The unromantic reality of life in the country

Many people see a superficial view of life on a small farm and think its idyllic. They buy vegetables or fruit or pick up their chickens or turkey and wax lyrical about how wonderful it is to live here. And in many ways it is. But there is another side of life that people don't know about and don't want to know about in many cases. Its a side of life that makes you deal with death and predators and disease.

This morning was a prime example. I woke around 6ish to crows cawing loudly and incessantly from a tree in the yard. There are always crows around and I love crows. I think they are intelligent birds and have never had problems with them taking things they shouldn't (well a little duck feed from the pen now and then) or getting into garbage. They go about their crow business and I go about mine without friction.

The one huge benefit of having crows when you have livestock of any kind is that they become the air raid siren when predators are around. Hawks, eagles, foxes, coyotes are heralded by lots of loud cawing and they don't stop til the intruder is gone.

So when I heard the crows this morning I knew something wasn't right. I instantly thought of the remaining three ducks still in the pen in the field. These three ducks were the last three (besides BD) that I have. They were badly injured in the last mink attack and couldn't be sold with the last batch that went. So they went to the 'rehab' pen in the field and were slowly getting better but would never be quite 'normal' as the injuries affected muscle and tendons.

It first it was thought that it was a fox in the pen, with the brown colour and the early light, but when it raised its head there was no mistaking. It was a Great Horned Owl sitting in the entrance to one of the duck shelters in the pen. He (or she) had obviously gone into the shelter to attack the ducks who go in at night.

The remaining duck was quickly shut into the other pen but it took quite awhile before this owl was going to leave. The owl sat on the ramp to the box dozing off and on, not scared by people at all. Crows joined forces and continued to scream at the owl and dive over his head to scare him off but it took several hours before he slowly made his way from the pen to the field then to the trees at the end of the meadow. Crows continued to harass him and blue jays joined in. The noise was pretty loud as you can hear from the quick video clip that I did. I didn't get too close to the owl as I'm not sure if it would attack or not and those talons are very big!

The remaining duck was rescued from the box in the pen and put in the barn, so hopefully the owl won't be back again with nothing there to attack. Of course, the two ducks that he killed were females, both egg layers and lots of people always want duck eggs. No more.

So while this isn't pleasant for me and may not be pleasant to read, it is reality. The animals on the farm aren't as pet-like as most people's idea is, but they are well cared for and it isn't good when this happens for several reasons. I don't think there are many more predators left to come and visit. We've had hawks, a bald eagle, foxes, coyotes, mink, weasels and now an owl. The only thing left is likely a black bear and I really don't want to see one of them!

The positive thing out of this? I have some good photos of a Great Horned owl.

Yes, its another apple...

On my continuing exploration of apples, I dug around in my stash of supports and found a piece of translucent yupo. My next apple was going to be on a traditional watercolour support, but I thought I'd try the yupo and go really loose, as only yupo can do.

It was a bit of a struggle and some of the colours overmixed and became a bit muddy in places, but the general idea is there.

I'm of two minds with yupo. Part of me enjoys the experimentation aspect of it and how loose it makes you think and paint. Another part craves the detail and smooth blending that traditional watercolour paper would allow if worked dryer. I think that I will get another couple of pieces of yupo in my next order just for times when I want this strong impressionistic feel to a piece.

Any suggestions for the next apple in terms of support or medium?

Apple experiments continue

Are you sick of apples yet? I still have some apples left in me and I am quite enjoying cycling through different mediums and techniques to put them on the support that I choose.

Tonight it is coloured pencil on black paper 9 x 12. I haven't used cp for awhile and am not pleased with the highlights. They're not blended enough and need to be smoother and softer. But as the piece isn't intended for sale, I won't worry about it and move on to the next piece.

There are so many views of an apple that I can have, it's mindboggling. Sliced? Just the core? A bite taken out? Multiples? Singles? I seem to have concentrated on single pieces of fruit so far. I like doing that so I can really concentrate on the form and lighting. Piles of fruit are more timeconsuming and sometimes the initial enthusiasm for the piece starts to wear off and it progresses. I wanted these studies to allow me to really examine an apple and put it on paper or canvas.

