third-generation Inuit artist) draws in coloured pencil and ink the most mundane and emotional moments of everyday life.

The AGO building itself is also a beautiful creative expression, with a wooden spiralling staircase forming a striking central feature, linking all six floors of the gallery through four centuries of artwork. With its diverse permanent collection and an impressive program of upcoming exhibitions – including Yayoi Kusama, the world-renowned Japanese contemporary installation artist – it felt rude not to sign up for dual membership!

Our final creative endeavour was one of community art – a Lenten exhibition entitled `The Breath Between Us`, hosted by the Anglican Cathedral of Toronto, St James’. Pieces offered by the congregation include wood-cut prints, pencil drawings, photography, abstract acrylic work and traditional Aboriginal quilting. My own offering was a triptych of photographic canvases exploring the light and dark textures of Lent through images of dried seed pods that hold the potential for new life.

One of the stand-out pieces of the exhibition is a collection of black and white portraits of members of the congregation. The photographer, a member of the community himself, carried out this project at coffee on Sunday mornings, when he invited members of the congregation to describe to him their thoughts on Lent. Each unique Lenten perspective was then incorporated into the final portrait, both in the caption and reflected through the composition, lighting and pose. The final collection of images is a beautiful reflection of the diversity of the St James’ congregation and of our own perceptions of this liturgical season.