Old Art Tools

 Yesterday I met an old friend.
No, it wasn't a person but a machine that I became acquainted with years ago when as a student at Humber College studying Graphic Art and Design.
The once totally amazing machine, a IBM Selectric typewriter, was cutting edge technology that made setting simple text a easy job. First of all it was powered by electricity which was somewhat new at that point but the "selectric" had the distinctive "golfball" font head that could be changed for style and size.  I was chosen, along with two other students, to attend a education session delivered by IBM to learn to operate the machine which allowed us to provide a typesetting service to other students for use on their projects.

I haven't even seen one of these machines, except in pictures, for a good long while and was surprised by the shear weight of the machine as I carried it to the car.  I suppose the all metal construction would have something to do with that.

Heat of Summer Storms




It is near the end of July, the heat is on and along with the heat and humidity we have had some incredible thunder and lightning move through the area.

Saturday evening we were enjoying a late dinner with friends when we began to hear distant rolling thunder. At the end of it all we had a spectacular double rainbow that seemed to land just on the edge of the lake which doesn't happen very often.


It reminded me of other storms that I had a chance to work with and looking back I came across a painting of one rainbow that was so focused both ends were visible landing on the lake. Totally amazing either way.



Nova Scotia Landmarks, August 2016




It's almost August and Landmarks is ready to go.  If you happen to be around Halifax, Nova Scotia during August, 2016 drop in to the Chase Art Gallery located on the ground floor of the Nova Scotia Archives building and see them for yourself. I can tell you collaborating to conceive and create these large scale paintings with my son Jimy has been an amazing experience. A journey through time and space.

Summer Art

What a welcome relief now that beautiful warm air of summer has landed over us.


Gardens are planted and seem to be growing along with everything else. The hope is that our labour will bear fruit later in the summer if the weeds and pests can be kept back.


Making art and working in the garden seem similar like that. Everyday is an adventure. 

Drawing around Halifax Harbour



Drawing along the edge of Halifax Harbour is always exciting. The shear size of everything is overwhelming, everything is massive. The scale reminds me of some lost prehistoric world where everything is extra large. People are very rarely seen in this landscape only appearing from inside the cabins of ships and equipment on rare occasions. 


The harbour has also been called the "Big Harbour" and I came to recognize it gets this name for good reason. Watching a large ship at rest anchored and taking on fuel I made a drawing as is usual and watched the ship move with the tide.  I was on the Dartmouth side looking across to Halifax.


The Halifax cityscape is under construction with new towers rising over the streets. Unfortunately the view from here shows the famous historic citadel being blocked from view but the distance and scale are hard to figure from so far away. Everything is so large.


So, there I am making a drawing of the ship at anchor against the backdrop of rising towers just trying to record a feeling of the day and the goings on of the harbour. Today the ship seems so large it appears to stretch across the surface to the opposite side blocking passage into the inner harbour and Bedford Basin.


The illusion disappeared in front of my eyes as on the opposite shore as I watched another giant ship move up the harbour from the ocean seeming to be tiny in the distance clearing the ship I was drawing by a mile. It really is a very big harbour.