Hopes and Dreams


In the garden this morning I was hanging out the laundry and had the pleasure of a visit from some very happy birds.  They sang to themselves and flitted in the bushes and tall grass in the morning sun. Two of the flock landed on the cloths line just a few feet from where I stood. They fluffed their feathers and looked me square in the eye before continuing their journey. I felt very lucky to have been there.  Paint Faster

PS, I checked in a book of birds and feel like I had the pleasure of a visit from a group of Chestnut Sided Warblers. Even better it seems like it was a group of first year female birds. Their call is noted as "Please, please, pleased to meet you." I can really believe that and wonder if they will visit again.

Landmarks, Nova Scotia Paintings

The Landmarks project is wrapping up now. For those who did not have a chance to see the work hanging at the Chase Gallery in August I have included some pages from our book documenting the process. 

Planning has begun on our next collaborative project but of course it is far to early to determine where that will take us. 

Make Art


The camp stove and lantern have made may trips with us and so I wanted to draw them. 
The opportunity came one morning as I sat watching the sun rise over the surrounding hills. We were enjoying a late summer camping trip along the Minas Basin at Five Islands. We were there to walk along the shore and through the woods. When we arrived we found that blueberries were everywhere, so abundant and fresh they made our trip even better. 
The stove itself has a long history of travel with me as it was purchased years ago before I travelled to Europe with the intention of seeing art. At the time there was also a requirement to create a entrance portfolio of drawings to accompany my application to school. I hadn't yet committed myself to making art and thought that following a history and seeing the real thing might help in making a decision. Maybe the decision was made before the question was asked but either way I have come to see that a journey with art makes the trip all the better.
In case you wondered, my application was successful. I began formal study and haven't looked back.

Blue




Blue, red and yellow are the three primary colours. In all its forms blue has always figured large in my work for some unknown reason. Perhaps, because it is most often the colour used to represent the sky and all the dreams held there.

Tracing a Memory

Flower images recur over and over in my image making and I often wonder where the memories that drive the interest come from. 
Drawing from life has always seemed to attract me and you would think there would be an easy understanding of the creative links. 
I do know that gardens in general and flowers in particular offer something not easily found in other places and things. I also know that essays have been written and degrees offered all around the study of gardens in their physical and metaphysical states and then of course there are biblical stories of gardens and the creations within. 
I just wonder why I would choose to sit in place and make a drawing that records a moment in time, captures, the event or feeling and makes a record to come back to.
Is it the colour or the shape? 
Is it the air? 


Art Travels in NovaScotia

In a very small world way I was projected back to a beginning and an end many years ago. Time travel, makes me feel like a character in a story. Thankfully someone is writing all this human stuff down because otherwise how else could we begin to sort it all out.

Making black and white images came up yesterday while thinking about new work. The use of colour is a very serious choice in art process and one that can't be taken lightly. Art is work and you never know where it is going to take you. 

Scotts Bay, One Place Two Stories

The whirlwind that is summer has provided many opportunities for painting and drawing. One such occasion was the day we went up to Scotts Bay. The tide was out and as such provided a beach that seemed to reach the opposite shore. The depth of sky reflected on the surface. 
Paint and boards were packed along and I took the opportunity to paint. The view, as I looked across the bay towards Spencers Island even included Isle Haute on the far left horizon. People are tiny dots far out in the middle ground and the old pier piles poke their heads above the beach bottom are a note to the massive scale of fishing and shipbuilding in the area that are long past. Totally Amazing.
Using the paint remaining on the pallet a new residual is created. 

Bay of Fundy, Minus Basin, Moose Island Reboot

The mysterious air of the Bay of Fundy surprised us again. After weeks of hot dry weather the air changed and clouds brought rain to the area. Camping was the name of the game so the tents went up none the less. No phones, no TV, no internet what could be better? 

Well, I was hoping to make a few drawings and maybe a painting or two and brought all the necessary material I could pack in. So, imagine my surprise when on top of the rain in came the fog. Not just any fog but fog so thick you almost couldn't see the hand on the end of your arm. You just never know when it comes to fog so back to camping.
 Just around midnight we couldn't believe our eyes when all of a sudden the fog moved aside and revealed the night sky full to overflowing with more stars than you could ever count. First thing in the morning I walked down the hill to the edge of the bluff with a pencil and board to make a sketch of Moose Island which sits just off the shore. The air was clear and offered a clear view of Cape Split and beyond. After lunch we walked to the beach which provided a chance to draw the island again but from sea level as the tide moved out. 
The whole experience reminded me of a trip to the same spot many years ago. It was the first time in the area and I was overwhelmed then just the same as today.