Not Old McDonald's Farm

A couple of Saturdays ago this urban sketcher left her studio to visit an urban farm! In an old meatpacking plant in the Back of the Yards neighborhood of Chicago there is a wonderful place called The Plant. Its mission is to repurpose the old plant into a vertical farm (I love that term) and food business operation. 

The Plant-Outdoor Garden

When it is fully operational one-third of The Plant will be an aquaponic farm system. It's a circle from fish to vegetables to fish. The fish in tanks produce ammonia-based waste that is broken down into nitrates that are fed to the plants growing in water beds. The plants absorb the nitrates and clean the water. The water the goes back to the fish. The idea is to sell both the fish and the vegetables to local markets and restaurants.  The other two-thirds of the building will house sustainable food businesses.

Aquaponics

This is just a hint of what is planned. Right now there's a bakery, a tea brewery, a mushroom farm and the aquaponics has begun. There's an outdoor garden and a roof garden. It has a long way to go but The Plant will have a renewable energy system that will use more than 10,000 tons of food waste from landfills each year to meet its energy requirements. About 125 jobs will be created. There are retail and restaurant spaces planned. Go, take the tour. See the future and be inspired and amazed!

There were nineteen people on the tour with Barbara, our guide. 

Om

Urban Sketchers-Chicago met in Chinatown yesterday. I started the day's adventure on the water taxi from Michigan Avenue to Ping Tom Park. What a perfect day for a half hour ride on the Chicago River!

The group met then spread out to sketch. Some of us went to the square with the zodiac sculptures. Surprise! When we got there there was a festival – a perfect day for that too! It was buzzing with people, costumes, dancing and karate, balloons and food. It all took place in front of an altar with a statue of Buddha filled offerings of incense, food and flowers. The general mood was fun and reverent. I wish I knew more about it. From what we could gather it was just a Chinatown summer celebration –
delightful!

At Our Backs

It's been awhile since I've posted, not because I haven't been sketching but because I haven't been scanning. This sketch is from the backlog. It's from the recent Monday sketch outing.

Seven of us met at the south end of Belmont Harbor. We had a good discussion about painting clouds and greens as well as quiet time to paint. The winds were at our back - good fortune - the rain held off until we were packed up and leaving!

For the Birds

What a pleasant afternoon sketching outside the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago. Cool breeze, shade and silly geese and a duck for entertainment, a great way to start the week.

Evidence of why I sketch rather than take photos!

Déjà Vu

Chicago is a great city, known for it's architecture, beautiful lake front, museums and colorful neighborhoods. For me, often it's the little things that catch my eye and make me smile. They say it's the little things that make a house a home. Maybe the same holds true for cities!

I wish I had a dollar for every time I painted or sketched these lamp posts! They're all around the Chicago. 

On the Road and Home Again

We made a quick trip to Ohio last week for a family wedding. Since my daughter and son-in-law did all the driving (thank you, thank you!) I spent a lot of time gazing out the window and watching the world go by. It reminded me of twenty-nine years ago when we moved to the midwest from the east coast. I kept thinking, "The sky is so big and the trees are so small!" I still think that and I still think it's beautiful.

Mm Mm Good!

Many of Chicago's restaurants and chefs work with our urban farmers to bring local produce to the table. Everyone wins–the restaurants, the farmers and people like me, the consumer. Our Green City Market in Chicago adds another link to the chain. Every Wednesday and Saturday at the Market in the summer, chefs give demonstrations to teach and encourage the average consumer to use locally grown food at home. Good idea! How many times have you bought something at a farmer’s market, or from your CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and thought “Now what?”

Today, Chef Heather Terhune (did you see her on Top Chef?) ran a chopping station. She happily chopped whatever-you-bought at the market, explaining the tricks-of-the-trade as she went along.

Despite the iffy weather the Market was crowded so the people watching and sketching was the icing on the cake for me!