Now which medium next? What support? Stay tuned to the apple challenge....

Armchair travel

12 R. das Quelnas, Lisbon, Portugal

I'm slow on catching up with the rest of the world sometimes so have only recently discovered Google Street View and an opportunity to combine art into technology.

The Virtual Paintout is hosted by Bill Guffey and consists of choosing a city a month and letting people explore it, choose a view, paint or draw it then have it posted on the VP blog.

Its easy to get lost (literally and figuratively) in these cities. As you explore narrow streets, view local sculpture and scenic spots, its difficult to decide on a particular place as they all have appeal.

September's city is Lisbon, Portugal. After much exploring I came across this stone outbuilding in the older part of town and couldn't resist a pen and ink drawing of it to capture the feel in black and white. I felt that colour would bring it too far into the present day somehow.

Anyone over 40 from St. John's will be quite familiar with the White Fleet. Until the early 70's the Portuguese fishing fleet would leave Portugal for a season's voyage, or a campanha, to fish off the Grand Banks. The fleet was known as the White Fleet because all the ships were painted white. Many of the sailors in the fleet were fine musicians who brought their instruments ashore or played on the boats tied up in the harbour.

Portugal and Newfoundland have had strong ties for more than 400 years through the fishery. In the 1960's and early 70', the waterfront was lined five deep with the Portugese White Fleet and downtown St. John's became cosmopolitan with Portugese fisherman speaking a language few knew, their olive colouring a stark contrast to the sun starved inhabitants of this island.

...The launching of the new ship also marked the quincentennial celebration of the Portuguese presence in the waters off Newfoundland. There were celebratory masses. The St. John's film council organized a special film festival for the fishermen, with showings of the films "Portuguese Grand Bankers" and "Portuguese Golden Beaches," with announcements printed in both the Portuguese and English language. The festivities ended when a parade of 4,000 Portuguese fishermen marching to the Basilica of St. John the Baptist bearing a three-and-a-half foot high statue of Our Lady of Fatima, a gift of gratitude and friendship intended as a holy link between the two peoples. A statue of Gaspar Corte-Real also stands looking out to sea, in remembrance of the Corte-Real brothers' 1501 and 1502 exploration of these coastal waters, to which they ultimately lost their lives...

White Fleet ship saved from scrapyard
Portuguese company now owns two historic fishing vessels

The St. John's Telegram article says:

Pascoal & Filhosa fish company - in an emotional dockside delivery - took possession weeks ago of the Argus - one of the final four surviving members of the Portuguese White Fleet.

The fish company has strong family ties to the White Fleet and now owns two White Fleet vessels. The other - called the Santa Maria Manuela - is undergoing complete restoration at a Spanish shipyard. The company plans to sail the Santa Maria Manuela to Newfoundland in 2010 to celebrate Portugal's ties to St. John's and the Newfoundland fishery.

So 12 R. das Quelnas now has a place in my heart and I will be back there to see more and draw more, even if only from the comfort of my chair for now.

Finding the past

I seem to be constantly unearthing the past lately when I look for other totally unrelated things.

I found this photo of a watercolour sketch that I did in 1987 inside a book. 22 years ago! The photo is a little the worse for wear but I recall the image well. It is of my niece when she came to visit me in England many years ago. She was perhaps 2 or three then I think. Rather fitting as tomorrow is her birthday and she's back in England.

Its a shame the photo isn't better. The colours have faded a bit and aren't really representational of the original but the overall values are still there.

I don't know where the original of this is. I don't recall if I gave it my sister or not. I did another piece of her but in oils that my sister does have. I don't have an image of it though and must get one for my files. That was done around the same time also.

Its interesting to find old pieces and compare them with my current style. I don't know if styles do change a lot, even over time. Experimentation takes place with mediums and supports but style seems to stay with a person.

