Another bus guy
Posted: November 10, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized 8 CommentsA few weeks ago I took advantage of an offer that the Société de transport de Montréal dropped in my mailbox: email them a request and they would send you a transit pass good for ten free train or bus rides. Great initiative to get more people to ride public transit! It’s come in handy these past few weeks and I’ve enjoyed riding the bus to school. In the twenty minutes or so that I have (if I manage to snag a seat) I can get a quick drawing done. Today I caught this guy who slept the whole way to the subway station. The problem with sleeping people is that their heads tend to droop more and more as the motion of the bus lulls them into a deeper sleep. But at one point the bus hit a bump in the road, the slump became less pronounced, and I was able to complete his face.
After school I headed downtown to see a not-to-be-missed exhibition at the Klinkhoff Gallery in Montreal. John Little is arguably one of Montreal’s finest living painters, and it’s rare to see this many of his paintings all in one place. I am a huge fan of his work, especially his colour mixes (there’s no end to the number of greys on his canvases), so I spent a good hour getting lost in these street scenes. The show is on for another week or so, and then moves on to Toronto from November 23 to December 9. Well worth a visit.
Shari Blaukopf's Sketchbook 
Gorgeous work! You never fail to impress me. When I grow up, I hope to achieve 10% of your determination to persist and grow comfortable with the work of my hand. Thank you.
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Thanks Bernadette. And when I grow up I hope to achieve 10% of John Little’s painting skills.
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Thanks for introducing me to the work of John Little, Shari, I especially like the way he captures light on snow.🍁
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I’m glad you enjoyed it! If you live in Montreal it is inevitable that you paint a lot of snow. But he does it so well, doesn’t he?
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Hi Shari,
As you may recall I follow, enjoy and learn from your blog daily.
I was delighted to see that you are a fan of John Little. I grew up in the Town of Mount Royal. The Little family lived next door to my best friend. We got to know John – “Nipper” to us. I remember we were with him in his bedroom on one occasion – the walls were covered with paintings of people, largely female nudes . My friend’s parents had a more typical painting of John’s hanging over the buffet in the dining room. I’ve never forgotten it and, if pressed, could probably sketch it.
As you can imagine I envy your opportunity to see his show. Enjoy!!
Geoff ________________________________
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Hi Geoff,
Of course I remember you.
What a great story about John Little, and how lucky for you that you were able to have this glimpse into Little’s life. He seems like a very private and certainly very modest man. The work in the show is mostly street scenes but there are a few early works which seem to be more like illustrations with many figures in them. Certainly no nudes.
If ever you are interested, Klinkoff was put together an impressive catalogue (which I purchased) and it includes the work on display plus other paintings as well as a biography. I haven’t read it yet but it seems quite comprehensive, and I’m sure they would ship it to NB.
I look forward to reading my copy in the coming weeks, and I may even try to see the show one more time.
As for the painting at your friend’s house, I know what you mean about having that imprinted in your mind. I also have a friend who has a Little painting in her house. I stare at it every time I go there and I could probably sketch it too.
Thanks for sharing this.
Shari
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I also thank you for the link to John LIttles’s work. He is terrific and paints the type of scenes I favor. He also has a mastery of oil that is fresh. Many end up with dark and muddy works.
But your story about the bus is great. I used to take a train to downtown Philly and loved the time to read. I was actually going to art school and never thought of sketching. Weird. But you never miss a chance and your work shows it. And last-how do people sleep on a bus or train ? I never could.
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Hi Judy, Glad to hear that you like the work too!
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