Art Beat
TIM HUNT’S
MAIN STREET
SKETCHES
Tim Hunt explores his community outfitted with a small sketchbook, pen, and watercolour kit. In our regular feature, he shares the pages from his sketchbook and tells the stories behind his work.
In late September, I was privileged, once again, to set up my artwork on Mason Terrace for the annual Old Ottawa East Walk of Art. In a time of weather extremes, this community event seems to have found a real sweet spot on the calendar.
It is so rewarding for artists to have opportunities to show what they’ve been working on in solitude, and much more satisfying to share their work in person than posting to an online community. The ‘likes’ and ‘hugs’ are much more palpable, and it makes the hours of hard work and preparation worthwhile indeed!
Among this year’s highlights were: seeing a young woman’s face light up when she spotted my drawing of Dixie Dairy (her father’s store); receiving a signed book from poet Suzanne Nussey; and water-cooler talk with seasoned artists Ruth Browning, Ross Rheaume and Sarah Lacy (look for them in the drawing). For some artists, this is as close to an office environment as you get!
As an artisan I have participated in hundreds of shows across the country – indoors, outdoors, farmers markets, and convention centres – but the old saying holds true, there’s no place like home.