Celebrating Luxembourg's industrial past at the Fête des Hauts Fourneaux

For this month's sketchcrawl we decided to head to Belval again, in the South of the country. The site of the old blast furnace was open to visitors for their annual "Fête des Hauts Fourneaux".

I always find this location very impressive, but seeing it come alive with activities and music made it all the more interesting.

Inside the blast furnace, a group of men were demonstrating how it used to work on a miniature model. Their protective gear with their silver outfits, thick gloves and big helmets reminded me of a sci-fi movie.

It was very impressive to see molten metal come out of the pipe at regular intervals, reminding everyone that the protective gear was indeed essential for this task.

It's hard to believe that Luxembourg's economy once rested entirely on metallurgy. Witnessing such demonstrations is essential not to forget that past.

After a while, due to the wet and slightly cold atmosphere outside, some of us found refuge at a neighbouring café for a pleasant session of drinking, drawing and chatting.

Between Metz and Paris

After last week's international sketchcrawl weekend, I was not sure many local sketchers would be interested in participating to the usual monthly outing.

However, we ended up being a group of five hardcore sketchers to explore the area between Place de Metz and Place de Paris through our drawings.

Explore might be a big word. After sketching at the Rousegärtchen on one of the very convenient benches, the grey weather and looming rain chased us to a bar nearby.

 

The Paname, the unofficial name Parisians give to the French capital, is very aptly named, as it is located on Place de Paris. A trendy and cozy place, many people were enjoying their Sunday afternoon there. Plus a handful of curious sketchers.

 

USk Luxembourg's 1st international sketchcrawl - Day 2

Sunday felt much more relaxed. Maybe it was because we had nothing to take care of, except being at one or two meeting points in time.

When I arrived at the morning gathering point at Abbaye Neumünster there were already a few people busy at work. No need for any kind of speech or explanations, people just started sketching away as they arrived and I just joined the fun. 

 

The place was made even more interesting by the fact that there were preparations for Labour Day and the Urban Trail was happening at the same time. I know some of the sketchers tried to draw the runners passing us by, but I was more focused on our own event. How could I miss a chance to sketch Lolo sitting on the ground, sketching the beautiful abbey?

 I also had time to have a proper lunch this time, with my friend Tessy, Julien, Isabelle and Angel, a sketcher who had come all the way from the UK to sketch with us! 

Oscar's has some of the best burgers in town and a very sketchable interior decoration. What else could we need?

My last sketch, and one of the highlights of the weekend, is a portrait of Rolf Schöter, one of my favourite sketchers. I really admire his style, so watching him sketch and get some tips from him was a really great experience.

The whole weekend I kept marveling at the fact that so many people came, some from quite far away. And seeing sketchers again that I had met before at other USk events in my own city felt amazing!

It was such a thrill to see that people were happy and loved the city. We were even asked to make it an annual event. I say: "Why not?" It's well worth the effort after all.

USk Luxembourg's 1st international sketchcrawl - Day 1

Our regional group of Urban Sketchers has been very busy this past month, preparing for our first international sketchcrawl taking place on 29th and 30th April.

This last weekend we hosted around 100 sketchers, both locals and from neighbouring countries. We even had a guest who came all the way from Norway to participate in our event!

Saturday I had to find a balance between looking out for people, a short interview for the local news network, answering phone calls and sketching throughout the weekend. I have to admit that I did a lot of running around that day, including a quick stop at the Duck Race that was taking place in the Patrusse valley with a few sketchers.

Many families had gathered to see 16,000 plastic ducks being dumped in the water and "race" for charity. Unfortunately there was a shortage of water, so it was less spectacular than I expected, and there were so many people that I didn't get to see much racing. I was told the view from on top of the bridge was better though, so I might try that instead next year.

Coming back up for air, in a way, I settled with some of my fellow sketchers near the Musée Nationale d'Histoire et d'Art. Much more relaxing after the big crowds around the Duck Race.

In the evening we headed for Rives de Clausen, where we would take the traditional group photo and have dinner.

The whole day couldn't have been better. Between the wonderful weather and the amazing participants, I had a lot of fun and looked forward to spending a lovely Sunday in good company again.

Between the city and the countryside

It was a very busy weekend for Urban Sketchers Luxembourg, with not one but two sketchcrawls.

On Saturday, we attended the guided tour organised with Musee Dräi Eechelen and LUCA around the Adolphe bridge, or "Nei Bréck" (new bridge), as the locals call it. The bridge had been closed for renovations and to adapt the infrastructure for the future tram. It is great to have it back!

