Industrial Heritage

Waterfront

Vancouver sits on a wide delta where many fingers of the Fraser river spill into the Straight of Georgia. Like all waterfront cities, marine traffic plays a key role for commerce, fishing, tourism etc. Vancouver waterfront aws originally heavily industrial. I often drew warehouses that ceded their spots to development pressures. Granville Island had houseboats and warehouses long gone. The privately owned cement factory continues to be and operated, economically ideally situated to serve an ever developing city; its uniquely decorated iconic tanks constantly fill barges and trucks leaving the site.

I like to sit and absorb the atmosphere before starting a detailed piece. As I enjoy drawing, what began as an idle doodle grdually grew into a more detailed study, which was used as the title for the series drawn on the old Versatile Shipyard site in North Vancouver – the words were added later . The sketch below is the drawing used to make a larger mixed media collage.