Resurrection... A not so surprising theme for Spring

With Daylight Saving moving into the picture this weekend... winter loses yet another toe hold on his cold icy reign. The renewed  presence of longer lasting daylight signals clearly that we will soon move ... along with other creatures and living things into our long-awaited pageant of spring time rituals. These annually repeated celebrations, starting with the pancake breakfasts of Shrove Tuesday (just passed) herald a march from winter towards Easter and spring, eventually arriving at summer.

This week, my youngest son Bryn will join us here in Rockport for the traditional March Break which all school children ( and teachers) so look forward to each spring. We plan to join my daughter Allison for a trip to the maple bush at the Cataraqui Conservation Area north of Kingston to watch and take part in the annual tapping and sugarin' off event... topped off by horse-drawn wagon rides and a pancake... sausage and maple syrup lunch. We have observed this maple sugaring rite of spring as a family tradition every year... except during the Nova Scotian years.

It is no surprise that the Christian religious celebration of Easter strongly embraces and is built around the theme of Resurrection. "Rising from the dead"... at this particular time of year would truly be very easy to comprehend for even the most illiterate of church goers... in any age. Why would one question the mystery in such a sacred event? Why would not accept, just through simple faith alone that the resurrection of the Son of God... Creator of our world and Universe is possible? That same mystery of rebirth out of apparent death in winter happens before our very eyes each and every spring as the seasons cycle in expected change. Can science diminish the mystery of "the why" in that process? Not for me!

Somehow, in my system of belief... Faith offers Hope. Without Hope... what is life? Just a treadmill of events. A gerbil wheel of sorts for all living creatures on which meaningless and purposeless cycling occurs. If I subscribed to that fateful definition and acceptance of life.... why would I create "others in my likeness" to find the same fate? Would the life and purpose for our new born "Wee Mac"... scarcely begun his journey... be simply to trudge meaninglessly using the same wheel as his Grandfather?

No! His birth is actually the Resurrection of my father and forefathers' lives and dreams and accomplishments... and my own youth ... with its unbridled energy and belief in possibility. Resurrection defeats the feared notion of the permanence of Death. For me personally, it offers the possibility of "sweet dreams"... eternal rest and continuance in a fashion that I am presently... in this earthly plane unable to understand - or worry about. My only function is to live my life as fully and purposely as I can... sharing the gifts that I possess with my Family and as many fellow travellers who share my beliefs and dreams as I am able.

Andrew and Mac... These are my sons... They're both "Grand"...and I am greatly pleased and filled with Love...Faith and Hope!

Enough of the metaphysical... and back to the earth! This morning the term "Resurrection" took on an actual physical aura in my day. I have been carrying out some "Spring Cleaning" - a dreaded task for a hunter-gather such as my Self! Rolled up and tucked deeply in the back of our deepest basement storage space... not unlike a Dead Sea Scroll (couldn't resist) was "an antiquity"... well for me anyway. It was a largish 30x36 inch canvas that I had taken off its stretcher bar frame, simply because the framework had warped in storage. I had no idea what to expect as I unrolled it... but in doing so, I was immediately transported back thirteen years and another "plane" in my journey.

The painting captures a nocturnal November image of the Shrine at Ste. Marie-Amongst-the-Hurons at Midland, Ontario on Georgian Bay. It is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage location dedicated to the martyred Jesuit Fathers Jean de Brebeuf and Gabriel Lalement who carried Christianity to the neutral Huron tribe in what was known then as Huronia. They were brutally tortured and martyred by the warring Iroquois on March 16th and 17th, 1649. How strange the timing of my re finding the canvas... but nonetheless appropriate! On the back is a poem that I created which considers their plight and the plight of all humans... who must, in their life time surrender to death's grasp.

I took my youngest lads Bryn and Liam to the site on a number of occasions. I had thought that the reconstructed palisaded village protecting the elm bark longhouses... complete with re-enactors and modern Huron interpreters would be the most exciting for them. However... each time, I was blown away and humbled by their request to visit the church... to light candles and pray. It is indeed a highly moving and spiritual space. My own cathedral of worship remains the outdoors. "I" ... am "One" with my Creator or version of Him, in that immense vaulting open space. It pleased me greatly that my lads could find their own sense of the same here in this wonderful and historically significant space.