The tour was guided by Prof. Robert Philippart, who is a real expert on Luxembourg's history. While I wasn't able to hear all the information he provided (there was a big group of people and I was focused on my sketching), I did hear a few interesting tidbits, like for example the fact that the bridge's decorations were designed by craft workers as a way to promote their know-how, and not by artists or architects as is usually the case.

I have to admit that I was more interested in sketching our tour guide and group than the surroundings, particularly given the fact that the bridge is still covered with scaffolding.

There was a lot of enthusiasm for our sketching group among the crowd. Our guide was happy with the experience as well. Hopefully we will be able to repeat it in the future.

On Sunday we had our monthly outing, this time far from the crowds of the capital, in Grevenmacher, at the border with Germany.

It couldn't have been a more different sketchcrawl with wonderful weather and sedate Sunday pace.

It was very pleasant to sketch in the sun, observing the families enjoying their Sunday afternoon. A group of children popped by to see what I was doing, asking me where they were on my sketch.

The afternoon ended - how else? - around drinks on a terrace. Five ladies sketching and enjoying each other's company.

Rainy afternoon at the Rotondes

At the last sketchcrawl with the USK Luxembourg, we met at the Rotondes in Bonnevoie. This location was first used keeping steam locomotives and their maintenance. Later it worked as a repair shop for buses.

Toward the end of the 20th century, they were added to the list of classified monuments and renovated to be used as exhibition spaces. Today, they host concerts, exhibitions, a pub and a variety of cultural events.

We met in the afternoon as usual and were joined by Jonathan, a fellow urban sketcher from the UK who was visiting the city that weekend. Unfortunately it had to be one of the wettest days of the year so far. We jokingly commented to Jonathan that it was probably not a big change from the weather at home.

Our group split between those who wanted to stay in dry space and those crazy enough to try to sketch on the roofed overpass between the Rotondes and the Luxembourg train station. I joined the second group.

It would have been a perfect location despite the rain, had it not been for the strong wind pushing water through some of the openings in the overpass. In spite of those conditions, I was pretty proud to manage a decent sketch.

However, after a while we all had to concede to the weather and headed inside to the Rotonde's pub, the Buvette, for a cosy session of hot drinks and sketching.

Art and antiques in a hall

In February, we went to the Luxexpo with Urban Sketchers Luxembourg. We had the choice between the Antiques Fair and a Wine Salon. I wasn't surprised that everyone in the group chose to explore the Antiques Fair.

The organizers kindly let us enter for free when they hears that we were enthusiastic amateur artists.

While waiting for a couple of latecomers, I sketched a stand exhibiting a few frames. There was not much movement there, most people went straight for the antiquities and artworks displayed inside the hall.

The Luxexpo is a huge hall whose size can be adapted to fit the needs of the different fairs, exhibitions and festivals taking place there. I found the contrast between the venue and what it was exhibiting quite interesting.

While I was making the sketch above, a group of Germans blocked the view, so instead of getting annoyed about that I decided to sketch them as fast as possible.

There were so many interesting objects and artworks on display! It was difficult to choose what to sketch first. This display of old toys was a no-brainer, though. It really felt like I was in a small antiques shop somewhere and not in a huge hall.

The day ended with a coffee at one of the temporary bars. All in all, it was a great venue to spend a cold winter afternoon in good company.

Belated accounts

I have been remiss with publishing my sketches form the last Urban Sketchers' sketchcrawls, so here they are now.

In December we went to the Christmas market, which is slowly becoming a tradition of ours.

The Christmas market in the capital has grown a lot over the years an can now boast three main locations. This time I focused on the small ice skating rink on Place Guillaume II. The day was wonderfully sunny and the rink was full of people.

A mulled wine at a nearby café surrounded by friends were the perfect end to a lovely aftenoon.

In January we went to the Mudam. I was very pleasantly surprised at the big turnout: 17 people came to sketch with us this time!

It was the last day of the Wim Delvoye exhibit, an artist that has already been shown at the Mudam several years ago. Here are a few of his works. Tattooed pigs (I have mixed feelings about them, but they looked so friendly I couldn't resist sketching them).

One of his Cloaca machines.

I'm not sure these metal trees were part of his exhibit but I really liked this view, specially with two of my fellow sketchers in the background.

A journey through time at the Tramsmusée

When you look at old photos of Luxembourg-City you may be surprised at finding out that there used to be trams all over the city. Unfortunately they were completely removed in the 1960s in favour of buses, which were more fashionable and more economical at that time. I love trams, so I can't help feeling that the city lost part of its character in favour of being more mainstream and modern.

