The Church is fine (pen vs earthquake)

January 17, 2014March 22, 2014 | Anna Cull

Built in 1881, the Oxford Terrace Baptist Church was one of the many buildings conspicuously absent from the landscape when we flew over Christchurch last month. I’ve circled the relevant piece of dirt in the photograph below (click on the photo for a closer look). The building was badly damaged by the September 2010 earthquakes and then completely collapsed in the February 2011 earthquake. It was famous for having a sign out the front which read: “Our building is cracked, the Church is fine!” Although the neoclassical structure (an unusual style for Christchurch) is not going to be rebuilt, there are reports that the damaged Oamaru stone is to be used in a sculpture ― what a wonderful way of honouring the spirit and tenacity of its congregation.

Where Oxford Terrace Baptist Church isn’t, Christchurch, 2013

The sketch is originally from this student project. Ben Heine’s ingenious Pencil Vs Camera images were my inspiration for this series.

Re-tour (pen vs earthquake)

November 27, 2013March 22, 2014 | Anna Cull

Pen vs earthquake #4 – Retour/Edmonds Band Rotunda, 2013

The iconic Thomas Edmonds band rotunda opened in 1929. It was converted into a restaurant in the 1980s and was operating as Retour Restaurant at the time of the Christchurch earthquakes. It was officially ‘deconstructed’ in 2012. The structurally sound dome has been removed and some of the less damaged columns, balustrades and steps have been salvaged. So at least that’s something.

My pen vs earthquake series is proving to be quite challenging. It’s taking me into parts of the inner city I haven’t seen for months and I’m never sure what I’m going to find… sometimes there is nothing left of the original building to photograph. How exactly do you photograph nothing? And why would you want to?

The sketch is originally from this student project (click on the link and scroll down). The photographs were taken last month. Ben Heine’s amazing Pencil Vs Camera images were my initial inspiration. There are links below to more of my ‘pen vs earthquake’ images.

Pen vs earthquake #1 – Mona Vale, 2013

Pen vs earthquake #2 – The Octagon, Design & Arts College and the Hotel Grand Chancellor, 2013

Pen vs earthquake #3 – Shand’s Emporium, 2013

Feisty (pen vs earthquake)

November 13, 2013June 30, 2015 | Anna Cull

Pen vs earthquake #3 – Shand’s Emporium, 2013

This adorable little building is Shand’s Emporium. I remember it as a magical place packed floor to ceiling with antiques, collectables, jewellery and books. Built in 1860, it is one of Christchurch’s oldest commercial buildings. It was meant to be demolished in the late 1970s (to make way for a new telephone exchange) but was saved by petition and while the more modern buildings surrounding it have been taken out by earthquakes, somehow Shand’s has survived. It has had some repairs since then but it needs an estimated $250,000 to fully restore it. The building is going to be relocated to prevent it from being damaged by nearby construction work. The owner is, in fact, giving the building away in an attempt to preserve it ― and yes, I was a little bit tempted, but I didn’t think we’d get it down our driveway. Shand’s will probably be in its new home by Christmas.

P.S. There are plans to move Shand’s to the delightful suburb of Redcliffs (by the estuary) early next year. It has been reported that a local man is prepared to spend the best part of a year restoring the building ― although it will depend on the city council’s master plan for the area. Here’s hoping this story has a happy ending. December 2013

Update: Shand’s Emporium touches down on Manchester Street, Christchurch. June 2015

Anna Cull Pen vs earthquake Shands

The sketch is originally from this student project (click on the link and scroll down). The photographs were taken last month. Ben Heine’s ingenious Pencil Vs Camera images were my inspiration. This is my third ‘pen vs earthquake’ ― below are links to the first two.

Pen vs earthquake #1 – Mona Vale, 2013

Pen vs earthquake #2 – The Octagon, Design & Arts College and the Hotel Grand Chancellor, 2013

Then and now (pen vs earthquake)

October 23, 2013March 22, 2014 | Anna Cull

Pen vs earthquake #2 – The Octagon, Design & Arts College and the Hotel Grand Chancellor, 2013

The beautiful building in the foreground, formerly the Trinity Congregational Church, was a restaurant and live music venue (Octagon Live) when this sketch was done. Built between 1873 and 1875, it sustained a lot of damage in the 2010/2011 earthquakes. There are plans to restore the timber interior and the 1871 pipe organ (thought to be one of only three of its kind left in the world).

The building to the right of the church was my old art school (you can’t tell from the photo but it’s in a very sorry state ― it was deemed unsafe following the February 2011 earthquake and put on the city’s ‘partial demolish’ list). The building on the left, the one on a bit of a lean, was the Hotel Grand Chancellor (now demolished). The hotel was built in 1986 and was Christchurch’s tallest building for more than 20 years.

Pen vs earthquake Octagon

The sketch is originally from this student project (click on the link and scroll down). The photographs were taken last week. Ben Heine’s ingenious Pencil Vs Camera images were my inspiration. This is my second ‘pen vs earthquake’ ― below is a link to the first one.

Pen vs earthquake #1 – Mona Vale, 2013

In the style of… Maurice Sendak

October 14, 2013June 24, 2020 | Anna Cull

St Germain and the tree – ink and watercolour, 297 x 210 mm, 2013 — St Germain and the Tree – ink and watercolour, 297 x 210 mm, 2013

If this looks a little familiar, that’s probably because the reference photograph was taken right next to the one I used for last week’s sketch. This time I used watercolour pencils and my trusty Staedtler pigment liners and took inspiration from one of my favourite illustrators, Maurice Sendak. You can see the early stages of my sketch below. (St Germain is the name of the restaurant in the photo.)

Work in progress #1 – watercolour pencil sketch Work in progress #2 – after adding water — Work in progress #1 – watercolour pencil sketch
Work in progress #2 – after adding water

Maurice Sendak

Everyone has heard of American illustrator and author Maurice Sendak (1928–2012), haven’t they? And even if you don’t know his name, I’m sure you’ll be familiar with his wonderful book Where the Wild Things Are.

In the style of… appears occasionally instead of my regular Shoot it, Sketch it posts. Using my own photographs as a starting point, I’m drawing inspiration from some of the world’s greatest illustrators. It’s not about slavishly copying someone else’s art; it’s an experiment in seeing things differently.

In the style of… Fougasse

October 7, 2013March 22, 2014 | Anna Cull

Tram – ink and digital, 297 x 210 mm, 2013

Tram (edited and unedited photos) – Christchurch, 2010 — Tram (edited and original photos) – Christchurch, 2010

Simple lines and a few splashes of colour. I really enjoyed this one — does it show?

Fougasse

Posters from 1944 Images from www.pickmix.co.uk — Posters from 1944
Images from www.pickmix.co.uk

Fougasse was the nom de plume of London-born cartoonist Cyril Kenneth Bird (1887–1965). I’m a big fan of the posters he designed for the London Underground. I love the simplicity of these illustrations — and the humour.