What do others think? Is this similar to my current style or have things changed in the past 22 years?

The 'end of the palette' painting

I'm usually not overly frugal but for some things I really hate waste. Paint left on my palette is one of those things.

After painting all weekend, I'm still left with an assortment of squiggles and blobs of half used/half dried paint in various colours left on my palette and I really don't want to just toss them. So I thought I'd just pile them onto an old piece of canvas board and let the colours land where they may and see if something recognizable came out of it. There are rich layers of impasto that make me almost want to dip a finger into them like icing on a cake.


So now my leftover paint is used. My leftover canvas is full of paint. I have a new apple that looks rather like a patchwork quilt. I don't think it will ever make it in an exhibition but I thoroughly enjoyed creating it.

Twilight Marsh II

Twilight Marsh II
oils 9 x 12

Today is the first day of autumn and while I'm not quite ready to break out the wooly sweaters and mitts quite yet, I am contemplating starting some small knit projects that will keep out the cold.

The weather's too warm to wrap my head around that too much but it did cross my mind as I continue revitalizing old canvases. This winter scene is of a meadow that I pass each day on the way home. On this day, the sun lit the clouds outlining the trees in gold and the snow was purplish-blue in the fading light. Twilight. A perfect time of day.

I originally painted this back in January, mostly from memory.

I have been studying the paintings of Peter Fiore and his beautiful stark winter landscapes. Perhaps I was influenced by his work when I repainted this little strip of land. Its not winter yet, but with scenes like this that I know will appear again, it makes the season less formidable.

Apple macro II

A single apple on its own deserved a companion so I tried another, this time in green.

Greens are always a challenge to me and I don't have more than a couple of tubes of green in my oils arsenal. Mixing blues and yellows help and in green apples there are also a lot of yellows and blues that stand on their own in the form of highlights and shadows.

This, sitting next to the red from yesterday, would make an interesting pair of complementary paintings with some symmetry in the stems to balance them.

This is also an 8 x 8 inch canvas panel in oils.

Apple macro

I still have the apple challenge in the back of my head and ideas are swirling around. This afternoon, I tried this quick one. Its a macro view of an apple that turns into an almost abstract this close up.

This in in oils on an 8 x 8 inch canvas panel.

Savage Cove surf

Savage Cove surf
7 x 10 watercolour

I'm continuing on with a mini series of ocean views around my area. There is so much coastal geography in the province, I don't have to go far to see water and rocks.

This is Savage Cove. Its a lovely little cove with a stony beach and lethal submerged rocks. I'm sure it was named for good reason. But it is one of my favourite places to paint because it is very quiet there and also dramatic with the rock cliffs sloping down to the sea and the often turquoise water at certain times of year.

This piece measures 7 x 10 and is done on handmade heavy rough watercolour paper. The paper has no brand name and is contained in a book that I received as a gift last Christmas. Its a perfect texture for painting rough water as the brush skips over the paper, making its own highlights and eliminating any need for masking fluid. I also add a little pastel to intensify the foam in areas that aren't strong enough.

I've noticed that this has similarities to the Pouch Cove surf piece in terms of composition. Perhaps I'm drawn to that view of diagonal rocks in the water or they're just peculiar to Newfoundland!

Pouch Cove surf

Pouch Cove Surf
watercolour 7 x 10

I am still learning about water and how to depict it convincingly. Its a lot harder than anticipated but I think I've broken the back of it and have enough information about how water acts and reacts to predict where to put my next brushstroke.

Until I joined the small group that makes up Watermarks, I hadn't paid a lot of attention to the water around me, not artistically. I concentrated on people and animals mostly, but Watermarks has made me examine water more closely and helped me understand it well enough to draw and paint it.

Images of seascapes can be painted from reference images and done well, but unless you know, first hand, how light plays on water, how the sea streams over and off rocks, how waves form and curl, how the foam turns creamy brown after storms and how 'plain old rocks' turn into glittering rainbows of gold, blue, purple and green, your paintings will be somewhat lacking.