So it was with some curiosity that I participated to latest urban sketching session organised by LUCA at the museum of public transportation, commonly known as "Tramsmusée".

In a small room, you can go through the evolution of public transport in Luxembourg, with one example of electric tram, horse tram, tram coach, bus, etc. on display. There was even a bus just like the old school buses that used to take me to highschool. The common colour to all is a dark, almost indigo, blue with creamy yellow borders.

Nowadays there is not just one colour of bus. Depending on the model, the operating company and even possible advertising they can range from white to red to rainbow-coloured and the occasional old-fashioned dark blue reminiscent of the ancient trams. 

 

At the moment there are construction sites all over the city, the biggest project being... to reintroduce trams to replace a big part of the buses. They say that only idiots don't change their minds, but I find it a pity that we lost the historic trams and their charm, which cannot really be replaced by modern models. 

 

It would be quaint to see a few old rickety trams run through the city, like Lisbon and its yellow trams. Maybe they will use the old carriages on special occasions. I would definitely be in line to take a ride in one of them.

Sketching at the Schueberfouer

Every year, starting around mid-August, the Luxembourg city funfair called "Schueberfouer", a mixture of market and funfair, takes place for three whole weeks.

It is one of the oldest and most beloved Luxembourg traditions for young and old, so it was inevitable that I would go sketch it at some point, on my own and with Urban Sketchers Luxembourg.

 

The Schueberfouer was founded in 1340 by John the Blind, King of Bohemia and Count of Luxembourg. It was initially a huge market where people from all around the Greater Region came to sell their products, ranging from agricultural products and livestock to cloth, pottery and other household products.

Over the centuries shows and games started to become part of the fair, and the Ferris wheel and rollercoaster became permanent fixtures in the 20th century, later joined by more and more sophisticated attractions, some of them not meant for the faint of heart.

Today the market part is limited to one alley of small retailer's booths and the showmen with their attractions come from all around Europe: Luxembourg, France, Belgium, Germany and even the Netherlands and Switzerland.

People from all over the Greater Region come to enjoy the thrills of the different attractions and savour the typical Gromperekichelcher (potato patties), gebakene Fësch (fried fish, usually trout) and other delicious treats you can find in the numerous food trucks and restaurants.

 

The beginning of the Schueberfouer always feels bittersweet to me, as it brings loads of fun but also announces the end of the summer holidays.

On Sunday, we went there with Leen and Maria Grazia for the monthly USk sketchcrawl. I focused on the Ferris wheel, which I find immensely photogenic. The owners of the attraction came regularly to see how our sketches were progressing.

I am pleased to say that they loved them and even asked if they could buy my sketch. I told them that unfortunately, as it was part of my sketchbook, it was not possible, but I later sent them a scanned image.

 

One ride on the carousel and a drink later, I was ready to call it a day and to say goodbye to the Schueberfouer for this year and mentally prepare for the arrival of autumn.

Lazy Sunday afternoon on the Mosel bank

For the August sketchcrawl we went to Remich, at the border with Perl, Germany. Or rather, we went to Perl, at the border with Remich.

It was Leen's brilliant idea to sketch on the German side, thus enjoying the beautiful sights on the Mosel river while avoiding the crowds.

Under the shade provided by trees, we had a variety of subjects: the boats, the people, the landscape, the café. I chose to sketch a boat (ship) that had just docked called Iris.

We were quite the novelty there, with many people stopping to observe us. It was after I heard the third Luxembourgian person around us that I realized that forget Remich: this side of the river is actually where all the Luxembourgers go to enjoy the Mosel river.

This sketch is off to greener pastures

One of the skippers of the Iris stopped by to admire our work. He hinted not very subtly at the fact that he would love to keep my sketch, so I obliged. It is always flattering to have an admirer.

We had planned to meet again at 3 pm to share our sketches, but it was so nice to be in the sun and just sketch and talk that when we looked at the time it was almost 4 pm. High time to go for a drink and sketch each other and counter-sketch in retaliation!

It's difficult to capture an Italian woman's natural elegance on paper. Maria Grazia did not approve

It was a fun afternoon and I highly recommend to anyone going to the Mosel to enjoy Remich in Perl.

INCAOS - CASINO

The April Sketchcrawl with the USk Luxembourg took place at the Casino - Forum d'Art contemporain in Luxembourg city.

We were curious to see what the Casino looked like after it had been closed for some months for some works.

The whole ground floor was changed and a cafeteria was added, the one thing I always thought was missing at that museum.

A few of us braved the wind and sketched outside. There was just time enough for this sketch before it started raining.