I hope to re stretch the canvas... it deserves that to be done and just perhaps to find its way back to Ste Marie. We'll see what time has to say about that!

"A Martyr's Moon Along the Wye" - oil on canvas 30x36 inches

Here are my thoughts regarding the frontal image recorded au verso on the canvas on November 21st, 2001

Martyr's Moon Along the Wye

Death comes to us all

Some time.

How one faces it...

And goes towards the darkness, which is in fact

The Light...

Not raging

But in Faith and with Hope

Holding one's flickering candle bravely

Unafraid... even at the end.

Holding firmly... resolutely to that ever faint and flickering Light

As those brave and saintly souls did

In one dark hour

Now... three hundred years ago.

Their purpose and mission are not silenced 

By their hideous passage from life...

Faith overrides Death... and offers forward through Resurrection in spirit

Hope!

In closing... my thoughts are shared humbly with all of my blogging friends. These are more eloquent words words on the same subject by writers of more skill and reputation. They do, however... offer credibility to my own thoughts about resurrection. This first passage might well be compared to the volatile situation in the Ukraine and Crimea. Is it insurrection.... or Resurrection? Only time will tell! 

"Nations, like stars, are entitled to eclipse. All is well, provided the light returns and the eclipse does not become endless night. Dawn and resurrection are synonymous. The reappearance of light is the same as the survival of the soul."

- Victor Hugo

This next quote is so very appropriate and one that means a great deal to me personally. He is a modern martyr... who shaped the world through his mission of non-violence... the very act which extinguished his earthly being. He even knew that he would never see the mountain... or his dream realized in his life time. But Faith and Hope drove him to pursue it on behalf of others.

"Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime."

-Martin Luther King Jr

We shared the same cathedral I believe... and the Hope for a better place for all. Maybe ... he was a painter too. 

I wonder.....

The last quote comes from the Jesuit martyr Gabriel Lalement's own journal:

"My strength is in the strength of God. In Him, I can do all things."

Keepin' the Faith... and paintin' in Rockport!

Rich blessings of Spring ... and

Good Painting... to ALL!

Renewal... Resurrection... Spring

Call it what you want. We are quickly approaching that precious and much anticipated time of the year where winter abdicates his icy cold rule increasingly... minute by minute at both the beginning and the close of each new day. This rapid change in daily sunlight does much to invigorate the land and all of the many creatures that share it. The warmer air is literally full of song... chatter and unfettered energy and activity. The world is once again... alive... with renewed possibility.

It is perhaps ironic... but appropriate that we as a Sherman family are in the midst of receiving the great blessing of a new child and member into our family circle. The event aligns itself perfectly with the exact notion of Spring - Renewal. For each of us... it renews and kindles the warmth and presence of a common spirit of belonging. If anything... it elevates that precious feeling to an even higher level for each of us... both young and old. In particular... this event clearly defines our real purpose for being here... and more clearly... what is the greatest blessing for us all - Life!

I have subscribed to a wonderful a wonderful Bi-Weekly Newsletter created by the British Columbian artist, Robert Genn for many years. I much enjoy his writing as much as his wonderful fine art. We share so very many common values and life principles that it is as if "He" is speaking.... using my own thoughts and experiences. It gives me much peace and inspiring resolve in my own daily life and work. We both value family above else... and in his case and my own... this principle has developed creative children who have made their own way in life... with their own skill set. But in spite of their individual lives our children remain loyal and supportive of their [aging] parents. Unfortunately for Robert Genn... he is terminally ill... but still painting and living out the final leg of his journey... in  the presence and with the magnificent support of his children.

