Canary Wharf Sky 31st January 2007

Canary Wharf Sky from Greenwich 31st January 2007
8" x 10" pencil and coloured pencil in Moleskine sketchbook
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

Otherwise known as the supermarket shop can wait! I'd put off the big supermarket shop for as long as I could - but had a spot more procrastination while sketching about 50 feet to the right of the Prime Meridian (which put me into the Eastern Hemisphere!) at the top of Greenwich Hill and next to the Old Royal Observatory, the home of Greenwich Mean Time.

I'd wrapped up well but it was still very cold and I need to remember to bring something to sit on as cold stone is very, very cold!

As I commented earlier in the blog, the Canary Wharf Sky series will mostly be small works of the skies I can see above Canary Wharf from my home but that it would also include some larger works. I'm minded to do some very large drawings from where I sat yesterday of the view. Maybe on a regular basis throughout the year? Maybe once a month?

It was very odd doing the sky and the buildings but from another perspective. I also noticed that the very blue bit of sky was very high - like a strip across the sketch - just like we all used to draw sky when we were little. Also that many of the higher buildings were in an aqua glass material which made them much less intrusive - which I'd never really thought about before.

This sketch shows both sides of the River Thames. Nearest to me is the large green space at the bottom of the hill in Greenwich Park. On the far left (in shadow) is the National Maritime Museum which is the largest maritime museum in the world - very good for keeping small boys, dads and granddads occupied! Then the pale stone building is the Old Royal Naval College next to the River. This is where I sketched the skaters on the ice rink that I sketched on Boxing Day.

Beyond that is the River Thames - which you can see between the towers of the naval college. On the other side of the Thames is the Isle of Dogs and the East End of London - which is where many of the docks used to be. The skyscrapers are built along side the wharves in the Canary Wharf Area. In the far background are the hills of north London. Off the page to the left the Thames continues into the city of London and the West End and to the right is the Millennium Dome - and my eco-friendly supermarket - a "bastion of scientific innovation".

Note: If any of you have kids or grandkids and they like stars, astronomy or are interested in time get them to check out the Royal Observatory and National Maritime Museum websites - they're rather good. You don't get "How to make your own comet" on every website you visit! Plus there's a good set of e-learning resources for the different key stages. and some games, quizzes and art activities.

Links:

• How to get to Greenwich Heritage Sites
• Old Royal Observatory, Greenwich
  
• National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
  
• Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich
• Making a Mark: Canary Wharf Sky series

sketchbook,