Intimate knowledge of your subject is crucial to create a good piece of art. A large expanse of water is daunting, but when you break it down into smaller parts and concentrate on each section one at a time, it comes together more easily.

I continually watch the ocean as I drive past it daily. I see light that I want to capture, patterns of currents on the surface, how the weather affects movement, surf, light...it goes on and on. There are successes and failures, but each one moves me forward.

Apple study

As I threw out the concept of the apple challenge a few days ago, I thought I'd better make a start on one.

I had a need to draw again after painting steadily for awhile and chose charcoal. I used charcoal pencils for this. I guess I just wasn't in 'mess' mode. Not that it made a lot of difference,as I tend to be pretty much 'hands on' with charcoal in any form.

Let's see what else I can come up with in terms of drawing and colour for apples over the next few weeks. I hope you'll join me. I look forward to learning from each drawing or painting that is posted.

A little progress

I have done a little more on my grand daughter's portrait and am still refining the face shape. When I step back from it on the easel, I always see something that isn't quite right. And I haven't really done much with the background of towel or hands. Those hands! The tangle of fingers can be daunting, but one at a time and I'll get there.

Yesterday I had to drive to another town to meet with an affiliate. The day was bright and the highway took me through untouched countryside with no other traffic around or very little at times.

The landscape of Newfoundland is unique and made me think about other people's 'commutes' to work. I think I am lucky in many ways.

How was your drive to work?

Apple Challenge

I have been looking for inspiration and may have found it on my kitchen counter in the form of apples. Often the most obvious and what is often thought of as the most simple subject, is overlooked.

Apples are frequently drawn or painted but often not well as we hurry past the simple shapes and don't really examine them to create the detail in light, reflections and colour that they deserve.

So as it is September and apples are ripening in many parts of the western world, I'm throwing open the blog to an apple challenge. Any size, shape, colour. Any medium, any support. The rock challenge gave me a lot to think about viewing other people's approaches to a subject and I believe that this will be similar.

I think a month should give enough time to get a good harvest of apples, so October 15 will be the deadline. Simple add a comment and a link to your piece on your blog and at the end of the time I will do a post and list all the entries.

Is anyone game?

Searching for inspiration

I'm in a lull of sorts. I'm picking away at different pieces but there is no one piece that is firing me up, making me forget the world concentrate on creating it.

So I've been flipping through photos. So many photos I have! Some of them catalogued, a lot not. I've gotten as far as putting them in years so I guess that's a start. Now to further define down to art and photos then further still. It seems too daunting a task to contemplate. Perhaps best saved for one of those cold dreary damp days when I'm confined to the house.

What I would like to do next is a drawing I think. Drawing is my comfort zone and when I've been painting for awhile, the need to use graphite or charcoal calls to me. Finding the right piece that inspires is the challenge.
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Meanwhile I played with a little watercolour of some pears I bought. Pears are such simple yet such complex fruits and so classical in paintings. This is done in a tiny 3 x 5 Moleskine watercolour book.

Transformations

I continue to sift through old paintings and see what I can do to transform them. This was originally an image of something entirely different that I wasn't pleased with at the time. And this is some of the process I used to reach the final painting that is now here.

I covered the surface with modeling paste with a thought of texture in mind, and perhaps depicting ocean movement. I played around with images and options and finally decided on a view I'd sketched previously of Middle Cove, just after Hurricane Bill. The sea was rough with waves hitting the cliffs, the wind was still high and clouds were scudding across the sky.

The undercoat that I'd previously used for initial sketches was interesting, so I decided I'd let it show through the clouds. The lines left in the modeling paste added to the feel of the day.

I decided to share some of my painting with you in video form. Yes its a bit scattered and yes my studio table really is that messy, but sometimes its interesting to watch others work. I wasn't talking during this piece but there was some music on my laptop and if you turn up your volumn you may be able to hear it.