I like how the letters of the Casino were shifted and spell "Incaos", a remnant from an exhibition a few years ago. It feels like an insider joke.

Sadly I had to leave early, so I didn't have time for more than one sketch. It was great to see a few new faces. Hopefully more regulars for our group.

Overlooking the city

Last Sunday, we met with Urban Sketchers Luxembourg at the Observatoire, the bar of hotel Sofitel.

I had heard that it offered an amazing view of the city, but I had never been there before. I was not disappointed.

Everyone was drawn to the windows and tried their best to sketch the cityscape.

Personally, I am not used to that exercise at all and I found it very difficult, getting lost in too many details at some point.

There was a moment when I realized that I would never get to the kind of result I was expecting, so I just started to try out different things, playing with colour, ink and pencil. It was much more fun this way.

We do live in a beautiful city!

After the difficult landscape, I took a "break" and sketched the beautiful tea set in front of me. It really felt like I was breathing easily again. I'm definitely not at ease with big city scapes yet.

Green tea to get in a more zen mood

It's interesting how a change of subject can help me get much more playful with my sketches. I felt much looser to do a quick detail of one of the main bridges, the Pont Viaduc.

I love bridges

As I mentioned, this was a very unusual exercise for me, but one I think I will repeat in the future. Specially at this location.

Ping...

... and pong!

I should probably say table tennis, but ping pong sounds so much more fun!

Last week, we met with the Urban Sketchers Luxembourg for our monthly sketchcrawl, this time at the National Sports Centre, d'Coque, in Kirchberg.

It is the perfect place to take shelter from the cold, the wind and the rain, and it offers the possibility to sketch a more sportive environment.

That day, a table tennis competition was taking place, a great opportunity to try our hands at sketching a sports event.

At first I tried to sketch one or the other player in particular, but it quickly became apparent that it would be more frustrating than fun, so I focused purely on very fast action drawings.

I have to admit I'm not a particular fan of table tennis, but watching the games was pretty interesting.

After a while, I noticed that most players, even some of the younger ones, have their own styles, some more theatrical than others, specially when serving.

One of our regulars, Denis, invited us all for a drink at the refreshment stalls to celebrate his birthday. Perfect moment to share our impressions and watch some of the games.

In the end, I was so engrossed in trying to capture the action that I didn't even find out who won the competition. 

I did, however, learn that ping pong can be a pretty impressive sport.

And yet it moves

Eppur si muove is the title of the exhibition held at the Mudam when we went there for our monthly sketchcrawl with Urban Sketchers Luxembourg.

The exhibition focuses on the links between the fields of the visual arts and technology, as well as the influence that the history of the sciences and technology has exercised on contemporary arts.

It was the ideal place to take refuge on a chilly Sunday afternoon.

I was immediately attracted to an installation with a vespa, showing its different parts and how they fit together. Like an autopsy of sorts. There was something kind of poetic in the way all the parts were hanging from the ceiling.

Unfortunately I forgot to check what the name of this piece was, but here is my attempt at capturing it.

Imagine all the pieces floating in the room

 Most of my fellow sketchers were more interested in a colourful installation by Jean Tinguely called Fatamorgana Méta-Harmonie IV. A button on the floor activated the machine, which then started making various noises.

Each part had a different colour, though

It was a very popular attraction, with many people waiting to see what the machine would do next.

I was surprised at the number of visitors in the museum, to be honest. Excellent occasion to quickly capture people on paper.

A guided tour was taking place. Unfortunately I was too far to hear what was being said

People gazing at the Christmas market

For the last sketchcrawl of the year, the Urban Sketchers Luxembourg decided to aim for the Christmas market in the capital.

This time around we were quite the crowd, with 10 people spreading around the place to sketch the little houses, the people, the surrounding buildings.

I started with the best intentions of capturing a scene of the whole market or at least a portion of it, but somehow only managed to focus on a funny little statue on top of one of the stalls.

The drunk Santa was just irresistible.

Luckily, the weather was quite mild for the season and there was a big crowd, which allowed me to sketch my favourite subject: people.

People being people, though, I did not have many cooperative models and had to be as fast as possible, so I ended up mainly with a collection of hastily jotted squiggles.

 

It's ok, though, for a collection of squiggles always looks better than one squiggle alone :D

After a while it started feeling cold, so we headed to one of our favourite cafés, the Kaale Kaffi.

Everyone was pretty much at the Christmas market, so we were able to sit the whole group at the big table.

Nothing like sipping on a ginger lemon tea while drawing with sketching buddies to finish a lovely afternoon.