Ottawa based Andrew D Milne sketches and paints local cabins and their surroundings in his series, “Small Cabins.” The first sketches were done back in 2014 - an ink sketch of Slys Cabin in a nearby bay. I thought it was interesting to see how these classic little cabins melted into the lake and the land around them,” he describes. “Shortly after I started noticing cabins more and more, and became interested in the relationship of the cabins to the world behind and surrounding it.

Andrew started seeing that the cabins as a narrative about the history of the canals, lakes, bays, islands and shorelines they hide in, telling a story of pristine locations with a timeless connection between families and the wilderness. The cabins themselves had become part of the nature around them. Andrew has captured images that reflect the long history of Canadian cottage life, the relationships with the land and lakes, and how we try to surround ourselves with imagery that comforts and re energiese us.

Andrew continued, "I have always been interested in the design of the cabins, how they sit within its landscape, the colors and the light. I am intrigued about the story behind the cabins, who built it, about the many people who have lived in them or enjoyed them over time. I find that the connections with the building I build through studying, sketching, and drawing intertwines with the creative process in my interpretation of the architecture and landscape in one image."

Many of these paintings in this Series will be debuting at the Kingston Square Foot Art Show in mid-October. For more information on that show, go to: www.tettcentre.org/events/kingstons-square-foot-show.

See more images from the sketch books, to colour planning and more for the “Small Cabins” below.