His successful artist, musician and song writer Sara... who has made her own mark in New York has stepped in to "tidy" affairs... and to help him continue this Newsletter. Through this intersession... I have come to realize that the credential "writer"... can be justifiably added to her personal resume of creative skills. I would like to use a quote from today's email... and I must apologize Sara... for not obtaining your permission first. However... in giving proper credit to my source and by explaining how very meaningful it is to me personally at this moment in  my own life... perhaps you will realize that I am using it in the very context that you have created this magnificent mouthful of wisdom:

"The saving of lives, for an artist, is surely a daily act. Artists are resuscitators of dreams, rescuers of the abandoned, lodgers of the unwanted, and keepers of faith. In our lifesaving, we are saved. In polishing the souls of others, the artist polishes her own with her resurrections. She can't help herself - giving life is the ultimate creative act." (Sara Genn)

This so clearly describes my own journey... my own dreams for a better world for others... and in particular - Children. Each one of us carries within us, the abilities to accomplish good. Each one of us has a passion for something we love... that we can build upon and perfect to our best ability... and then share it. Not all of us can become artists... equal in skill or success. But we can share the passion for making art and sharing it openly without fear of comparison or judgement. Many of us are parents. Being a parent becomes an art form in itself... for some. Many combine that responsibility with a career and other personal interests. A manual does not come with a newborn... though many Dr Help books can be found to support and encourage this new part of the human journey.

The term artist can mean so many things. But if we choose to"read between Sara's wise lines"... we can become artists... if only:

We serve others daily... support the dreams of others.. including the unwanted, the imperfect and the abandoned. Choose to polish... without a score card... and above all else...

KEEP THE FAITH... and PASS IT FORWARD!

My painting for today's post was begun after I received the wonderful news from Andrew that "Wee Mac" had arrived safely. I decided to create this sugar bush painting firstly... because "sugaring off" is my annual creative resuscitator of sweet(er) dreams and possibility. Symbolically to me... Mac's arrival trumpets the renewal of my father's lineage... and the passing on of my own to Andrew and his new family.

I chose to paint this painting entirely from memory. It is indeed "a place"... of sorts... in a corner of my subconscious inner world of memories. It is both one... and many sugar shacks that I have visited over many past springs. It represents the most simple and humble of shanties.... the type that housed generations of families and children who like myself... relished the beauty and the majesty of Spring's annual entry.

I humbly offer this as an early Spring greeting to each of you my Friends... and as the first of many paintings that will become Grampa memories ... for Sweet Mac!

Good Painting to ALL... and to my Family CONGRATS... and ALL my love Always!

"Sweet Dreams" - oil on canvas 16x20 inches

Post Script:  A from Ralph Waldo Emerson... via Sara Genn again.

"As soon as there is life, there is danger. I dip my pen into the blackest ink because I am not afraid of falling into my pot."

Dip... and push those brushes tirelessly... and fearlessly! Keep the Faith!

True Masterpieces

When one stands before the "monument" of a true master in any art form... one comes to realize the vast difference in skill between that work and the efforts one produces ... even within a full life time of impassioned study and commitment. That is why these creators are recognized as "masters". They are visionaries whose works transcend the average... and that form the engine which drives and fuels creation for the generations who follow in their particular discipline.

When I visited the Ufizzi Gallery in Florence and for the first time came face to face face with Michelangelo's monumental marble "David"... I was simply overwhelmed... and wept openly at its utter beauty and magnificence. It was one of the great Epiphany moments in my entire life, one which forever changed me as a person... and as an artist. Standing below that 17.5 meter massive nude figure... perfect in every perspective and detail I recognized the difference that his passion and genius which separated him from most other sculptors either in the past or the present.

It clearly demonstrated to me that such a gift separates one man from all others... though at the same time it can inspire one to reach beyond one's own insignificance to become better. And his example has surely done that in Western Art. My initial feeling was inadequacy.... the feeling that I was "playing with crayons" by comparison.The truth be told, I still am... and always will be! What I drew from the experience was the opportunity to study and to learn from seeing his work... and then to set it aside without a need to feel inferior in any way. I decided then and there ... to devote the remainder of my life to realistically develop my own abilities to my utmost. And I believe that I have done so.

