The Experimental Farm a great place to sit and paint

By Louise Rachlis
In the spring, artist Kevin Dodds roller blades down Queen Elizabeth Drive to Dows Lake and the Farm and photographs all the apple trees and the Arboretum bridge.
Along the Canal from Second Avenue, he stops to photograph all the flowers, and sometimes he stops to paint. Boats on the Canal are also a large part of his camera excursions.
“Ottawa is such a beautiful city it lends itself to sketching outdoors,” he says.
Here are his top 10 places for getting creative in central Ottawa:
Favourite spots for photography and painting:
1. The locks behind the Bytown Museum.
2. The boats sitting behind the National Arts Centre.
3. Dows Lake at any time of year.
4. The Arboretum at any time of year.
5. The Hogs Back Falls.
6. The Experimental Farm – “a great place to sit and paint.”
7. Parliament Hill as seen from the Museum of Civilization.
8. The courtyard in front of the National Art Gallery, and the inspiration of inside as well.
9. The vegetable stands in the Byward Market.
10. Strathcona Park.

“I’m a city and a valley boy,” says Dodds, an Arnprior native, but a resident of the Glebe since last fall, and of the Golden Triangle for 11 years before.