Toronto Gothic

Toronto Gothic is the name I’ve given to an ever-growing body of artwork inspired by Toronto’s rich architectural heritage in general, its abundance of Gothic Revival buildings in particular, and my father in spirit. In his professional life my father was a draftsman. I conceived of this project after his passing. A simple desire to use his old tools became a plan to learn how to draw like a draftsman. Having had no experience or education in drafting myself, I felt like this would be a way to keep a connection alive with him, beyond just cherishing memories – an experience, a long road of learning how to do something he loved, using the same tools he learned with. My aspiration was to take it to such a level as to create a body of work that would astonish both of us, recognizing each other as the indispensable half of this artistic endeavor.

My artistic vision for the Toronto Gothic project and its evolution is something I’ve written about in detail on the Background page. Having spent several years on this project to-date, developing my own love for drafting just like my dad, and having had many conversations with practicing and retired architects, one thing that has struck me rather unexpectedly profoundly is the sad reality that drafting by hand is a dying art form. What’s more is that its death seems to be going largely unlamented. Computers have largely relieved the draftsman of the burden of technical know-how, but in doing so, they’ve also stripped away the individual artistic expression inherent in the craft. Another aspiration of my project is to keep technical drawing alive as an art form and perhaps inspire others to appreciate and pursue it as well.

Many of the lessons I’ve learned from my father have, fittingly, profoundly influenced this project. He taught me the importance of patience, the value of hard work and the rewards that come with delayed gratification – understanding that the product of my hard work won’t be seen until maybe six months or even a year after I start, and that is what makes it special. He also instilled in me a deep appreciation for the craftsmanship of others and aspire to their heights regardless of my current skill level – to always challenge myself to do more than I’m currently capable of. He strongly believed that the arts should be a persistent presence, enriching one’s life in meaningful ways. His interest in history and lifelong pursuit of knowledge also rubbed off on me – through this project, I’ve not only learning drafting from old books, but developed an interest in medieval history, and related topics like freemasonry and other organizations rooted in that era, ancient religious practices and the occult, and Western esotericism generally.

Please scroll down for a gallery of finished works, all completed by hand in ink on watercolour or Bristol paper. The process for each is detailed in its dedicated page – see the links in the above menu above under Buildings, or next to each drawing below.