You see... my true "masterpieces" that I shall leave to the world when my time has run out... are my five children. Each is unique and gifted in their own way... and imperfect in others. These five individuals carry the best of me forward into a future that I shall never see... much less live in. I would wager that their accomplishments might well outweigh my own... and I would be pleased and feel blessed... if that were so. Just to set the record straight... I have no immediate plans to leave earth any too soon. These are simply my observations and joyous feelings tonight having just received some blessed news today.

At 12:15 pm today... Friday, February 28th 2014... our Sherman Family welcomes its newest family addition. Enter... Malcolm (Wee Mac) Justin Michael Sherman to be the gift to his over joyous parents, my first son Andrew and his wife Melissa... and my fifth grandchild. We have all been anxiously awaiting this moment and we share in the joy and happiness that this arrival brings. We promise to love ... support and care for him... as we have done so for you.

Like my comin' home duds Guys?... My dad came home in these thirty two years ago. Cool
... EH?

"Mission Control... The Eagle has landed... one "small step" for Mankind!!!

Rich blessings of Joy... Health and Happiness from us to you three!


We are deeply... and richly blessed for your safe arrival Mac! Can't wait to pass you around and actually feel your presence... as pass you about and admire you!

All our love ALWAYS!

Dad and Deb
XXXXXOOOOOXXXXX

The Real "Canadian Gold".... How sweet it is!

It is evident for a host of reasons that winter is in its final throes. The longer period of light during the day... increasing by three minutes each day, best measures the ebbing of winter's icy grip. The pristine blanket of deep winter snow has been pocked and eroded by the combination of sunlight, wind and the rain of the past week. The magical and exalting morning trill of our male cardinal...  who wintered at our feeder winter summons spring to return and his mating ritual to begin. All birds and creatures suddenly become more active in their search for food. Spring is definitely in the air!

As I watched the closing ceremony for the Olympic Games in Sochi, I couldn't help feel my heart swell as I watched the combined athletes of the world and amongst them our Canadian athletes enter for the final gathering of the athletes. The pride that I felt was not a vain pride... the kind that the feeling of nationalism usually translates, but more the kind of pride that a parent has for their child when they have performed their best... and have behaved with humility in the face of winning. It was equally touching to bear witness to the accord and harmony of the athletes together in a space other than their individual fields of competition. It was in those rare and moving moments that we come face to face with the reality... that we can indeed come together as brothers and sisters... and in Peace and Harmony.

In watching these games, I began to understand more fully that in truth that Canadians as a culture are defined by winter. We are forced by geography and climate to endure at least six months of winter... and for the most part do so simply as a matter of fact. But the term endure connotes to bear patiently... but along with this imposed acceptance is a "joie de vivre"- a passionate and proud embracing of the task of facing winter. Over two hundred plus years as an emergent nation... we have learned to do more than survive winter. We go out to it... we work and we play in it and as a result we are defined by it. We are... winter!

Lest this continue beyond my observation that Canadian winter shapes each of its citizens' lives profoundly... I will draw the post's content back into the world of work... play and painting. Beyond the pursuit of Olympic Gold... many communities and families across Ontario and Quebec and Ontario are well underway in their pursuit of another Canadian Gold...Maple Syrup.No Canadian Spring could ever arrive without this rite of spring. It signals for rural communities and farms... the return to activity after an imposed winter recess of sorts.

 The conditions of cold below zero nights and warm, sunny days has launched the sugar maples into their annual production of sugary sap. In woodland maple bushes across these areas activities have swung into the short and eagerly awaited late February and early March weeks of syrup boiling and production. There will be no down time... no sleep... except for  the "sweet dreams" and smells of a sugar shack under full steam. It quite simply... for they and myself is pure... March Magic!

Here is the first result of my own spring production. Titled "The Vigil"... it aptly records the Williams sugar house ... located on the Rockport-Escott Road not far from here. I am not at this time really sure whether or not that the shed remains in production... but I couldn't resist recording this quiet pre-run moment.

"How sweet it is..."

