Utopia Moment sketches and writing by Jack Ruttan and friends

Watching Do The Right Thing on DVD and drawing. Not really portraits of people, just types.

The cat is listening, a guy is sitting on a horse without stirrups, and the poor beknighted kid from the movie Into the Wild is being stalked by a cuddly, harmless grizzly.

Been neglecting blogging a little, thanks to Twitter, and this new contract. But I’m still drawing stuff. Going to scan it and put it up, because that’s what I like doing. Here we are!

That’s a good title for the blog. I was on a bit of a break today, so I painted this picture of the street I live on.

Bonus: Old lady!

Been busy, not been blogging a lot. Not been drawing tons that I’m happy with. Not too thrilled with this, but it’s where my head’s been at. Good night!

Man, this is fun to do.

Wild people. Drawing by me, inks by Rick.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my blog. I can express stuff here and gas on about things, and look at my funny sketches. Who cares that only about 30 people a day visit the thing.

But busy computer-related work (websites and writing) takes its toll of how long I want to stay in front of this glowing screen. And twitter has taken a bite, too. Oh blog, don’t get upset!

So, I’ve got some funny drawings, and a couple of posts to write. I’m going to try and spread them out a little, just to enhance the bloggy goodness. Or, put them out all at once. These usually just happen. I’m not big on planning.

Right now, these are drawings from my most recent Friday afternoon bar session with Rick Gagnon. Not too many, because I had only brought one book for the both of us to draw in. I was looking on forlornly as he was inking the pic that goes up on the head of this piece. Then I got my book back, and drew various cats (one suffering from the heat, as my guys are at the moment), plus a polar bear from a beer ad (a few of those on the walls, no surprise).

Then a loud bachelors party moved in next to us. They were taking whacks at the groom to be with a paddle, and offering the paddle to pretty girls passing by. Surprisingly, there were few takers. But what these passers-by probably saw was a bunch of guys waving their arms, yelling incoherently. Of course, that was just Rick and I having a political discussion. The wedding party was loud, too!

I’m hoping that Rick sends me a couple of the shots he took of this. Good, if somewhat loutish times!

Sometimes I wait a while and then post a lot of sketches I’ve done, but didn’t post, for whatever reason. Nice not to have to look at my friend’s death notice first thing when I visit the blog, however.

I’ve been avoiding writing about this, because it hit me hard, when I heard about it last July 31. Didn’t want to announce it before the obituary came out, because I didn’t want to be the crow, the one bearing that news.

Sad, because Sonja, along with her partner Geof, who ran Zymergy Magazine, plus a poetry press, were among my first and longest-running literary friends in Montreal. They sort of picked me up when I went to an open reading, having just gotten to the city and didn’t know anyone. The crowd didn’t receive my Calgary short stories very well, but those two took me in. Very funny and strange people. With fingers in a lot of pies in the Montreal lit community. It’s difficult to think of Sonja without Geof, Geof without Sonja. They were a duality.

Anyhow, now that she’s gone, I think she’s joined that pantheon of dead poets that I remember. Ruth Taylor, Artie Gold, Robert Allen. They’re purified now, in memory. Unhappy I won’t see her again, but there are those memories. Dinners at Amelio’s Pizza, her crazy cats. Driving around Montreal, and hearing stories of the oddballs who submitted to her poetry press.

She was very private and urban, almost agoraphobic. Still, I mostly ran into her with Geof downtown in shopping malls, which show up in her poems a lot. (see link below)

http://www.coraclepress.com/chapbooks/skarstedt/abundances.html

Anyways, that’s it. I’m not so sure about an afterlife, reincarnation, or heaven, but she lives on in the memories of those who knew her.

Nice article from the Gazette about Sonja: http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Sonja+Skarstedt+definitely+Montreal+poet/1864470/story.html

I wish I could find this Gazette “Lifestyle” photo spread from the 90s showing Montreal women poets, including Sonja, wearing the latest fashions. Good for a giggle, anyhow.

Went to my friend, Claude Lalumiere’s launch, for his upcoming book of short stories: OBJECTS OF WORSHIP, at WORLDCON, the world Science Fiction / Fantasy convention, happening in Montreal this year.

Funny, two-level suite at the Delta Hotel in downtown Montreal. So I shot this snap up top of Claude, and the book’s illustrator, Rupert Bottenberg, almost pointing up their nostrils.

My sketch of Claude signing:

Rupert signing:

The book:

And the signatures:

The party! I met famous SF author Robert Silverberg here. Didn’t get a shot — I was too shy.

This took place on the 28th, the top floor of the Delta Hotel in Montreal. There were tons of exciting parties happening on that floor, so I went to have a look. Here’s a party:

Here’re some attendees (veterans of future wars?):

Klingons!

Popped into a workshop on cartooning, but not for cartoonists. More like a “chalk talk” for entertainment. Sketched, of course.

These are more drawn notes than proper sketches, as I was standing up. Notes for what, though?

Here’s the most amazing thing I saw all night: a real Gestetner stencil. Hadn’t seen one of those in action since I did the school newspaper in grade 6!

To see other photos I took that night, visit the set on flickr. Here’s the slideshow:

Had a great time, talking about science fiction, about working as an extra in movies, and see what everyone who looked interesting was up to.

Here’s a list of links from people I met:

• http://personanonsequitor.blogspot.com
• http://thestarsarenotmadeoffire.blogspot.com
• http//www.kimvandervort.com
• http://lunacon.org/
• http://nkjemisin.com/ Fantasy writer with book coming out next year.
• http://danielarabuzzi.com.com Another writer launched that night. Title of book: THE CHOIR BOATS
• http://www.chizinepub.com Claude’s Publisher, and for other books at the launch as well
• http://www.gaylacticnetwork.org Network for Gay and Lesbian SF fans.

It’s been too long, but last night I was drinking with my friend Richard Gagnon, and doing silly drawings. He usually inks things that I’ve drawn. Gives me new ideas about where to place black and whites, etc.

I’m feeling a little burnt at the moment, so am just going to post these, to get them out there.

This is a turnabout — Rick’s drawing, which I did inks on:

These guys above were tourists, who were too loud, and we were complaining loudly about them. But as they were leaving, we chatted with them and shook hands. Who would figure it? I think in Montreal, people are always nice to tourists, no matter what. I wonder if that’s really true?

Below, Rick liked the hint of messiness in the stripes of an otherwise (relatively) crisp drawing.

Like the title says. I’ve started a new contract, and have been a little distracted. Also some sad news, which I’ll blog later, when I’m ready. Still, hope you like crazy sketches of cats and whatnot.

Piece of gyproc wall I photographed. It had been tossed out after renovations. Sorry I didn’t take a shot of the building. Maybe I’ll go back and get that.

As i was doing this, a couple of guys walked by muttering words that included “kodak” and “malade” (crazy). I guess that’s accurate.

Anyhow, here’s the translation of what’s written there:
March 4, 2001
A little history about this house!
The house was bought in 1981 by Andre Giroux for $17,500.00
Formerly a quadruplex, 2160, 2162, 215 and [...] de Bordeaux were partitioned in two.
Marc Lepine, who killed 14 students at the Ecole Polytechnique, lived on the other side of the street, 2175.
The trees along the street were planted in 1982 right before a municipal election, for Mayor Jean Drapeau, who won the election.