Fox Point
30"x 40"
Oil on stretched canvas
I'm interested in the past and always feel a connection with what and who has gone before.
I've spent time reading about geneology and the connections to the UK on my mother's side of the family which stretch back to Dorset. Not surprising, as so many of Newfoundland inhabitants have roots in either England or Ireland. Going back into the 1600's was as far as I know and many of the towns in the south of England I knew from my time living there. Some of the villages I wish I could explore more now that I know their names and the connection with relatives who came from there in the 16 and 1700s onward.
I had known little about my father's side until I started my own explorations which traced back to the 1600s again before coming to a stop - back to Germany. The roots in Canada came direct from Germany with immigration in the 1700s. So while surnames altered in spelling over time, the trace from then to current roots was in place and neighbouring towns, Fox Point and Hubbards Cove, about 30 minutes outside of Halifax where families stayed and established life became reality.
I visited the area, walked the shores and beaches and revelled in the fact that ancestors walked there before me. And of course the water and boats pulled me in and this was one of my inspirations for this painting, which was painted thickly with a palette knife. The texture for the dory and water seemed to work well for this piece.
3 comments:
What an interesting post! So nice to know about your background! and this painting is really beautifully done!! i love the feeling of the green against the cool grey blue of the boat, and the texture in the stokes. one of your best in my opinion!
on of my aunts managed to track down a living relative in romania i think, and i keep meaning to get a copy since i cant seem to figure it out on my own. on dad's side, they were from ireland but i cant figure out exactly when they left. if i have the names right, it was during the potato famine. but if i was given the wrong names, i have no idea. its so interesting figuring out your past family history sometimes it really helps fill in the blanks why a person is they way there are :)
Its interesting to me to know who went before me and understand a bit of history.
Thanks for the kind words on the boat, so appreciated.
The spelling of names changes quite a bit over time Jen, so you need to watch for that. Tracking down becomes a bit easier if you can find historical vital statistics records. But there are lots of dead ends and unknowns, depending on how well records were kept or if fires took place tc.
Hope you have some luck finding your information.
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