Suprise

Here it is about the end of February and I can not believe my eyes. 

 This morning after a day of high winds and lots of rain I opened the curtains to welcome the day and noticed something very different about the view.  The lake is ice free. 

It seems very early in the year for this but I can now start thinking about the canoe repair that needs attention before the paddling season. Funny thing as just yesterday in all the weather I was working on a project with my son Jim that involved drawing a canoe.

Cape d'Or Nova Scotia

Last summer while camping at Five Islands we spent an afternoon on the beach at Cape Chignecto Provincial Park. As the tide rolled out revealing the rocky ocean floor I sketched the view at hand.

The view with cliffs all around was stunning. Directly in front of us across the water Isle Haute stands as if guarding all the treasures of the magnificent Bay of Fundy. 

To our left the cliffs at Cape d'Or and the lighthouse on the land jutting out into the bay. 

Anticipation

A small sketch of cut flowers was found in a corner of the studio and I was amazed at the the energy and optimism captured in it. I am sure I can put it to use in the coming months. 

 

Winter does tend to wear us down and the recent rains and high winds that tore open our cold frame and blew everything around have made repairs necessary before the growing season. My list of spring activities is growing with repairs and maintenance standing front and centre.

Even though we haven't had much snow the cold temperatures make the car studio the option of choice for site work which continues along Halifax Harbour.

 last evening was spent with a friend looking at canoe routes around Atlantic coastal islands. That is big time February dreaming around here but in anticipation of warmer days ahead I better get thinking about a bag of paint and some new canvas for painting and drawing along the way.

Before we get too far down that road it will be winter for a while yet. It could snow a few more times and allow another day of skiing in the woods with temperatures just above zero for painting on the way. There is nothing quite like painting on site.

Nova Scotia Winter

You just never know what is going on around here. Yesterday we were locked in a deep freeze and well below zero with clear skies and lots of wind. Today we have low clouds and rain so it will be interesting to see where all the water goes with everything still frozen.  Oh, did I mention that the outdoor temperature today will rise well onto the plus side. Not a good day for painting outdoors but it is a good day to complete the construction of two new stretchers and stay by the fire.

Seeing is Believing

                          

Seeing is believing or so I have heard. 

Can that statement be believed?

 Interesting images come in all forms.

Snow Day

It is a snow day here today.

 We will slowly shovel out from under a thick blanket of drifted snow that fell through the night. The storm was delivered on southern winds that met cold air from the north. 

Aren't we lucky?

Art Privilege

I recently heard a interview on the radio that reminded me about the unique position of privilege artists work from. It was a reminder that every day artists are so lucky to spend time dreaming and working in a chosen way. 

 Dreaming about things in the next room or outside the window, watching birds fly or rivers run. Working with the senses and bringing them to life.

  It seems very important to keep dreaming and recording imagination and wonder.

Art Time

The studio rebuild goes on and a light has appeared at the end of the tunnel.  Some work is possible It seems that a juggling act is always in play allowing some new work to be created. Soon new stretchers will be built for use in the studio.

In piles of paintings moving from place to place I found a series of paintings that have continued over years. The idea was to create paintings from year to year at the same spot. I began work under the title "Ground Cover". The idea stuck and each year I would go in the early spring just as the ferns began to rise out of the ground. It was about this time that I became aware of the speed that plants grow and move. It was about the same time, way back, that I also felt a need to move and extend my art practice beyond the local and into the provincial. Small boards were prepared and carried to sites as we walked and explored the province.

One of the paintings that came from this idea was painted on the bluff overlooking the former site of Eatonville. The town disappeared long ago but still had foundations and a wharf as a testament to the people who called the site home. Eatonville was abandoned sometime after the 1917 influenza pandemic that devastated isolated coastal towns and villages. 

The painting practice seems to have influenced exploration of art and the world around. What time is it mister wolf?  Art Time. 

Winter Studio

Our favourite groundhog has predicted six more weeks of winter for the north east but thoughts are already turning to spring. Last year just about this time we thought winter had passed us by. We could see a clear path to the garden before the snow and wind and rain started. Winter weather came and didn't stop until the end of March. By then we were buried under deep piles of snow and travel had become very difficult. We just ran out of places to pile the fallen snow. 

I sure hope we don't have a repeat season this year but who knows. While thoughts have turned outdoors the work today is in the studio. Spring may be just wishful thinking at this point but hold that thought.

Eagles Soar Overhead

Recently when we walked along Blue Beach just as the tide turned a familiar sight became strangely new. As a painter who loves to respond to the environment around me I could not have been more lucky.

Sights and sounds of the day stirred emotions crossing time and space. while strong winds from the south created dramatic cloud patterns overhead. Eagles soaring all along the cliff on the updraft added interest to the day. The raw beauty was stunning and served as a reminder of just how exciting any journey can be. Taking art along enhances the trip.