ArtWalk

Jul 09, 2023, ArtWalk on Whyte Avenue was discovered by accident. One day we were driving through whyte ave and were surprised by the street-style stalls and the crowd going up and down whyte avenue. We immediately pulled over and were mesmerized by the experience. It was six years ago. Since then, we have ensured we visit at least one day of the event.

ArtWalk is such an essential part of the whyte avenue scene. A yearly ritual that the artist anticipates. But it is a challenging feat to organize and even tougher to participate. Manali and I participated in the 2021 summer. The experience was terrific. We got lucky as it was hosted in-house in the old Army and Navy space. We were afforded the privilege of leaving our stall overnight. The challenge was that our latest family addition was just three months old. But we braved our way through a three-day event. It holds a special place for both of us.

Anticipation might be the right word for everyone who wants to visit ArtWalk, but the effort behind the scene the artist invests in is commendable. This year's ArtWalk had expanded much bigger than any I have visited, and it was refreshing to see the depth and breadth of artwork being displayed. We got our dependable wagon out for the kiddos, and they had a blast, but we ended up pulling them through most of the "walk"—more exercise for us.

I tried my hand at street photography with my trusty OM camera slung on my should with one thumb on the trigger and pulling the wagon with the other. Street photography commands a lot of focus on many things going around. Focus this summer has been to develop a sense for noticing interesting scenes and capturing photos without holding the camera to eye level, giving you many exciting captures. No time to review, so the only time you will know what you have captured is when you reach home and load them up on your computer. The delayed gratification lets you focus more on the transient scenes, which you must act quickly on.

Some of my favourites from the art walk