Shq’apthut – A Gathering Place – on the campus of the Vancouver Island University (VIU) is the home providing Services for Aboriginal Students.
This site has a nice looking building with a contemporary design and is marked with three totem poles; the last one was recently completed and unveiled. The wood carver’s temporary shelter is still there.
I stopped here again today to take a break from cycling uphill to where the VIU is located, and to make a sketch.
The design of the large (ASTEC) building in the distance incorporates the exposed air plenums in the architectural treatment of the building’s exterior.
VIU Campus Building 180
The poles in the foreground and the tubes wrapping the building in the background make for a coherent sketching set-up. It also reflects the cultural diversity encountered on this campus; Mr. Trump’s election ideology would not find much support here.
I tried to draw these totems as a standalone subject on previous visits and ran into problems with the complexity of these magnificent sculptures. In this sketch they are shown somewhat schematic, so you can get away with it because a significant amount of detail is left out.
November 11, 2016 at 5:56 am
Interesting composition. The juxtaposition of poles and pipes draws the eye.
November 14, 2016 at 2:38 pm
I love this sketch of architecture that represents old and new. The color on the totem poles is very effective.