Marshland revisited

While I'm still working on the portrait from yesterday's post, I have also been having another look at other pieces that I did but wasn't completely happy with.

This piece was part of a series on the journey of water to the sea. The original was a little washed out. Part me, part due to the season it was done in. Spring here is slow coming and things turning green slower still and I just couldn't seem to get the right colour mix for this water coming off the marsh into the stream.

So I changed the sky, softened the background and gave it a looser feel that I'm happier with now.

Its on 8 x 8 canvas panel in oils.

The lion cub revisited

Like most artists, I have a 'discard' pile. These are paintings or drawings that were started, then stopped for some reason. Either the piece didn't inspire me, it wasn't matching the vision in my head or I was simply painting badly, so it was added to the pile in a corner of the studio hoping one day I would want to see if I could salvage it.

Over the last couple of days, I have dusted off some of the pile and done some additions, repainting or surface alternations to begin new pieces.

This is one of the pieces that I put aside. Its the start of a portrait of my grand daughter who was here in June. She'd just had a bath and was wrapped up in her lion towel and was posing beautifully for me in the evening light by the window as she had her eye on my camera and wanted to play with it.

As she was dressed up as a little lion I though what more apt but to place a background of the plains of Africa. The bones of that are in place and while minimal in terms of canvas space and values, I hope it will work.

The first attempt at the portrait didn't work and I put it aside then thought I'd pull it out again and see what I could do. More layers and its starting to come together now. I can't find my very small brush to do some more work on the eyelids, so they'll have to wait til tomorrow when I can buy a new brush.

This painting is done on gallery canvas and is 11 x 14 in oils.

Who do you think you are?

Fog bank
oils on canvas panel 9 x 12

I heard it yesterday. That voice. That snarky voice in my head that second guesses and gives me an earful when I do something that pushes me outside my comfort zone or when I do something a little bolder or self serving. I heard it clearly and disturbingly as I walked up the steps of the museum and art gallery, submissions in hand. And it nearly made me turn back. But I pushed the voice aside and continued on.

It's the voice that says "Who do you think you are?"

The voice comes singly or in a group. Christine Kane visualized her voices as a group of high school girls.

Their eyes are lined with thick black pencil. They wear concert t-shirts. Their hair is burnt from too many home perms. One of them steps forward and says, with her hands on her hips, “Who do you think you are?” And then she turns to the others and says, “Who does she think she is?” Then they all take an aggressive step forward.

My friend Joy told me that “Who do you think you are?” jumps in whenever she imagines hanging out on the sofa reading magazines.

A few years ago, I saw Oprah speak. She said that every time she wanted to achieve more, the first voice she heard was “Who do you think you are?”

Every woman I know has her own version of this voice waiting in the wings.

In other words: Stay down, play small, shut up, and don’t embarrass yourself. Don’t even bother because you won’t make it, you don’t deserve it, and everyone knows it, and they’ll all laugh at you when you fail.

So, next time that voice jumps up in your head, here’s what you do:

Answer it.

Really. Who do you think you are?

One time, I was telling a mentor about some fears coming up around a choice I was making.

I said, “…and all the voices in my head are saying, ‘Who do you think you are?’”

And he looked at me and said, “Well? Who do you think you are?”

I smiled and continued with my story.

He cut in.

“No. Stop. I really want to know. Who do you think you are? Tell me right now.”

In a very tiny voice, I told him.

Then he made me say it again in a bigger, stronger voice. And again after that.

He said, “There. Now you have an answer for your voices.”

Now I do this exercise every time those voices arise.

Here’s a tip:

When you answer that question, use language that speaks the truth of your strengths and values

In other words, make it authentic.

It’s tempting to recite something that sounds “lofty” or “holy." I know you know what I mean. “I am a divine being, living in divine perfection with power and grace..and blah blah blah...abundance and light."

Okay, fine.

True as that may be, if that language doesn’t resonate with you, you’ll never feel any bolder, and those high school girls with the black eye pencil will put their cigarettes out on your shoe.

