Travelogue: Montreal

and FBDM/MCAF

Last week, I went to Montreal and stood at a booth at FBDM/MCAF for 26 hours of it!

I had never been to Montreal before, so I was thrilled I got into the festival, and was even MORE SO when Josh of False Knees (and his partner Mélodie) offered to host me, together with Jackie of Underpants and Overbites.

nothing like staying up talking in granular detail about things that no one else thinks about! (COMICS!!!)

That these new friends live across the continent from me, and that I will probably only see them again in a year at most, is the beauty and the pain of borderless webcomics.

Anyway. I try to kick off every visit to a new city with a TOURISM JOG around a scenic route so I can see as many touristy things as possible right away.

Schwartz's Deli, forest staircase up Mont Royal

I also managed to make the pilgrimage to Drawn & Quarterly.

*heart eyes*

and we saw some nice murals.

And then Josh won a Bédélys award (the Quebec comics award) for his comic/book, Spores (also Eisner-nominated)! It was a very touching ceremony where, before announcing the winner in each category, the presenter gave a little speech about why the jury chose the book, and what makes it wonderful. Nothing quite like feeling seen and understood by your peers to bring a little tear to the eye.

Also, very good graphics on the screen.

MCAF itself was a delight. They closed off several city blocks for the festival and we got so lucky with sunny weather.

humble table in big tent

I sold prints, zines, and custom stickers. I loved selling stickers the most because I either got to chat with existing fans, or got to know complete strangers in weirdly intimate ways.

good luck everyone

absolutely iconic

The French lessons helped, somewhat. Especially with the gaggles of school kids!

The festival was so well-run, with volunteers even walking up and down the street with a drink wagon to replenish sweaty under-resourced exhibitors.

I met so many hilarious and kind local and Canadian cartoonists, and I didn’t get photos with any of them! Except for Haley Boros, with whom I got to do a truly inspired improvised comics session.

The prompt was "Camelot" (?!) - we drew alternating panels and dcided it would be about dogs. Halfway through, a passer-by walked by with a fluffy shih-tzu in a polka dot dress, and so we made her the hero of the story, to everyone's delight. I was also impressed that we were properly mic'd up for the session, hence selfie!

Most special of all, I got a visit from the friends I met at Chateau de la Napoule :’)

my face the moment i spotted them in the crowd :’) captured by Nicholas, the only one who could make my manic glee look pretty good

After packing up our tents on the last day, we sat on the grass at Parc LaFontaine and ate poutine for dinner as the sun set, which felt extremely Montréalaise.

On my one “free” day, I opted against my usual plan of “running between 19 tourist destinations” and instead opted to have a leisurely day at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, where there is a Georgia O’Keefe / Henry Moore exhibition.

i learned for the first time from a placard that her flower paintings have nothing to do with vaginas and she long resented this characterization (made by a man)! She just loved looking at flowers and wanted to paint them on a huge scale so everyone would see them as she did

It was a beautiful and HUGE exhibit that tracked how both of these artists were influenced by natural phenomena and the landscape of their homes throughout their lives, and how similar themes influenced and occurred in their work, even though they had only met once.

one of Moore’s EIGHT studios (he had one for each of his practises - painting, sculpture, maquettes, etc)

There were even recreations of their studios, and I loved seeing all of the “maquettes” from Moore’s studio - miniature studies of what would become large sculptural pieces. It gave me a lot to think about!

about to enter my modelling clay era

Capped off the week with very delicious vegan sushi.

All week, I was struck by how the attitude towards comics was so reverent - how everyone understands that comics accomplish something unique (they are more than just "easy-to-read books” - shocker!) and are something to celebrate. And i also continue to be amazed at how cartoonists are some of the best, smartest, and most attractive people I’ve ever met. I left with my heart two sizes larger.

The books I hauled back - some old, some new! Spores, Woven and Hop! by Joshua Barkman, The Wendy Award and Wendy by Walter Scott, Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast, Portrait of a Body by Julie Delporte, and The New Girl by Cassandra Calin.

This week, I’m puttering around waiting for offers to come in on the book proposal (lol) so i’m occupying myself WITH:

• Gardening. Did you know that if you put a seed into soil and add water it’ll become a plant?

• Drawing about going to the spa in Montreal with two friends from my residency, in a forthcoming paid post >_>

• This Québécois TV show that I started watching to practise French and that I kept watching because it is actually great

• New episodes of Shoresy which might be the best TV show ever created. #CANCON forever!

• The Edmonton Oilers are in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 2006. My husband is from Edmonton and there hasn’t been a Canadian cup win since 1993, SO I have dusted off my hockey-watching brain for the next month.

  

  back when hockey was a big part of my personality ft. an obliging Sedin twin (2009)

Thanks for reading!

xo Zoe