A New Watercolour

The other day I got thinking of places I used to hang out with my brother Richard, the photographer supreme. We particularly enjoying prowling around Flin Flon, Manitoba as the area has many wonderful bodies of water, lots of protruding Pre-cambrian rock and trees of all kinds. This watercolour is a testament to the place, I believe it is Neso Lake. I guess I will always be a Boreal forest kind of guy, thanks for that.

Reminiscences

The other evening I took out my watercolours and painted a scene that had imprinted itself on my mind. I am not sure of the name of the river but it runs through two communities in Honduras, close to where I stayed for a short time. I remember when I came across it that it reminded me of a Monet painting I had come across quite some time ago. I am enjoying working from memory more these days as I find it stimulates the creative part of my spirit and also seems to result in works of Art that come closer to what excited me about the subject. Hope you enjoy it.

Random Thoughts on a Rainy Afternoon

I started off the day by reading some Haiku as it just seemed like the kind of morning to do that. The day started off rather dreary looking with overcast skies that threatened rain. As the day made its cycle towards evening the rains came down rather hard and those sunny warm days we have had are becoming a nostalgic memory. Even now the sound of rain on the window sends me back to Honduras, the ocean and hot humid days. Gauguin and those bright spots of paint hearken me. This picture is a reference for a large painting I am currently working on. I at least have these to supplement my memories of the short time I spent down by the equator.

Spring

It is feeling alot like Spring these days. You look up in the skies and see flocks upon flocks of geese flying back and forth, a wonderful sight and sound. One of the most beautiful things in the world is to hear geese flying close overhead; the sound of all the wings flapping and the geese's chatter is amazing. The sea gulls are back as well, I always look forward to the sound of their cries as well. I set up my portable easel overlooking Wellington park the other day and did this oil, the time was late afternoon. As you can see, the snow is practically gone and the lake ice is starting to darken. It was nice to sit there and soak up the sun while doing something I love. What a blessing life is!

My son Michael the Photographer

It turns out that my son Michael is a chip off the old block, so to speak. He is currently living in Seattle and working for Boeing Corporation. His time off is usually spent hiking and tenting in the neighbouring area and taking fabulous photographs. I particularly liked one he took on a hike in the Cascades and took the liberty of painting a small piece in oil. It's OK, I got his permission. Thanks Michael, and keep up the great work!

Ovid Mercredi

A whiles back, we were invited to spend New Years with Jan and Don Layh, who live near Langenburg, SK. Also present were other friends, including Ovid Mercredi. I caught him with my camera in a very contemplative mood sitting near a window overlooking the valley below. Ovid is a wonderful poet and he has blessed us many times with readings of his work. He also has become very interested in painting and is coming along quite nicely in that field. He has challenged other painter friends and myself to come up with a painting that visually captures the spirit of his poem, "Ode to Mozart." I am still working on that. For now I'll settle for this pastel of the poet himself.