This card was inspired in part by the upcoming “Elgin Street Renewal” — an infrastructure overhaul which will result in Elgin Street being closed for over a year. Plans include wider sidewalks and some modest cycling infrastructure. Perhaps one of the bigger changes will be the burial of hydro lines which will see the removal of the wooden hydro poles which line the street. I have always liked the aesthetic of the hydro pole, both from the perspective of a skyline, but also from eye level as a pedestrian.
From the perspective of cityscape sketches, hydro poles can form a pattern across a scene, and help move the viewers eye across an image. On traditional main streets like Elgin they can also feel like an upper canopy of urban growth, complete with wildlife (mostly pigeons).
It should be noted that all shipping is done via Canada Post. With the rotating ongoing strike at Canada Post, shipments may take longer than usual. I support workers right to strike and will continuing using Canada Post with hope a fair agreement is reached soon.
With Covid-19 on everyone’s minds, a note about how my artwork is prepared. (This has in fact been my normal procedure for a while)
Hands are washed, then protective gloves put on. Fresh paper is selected from a package. The print is made, gloves are used to pick it up, trim it, sign the print, then package it in a new plastic sleeve.
The print is then packaged between cardboard and wrapped in paper. None of these products are used without clean/sanitized hands. This wrapped parcel then goes in a fresh envelope and addressed.
Finally, a direct pickup from Canada Post is arranged, avoiding the need to goto a post office.