Over the winter I had the opportunity to sketch many times around Halifax harbour and each occasion presented something different. On this very cold morning just before Christmas the sun was just rising over the clouds that came with our most recent storm. Off in the distance and cast in silhouette a large empty bulk carrier was moving into the harbour. The drawing continued and before long through the mist and ice crystals a sun dog appeared in the sky.
I stopped drawing as the ship passed and made my way up through the city by car and stopped at another drawing site just in time to snap a picture as the ship was escorted under the bridge by harbour tugs.
Note: The actual event occurred so quickly on site that there was only a moment to record position without any colour notes. Working up the sketch in the studio later I mistakenly used a rainbow painting I had made as a reference. It turns out the actual colours of the sundog are exactly reversed. The whole phenomenon makes excellent reading.
