Tag: Ottawa
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A Public Art Tour of Ottawa’s Light Rapid Transit (LRT) O-Train Stations
I’m walking past Pimisi Station on LeBreton Flats wondering why I’ve waited so long to explore the treasure trove of public art in Phase 1 of Ottawa’s LRT O-Train stations. (Oh, right, there’s been that year of Covid and all). A few days later, on the coldest day of the year, I buy my first… Read more
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Mid-Century Modern Ottawa: Briarcliffe
Briarcliffe’s twenty-three houses represent mid-century modern domestic architecture at its best… This is one of Canada’s first protected heritage areas of midcentury modern architecture. ~ Exploring the Capital: An Architectural Guide to the Ottawa-Gatineau Region I turn left off Montreal Road and onto Blair, coast down the hill, brake and turn into the wooded subdivision.… Read more
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Architecture of Salvation – St. Clare’s Catholic Church
A friend and follower of Frank Lloyd Wright, [Francis Conroy] Sullivan designed this impressive church [St. Clare’s Catholic Church] in his mentor’s Prairie School style, incorporating flared overhanging eaves and geometric wood accents on stucco to emphasize a strong horizontal form. ~ from Exploring the Capital: An Architectural Guide to the Ottawa-Gatineau Region If you… Read more
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Nicolas Cage Returns to Burritts Rapids
Also see the Facebook Page: Nicolas Cage in Burritt’s Rapids ***** In 1986, a 22-year-old shirtless Nicolas Cage starred as world-champion sculler Ned Hanlan in the Canadian film production of “The Boy in Blue,” partially shot in the village of Burritt’s Rapids, Ontario over eight days in September 1984. On Wednesday, April 19th, 2017, Cage… Read more
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Developing a Personal Point of View
I stop for a latte and drink in the view. The café, six tables and a banquette against the plate glass wall, offers a window onto the Byward Market and the Gatineau hills. Wind pushes the clouds across the city in an ephemeral drama of light and shadow. A commercial crane, red and ten stories tall, anchors the scene. Read more
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Capital Building: A View from Washington – Part 1
In spite of the oppressive heat and humidity of August in Washington, D.C., I did what I like to do best: I walked around, looked at things and talked to people. This being my first trip to the capital, I focussed on the National Mall, exploring adjacent neighborhoods, and my relentless pursuit of Guastavino tile. In D.C., security is the conversational opener in the same… Read more
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360° of Franc van Oort (Pt. 1)
For the two years I attended trade school at Algonquin College, Perth became my second home. Between classes I photographed the countryside, explored abandoned buildings, foraged in antique shops and became a regular visitor to Riverguild’s mezzanine, concocting a mental list of the works I would buy from artist Franc van Oort when I’d finished spending money on my greedy old… Read more
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Walking with Our Sisters
Over 1,181 native women and girls in Canada have been reported missing or have been murdered in the last 30 years. Many vanished without a trace, with inadequate inquiry into their disappearance or murders paid by the media, the general public, politicians and even law enforcement. This is a travesty of justice. ~ Walking With Our… Read more
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24 Sussex Drive is Falling Down
Contrary to opinions offered by former tenants of the building, reality television stars, CBC listeners, and social media commentators, there is no single right answer to the question: What should become of the Prime Minister’s residence at 24 Sussex Drive? In fact, it doesn’t matter whether the building is razed or retrofitted. Either way, there… Read more
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A Zibi Kind of Day
Sunshine. Twenty degrees. Light breeze. Birdsong out-gunning any human distractions. Views to the Ottawa river. And wildflowers, vines, bushes and trees in bloom everywhere. It was just another perfect day shooting the Domtar lands as part of the Workers History Museum cataloguing project. While the industrial buildings remain the focus, Mother Nature with her natural green roofs, biodiverse ‘gardens’… Read more