For almost two years my husband and I have lived in a lovely little neighbourhood called Crescent Heights in Calgary, Alberta. Our kids had all moved out and we did a huge down-size. We moved from a big home in the burbs closer to downtown to see what it was like to live near the city centre. The neighbourhood is full of beautiful little heritage homes and big trees that overlap and touch each other's branches from opposite sides of the street. Squirrels and bunnies are abundant and there is a beautiful park at the end of our street. It hosts a lot of nature for being so close to downtown. But you know the city is very close as from our window you can see The Bow which one of Western Canada's tallest buildings.
It's been a delight living here and having so many beautiful things to draw from the neighbourhood. I've drawn in the park, as well as some of the heritage homes and quite a few times I've drawn the view out the window and across the street. There is one house in particular that stirs up my imagination. It's the green house directly across the street. When we first moved here I noticed an easel up in one of the top floor windows. Aha, I thought! A fellow artist lives there. Sure enough I have seen an artist supply/frame truck pull up several times delivering goods while we have been living here. I wonder, is it the man or the lady who is the artist? Or maybe both? I wonder what they paint? I wonder if they know an artist lives across the street in the apartment and has drawn their house more than a few times?
Well it may all have to stay just a fun mystery as we are planning a move in the spring. We're both craving a little more space and a lot more light. We'll always think fondly of our time in Crescent Heights and I'm very glad to have recorded so many things in my sketchbooks from this place. Some of my favourites are of course the view out the window and across the street.
Here are some of the drawings...