The Co-op of Lack

My theory is that “Who do you think you are?” is actually a Co-op.

It’s a collective body of voices saying, “Agree with us in the lack that we see! Agree with us that there are no other options! Agree with us that no one has any power over life conditions!”

It’s actually pretty convenient.

It’s convenient to have this world-view because it gives you permission to stay stuck. It never requires that you do anything about it because after all, you’re dealing with a whole world-view!

Think about it.

When you say, “I no longer want to work with this abusive client,” you’re also saying, “AND, I believe there are multitudes of others out there for me.”

When you say, “I’m gonna nap right now, and I will be more productive and happier because of it,” you’re also saying, “AND, I believe that there’s more than enough time for me to get my to-do’s done.”

Get it?

Essentially, you’re telling the Co-op that you’ve decided to create a whole new world-view!

Extra Credit Bonus Tip

Let’s be honest.

Most likely there are occasions when you’ve been the one saying, “Who does she think she is?” (Even if it’s only in your head.)

Don’t be ashamed. It simply means that you have more opportunities to shift those old lack mindsets. Usually those mindsets are saying: “I’m feeling small and poor, so she should be small and poor too.” We’ve all caught ourselves doing this.

Even if it’s uncomfortable, you can choose to bless or praise anyone who seems to be taking bigger strides in her life. Then remind yourself again who you think you are, and join her!

Performer, songwriter, and creativity consultant Christine Kane publishes her 'LiveCreative' weekly ezine with more than 4,000 subscribers. If you want to be the artist of your life and create authentic and lasting success, you can sign up for a FRE*E subscription to LiveCreative at www.christinekane.com.

Looking into the past

Melody - Kate Elizabeth Bunce 1895

Kate Bunce was an English painter and poet associated with the Arts & Crafts movement. Her earliest known work is The Sitting Room (1887), and in 1893 Bunce was one of the artists invited to contribute murals to hang in Birmingham Town Hall. Her work became increasingly influences by Burne-Jones, Rossetti and the Pre-Raphaelites, and was characterised by strong figure drawing and a clear use of colour. Later in her life she painted a series of decorative pices in churches, often alongside metalwork by her sister Myra Bunce.


^{This piece by Bunce, called Melody, is one of my favourites and is one of the references in the September portrait challenge in WetCanvas. I haven't had a lot of time to draw or paint this weekend but wanted to try a quick sketch to get a feel for the piece and see if I would be brave enough to tackle all that detail in oils later.}

Fish experiments

I like enhancing prints and see how they can transform. The same lines, same structure but each piece appears completely different depending on what I do with it.

So I used the linocut that I made the initial print with last night and started playing with some watercolours. The ink I use for printing is water based, so watercolours work well with it. The first piece if rather dark, in a sombre way, but still gives an impression of fish perhaps at a different time of day - dusk or dawn.

The second and third prints are straight watercolour onto Arches paper. The first is turquoise, the second geranium lake. I was using a block of Arches so it was difficult to get a strong print as pressure wasn't as even and a baren wasn't really required as it would be with ink. However, I like the pastel colours. They could be added to as well but for now I'm letting them stand on their own. I rather like how the watercolour pools and fades, giving a strong impression of water.

The prints are on 12 x 16 paper with the 7 x 5 piece centred. I envisage a border that would use the blank space as part of the image. I have had to scan these images or parts of them as it seems every camera in the house has dead batteries. It will have to wait til tomorrow then I can tinker with framing ideas.

Capelin print

I was sketching in bed last night...yes I know, but that's what I do sometimes...and these little fish appeared that I thought might translate well into a linoprint.

I haven't used lino for awhile as the pressure from the cutting tool onto the harder lino causes problems in a forefinger that I hurt years ago. I remedied this a little today by heating the piece of lino in the microwave for about 30 seconds. It smells strange, but does the trick to make the lino more pliable and easier to cut.

