What if

I love watching the USk Talks Live on Instagram on Sundays, but have never had much time to take up the challenges presented by the guests. I’m making up for lost time. This sketch is in response to three USk Talks Challenges. It starts with one from Suhita Shirodkar, who asked us to start with “what if?”. I asked myself “what if the REM construction is moving again?” Montreal’s huge light rail project stopped for the winter but then with Covid, it never started  up again. So my “what if” was to see if the construction workers were back on the job, and they were! The second challenge is from Urban Sketchers founder Gabi Campinario who asked us for an informative caption about the sketch. I’ve been documenting this major project in my city since last November. I started a few months ago when it came close to my town and I could find a place from which to see the line go up. As I sketch, I love to see the massive prefabricated segments that form the track get lifted up in the air by the launching gantry. She’s named Anne, by the way, after the last station in Ste. Anne de Bellevue. The third challenge this responds to is from Rita Sabler, who asked us to document change. This is certainly the biggest change in this city’s landscape in a very long time. I find the construction quite beautiful and I hope to keep sketching it until it’s done. And then I intend to get on the train and sketch on that too. Thanks to all of you for these great challenges. 


8 Comments on “What if”

  1. Peri Nilan says:

    You are so amazing, Shari! Thanks for that….Hope you include some of those construction workers in one of the sketches…colourful hard hats and overalls 🙂
    Peri

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Donna says:

    So glad this is being worked on again so you can keep us up to date on construction . It looks massive! You’ve captured the immensity in your sketch. Interesting how those 3 challenges just fit right in for your sketches of Anna

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  3. Margriet says:

    Hi there Shari
    Your posts are always fun and motivational!
    A little Birdie called Tylara told us it’s your BDay today. Congratulations and the very best wishes for the next year with hopefully a resuming of plein air activities and maybe travel again?
    Thank you for the artistic and always supportive influence you’ve had on so many of us!!

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    • Thanks so much Margriet! Yes, it was my birthday yesterday, and I received so many nice messages and calls. It was hard to get any work done, but that was fine. I was supposed to be teaching in Spain this week, so it was nice to hear from so many people. Hope you are well!

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  4. Chris Rusk says:

    Hi Shari
    Happy to know that work has resumed!

    I really enjoy how you paint the ‘light’ and it is always great to see how you tackle these large (almost surreal) structures with very familiar, highway views. Both ‘landscapes’ seem to reconcile beautifully!

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  5. Uma Maheswar Nakka says:

    Good Evening dear friend Shari,

    Happy birthday with many happy returns of this beautiful day.
    God bless you added with my blessings.

    I have see these massive constructions during the introduction of Metro rail in our city.
    Looks exactly the same.
    Excellent Job and very much appreciated,

    Regards
    Uma

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  6. joantav says:

    I am so glad to see that you found out they have resumed the construction. I really enjoyed seeing the sketches you did of the beginning of the project. This one has such great perspective with the segments getting smaller in the distance. I love the idea of sketching from it when it is complete too!

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