St. John's art crawl.

We're now back in St. John's, where we have been involved in an Art Tour of the city and surrounding area. As I write this, on October 13, we are about to go out for dinner with our Group of Five, having spent the day out around Conception Bay, visiting areas there.

But let me back up. Getting to St. John's overnight was a rough go, but in fact we both slept pretty well. It is always hard to say good-bye, and this group had the experience of a death to bring us closer than we otherwise might have been. So there were a lot of hugs and fond farewells. The Pilot Boat pulled alongside to guide us through the Narrows into the harbour, and before you knew it we were on our way to the hotel.

Our fist afternoon with Kevin Major (our guide) was busy and very interesting.
He took us to Quidi Vidi village, and to a building called "The Plantation". This is right on the end of the "gut", or sound in from the sea. This village was and is a fishing village, so there were fishing boats present in the gut. But it has become a gentrified place, so one of the buildings is a micro-brewery. However, back to the Plantation. This is a two-story artists' studio area, wherein artists can apply for space to do their craft, and are also taught business practices. We spent time with each of several people, from a print-maker to a potter to a fabric artist. And the day outside was just as it should have been: foggy and windy.


We then went to the Emma Butler Gallery, in town. She handles many artists, including David Blackwood, and she remembered fondly our friends Barry and Nancy, who had bought from her some hears ago. Dinner that night was at "Aqua", and was universally wonderful for all six of us.

Friday began early with a ride up to the top of Signal Hill. It was a sunny, clear day, but windy. I thought I would be blown off my feet, literally, the wind was so strong. We walked around, got blown and cold, and watched a whale spout several times off in the ocean. Already it was a good day.

But after that we went to see the Veiled Virgin, a statue at the Presentation Convent next to the Basilica. The picture doesn't do it justice.


And the Convent was across the street from "The Rooms", Newfoundland's recently-built main art gallery, museum, and archives building. What a magnificent structure, and building. We could have easily spent the whole day, but did manage to spend about four hours at the place, including lunch.

Then off to the gallery of John McDonald, a young and coming artist who was quite good at sharing his techniques and his interests with us. He shares a space with Philipa Jones, who is a print-maker. And this was also quite fun. We get the impression that this city has a vibrant arts community, large enough to have energy, and small enough that they know each other and share a lot. Quite impressive. The picture is of John, with Kevin on the right.


This was a busy day. After John's studio, we went to another gallery (Leyton Gallery), then to the Crow's Nest, which is an old officer's club now open to all, but still in the style of a WW2 club. A beer was had.

Supper at Bistro Sophia, again delicious (particularly their desserts), and then to Kevin's house for a few hours with his friends Christina Smith (a fiddler) and her partner Chris Brooks (a storyteller and CBC documentary producer). It was good, albeit too short for my liking. To bed later than usual.

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Location:St. John's