This is one of the first prints and let's me see what still needs to be adjusted in the drawing. I will also play with coloured printing inks and I want to see what happens with a print if I add watercolours. I still need more printing paper as well and need to do a little research on what works well. Finding a Japanese printing paper locally is pretty much a nonexistant possibility, so I'll need to add that to my list for when I next do a mail order. However, in the meantime, I will use some Stonehenge for the final print run of this.

The print is about 4.5 x 7.5 inches.

Feather

Sometimes words are superfluous and objects stand on their own. This is a pristine feather found in the garden from a Northern Flicker woodpecker.

Woodpecker photo credit Nature's Pics

Often they wake me in the morning by drumming on the side of the house. Not really popular at 5am, but still beautiful.

Otters

I've been fiddling with this sketch of some otters for the last week and it frustrates me. I don't know why I decided to go so loose with it as I like some more detail in animals. But I was pressed for time and pushed ahead anyway just to get it done where in fact,I should have abandoned it or started over.

I really need a piece to grab me to give it my full attention and do it justice. This just didn't do that for me. However, that's ok too. I never expect every piece to work out as I want it. Its all part of the process of creating.

This is on a half sheet of Stonehenge in coloured pencil.

Study of Roland

Of all the things that I draw, I enjoy people and animals the most. There is something so unique to each face, almost like sculpting on paper.

This sketch is a study for a painting that I will do, most likely still using a limited palette, as it suits itself so well to skin tones and limits my decision-making as well!

I did this quick sketch on brown paper with coloured pencils, very loose. I like studies and look at them as warm ups for the real thing. It gives me a better idea of what I'm trying to achieve in terms of the under drawing and I often use the studies as the basis for the painting and refer back to it often as a guide.

The head shape for this gentleman is different and looks a bit off in the drawing. In fact the back of the skull is rather flatter than usual and I may adjust that in the painting.

Roland is one of the choices for September's portrait challenge at WetCanvas. Its not as good as having a live model, but the next best thing when I just want a face to play with. I'm always looking for new faces, so if anyone wants to be immortalized, feel free to contact me!

White on black

I love the contrast of white and greys on black paper and this face appearing out of the shadows becomes sinister and appealing at the same time.

Like scratchboard, working light to dark takes a bit of thought as you're letting features form themselves. They become apparent only when you form the light around them, like negative space.

I'd forgotten I started this piece and don't recall the reference for it or when I did it. I think it was done with white charcoal or pastel perhaps. Maybe even coloured pencil. It was unearthed when I did a studio clear out last week. Its amazing what you find when you clean up!

When earth, sea and sky combine

While I had some time off last week I wandered a bit and sketched. While the weather didn't always cooperate, there was always the car to retreat to if rain and wind threatend to take me away.

This was one of those times. The day after Hurricane Bill, the sea surge was strong still sending waves up against the cliffs with deafening, hypnotic sound. The cliffs and sea were littered with seagulls who weren't venturing far in the rough waves.

For me, this is perfect weather. I love stormy seas, but also know well enough to stay clear of them too. Strong waves carry people off in an instant. The daredevils often don't live to tell the tale.

So I sat in and out of the my car, perched on top of a cliff overlooking Middle Cove and watched the sea, sky and earth merge and tried to capture the moment on paper.

This is my sketchbook with the brown paper and blue ink from a Micron .25 pen as my Rapiograph decided it wouldn't record for me that day.

Joy

I found some photos I had taken of a friend's daughter and remembered her day of 'dancing' for me. She was 3 and full of energy, flinging herself around the room in the late afternoon sun, wearing her 'princess' dress.

The expression on her face was pure joy. She loves to dance and move and dress up. Her titian hair glowed with light against the shadows and her face showed her pleasure. She was alone in the world at that very moment enjoying herself to the ultimate that she could.

Oh to be able to feel that pure abandonment for the moment. We have glimpses of it as adults, but society has trained us to not give in at risk of being labelled inappropriate or mentally ill. Pity.