"The Vigil" - oil on toned panel 8x10 inches

Despite the opening "watch your glycemic level"... I will be heading out in search of some Grade #1`... fresh from the bush maple syrup for my pancakes and sausages for Sunday breakfast... and for my daily oat meal intake!

Stay tuned!... and  Sweet Dreams!... 

Good Painting to ALL!!

REALLY FRESH !... From the Field

Today's painting was begun on location in the quaint river hamlet of Ivy Lea. Like Rockport, it clings to the rocky shoreline of the St Lawrence and is little more than a cluster of homes and tourist-related businesses which today give it the feel and the look of an unmade bed. By that, I mean that many of the upscale modern permanent homes seem set awkwardly amongst the earlier cottage style architecture. They simply don't relate in style, or in scale to what was there before. This incongruity deprives the entire village of any real sense of identity or relationship to its historical past. However, these observations quite simply... and perhaps unfairly only reflect just one guy's opinion and tastes.

On the way into the village, I came across today's view which seemed unobstructed by the influences described above and it caused me to reflect upon how life might have run back in the Victorian era on the river. It must have fairly bustled with summer activity, due to the fact that it is strategically located amidst a very large cluster of nearby islands... most remain "peopled" every summer. At one point, the general store located mid village provided gasoline and supplies to all... and in my memory... it was nigh unto impossible to dock there on a weekend ... the traffic was so constant. Now... that store is a private residence... and not at all the centre of village life. It sits looking rather rejected and uncared for - all of the vitality long disappeared.

My painting subject is a fine example of the type of early cottage architecture which can be found anywhere along the banks of the river... and on either side as well. All were wooden frame construction... many painted white... and many richly embellished by distinct Victorian fret work, or "gingerbread" eaves and porch details. They celebrate the rich and much preferred High Victorian stylism which swept across Canadian cities, towns and villages at the turn of the 20th Century. The warm, rich glow of this  forest green clad two-and-one-half storey cottage sitting quietly ... bathed in the failing afternoon sun and juxtaposed against the cooler back drop of the icy river offered the only inspiration necessary to cause me to immediately set up my easel.

Below is a full frontal view of the cottage grouping... with my intended subject sandwiched comfortably in the middle of the three in the foreground. Another view... for another day... when the river opens up. Lovely reflections... but note the squat and unsettling appearance of the cottage in the right of my subject. When I paint the subject... I will eliminate and make a "ghost" of that distraction... to suit my own artistic tastes.

Here below is the view that I stumbled upon from the roadside.  I took a few moments to consider what aspects merited inclusion... and what others would be left out. I began by "blocking in", or massing in appropriate broad pieces/shapes of uniform colour... without concern for colour accuracy. I merely wanted to quickly lay in a kind of compositional foundation upon which be laid more accurate colour and detail later on. My primary interest was the contrast created by conflicting horizontal and vertical elements of the composition... all compressed into a very narrow, but expressive vertical format.

The first hour of working was quite comfortable... with the sun on my back. But this all changed in a heart beat when the sun dropped quickly and a much stronger and colder north west wind nullified that earlier heat source. Within minutes, I began to feel the deeper cold, but more alarmingly... I soon found that all of my pigments had tightened to such a state that I could no longer mix them. I use kerosene as my brush cleaner in sub zero conditions. Usually, it acts like an extender... permitting a longer period of easy mixing in the deeper cold... especially for the titanium white. It was failing me on this trip. Here is my trunk set up at curtain time for the day. All of the original warm and light in the scene has disappeared.

I have not... for several years found myself in this predicament. But I soon realized that I was not going to be able to remain on site and finish in the half hour I needed to close. I packed up my gear quickly and headed home. I cannot relate to you how wonderful and restorative that tub full to the brim with HOT water felt... along with the ice cold .05 non-alcoholic beer in hand. Fifteen minutes in that "spa location" completely restored my nearly depleted body core temperature. This has always been my reward ritual upon returning home from a winter plein air outing. I look forward to it as much... almost... as being "out there."

Here is the "raw" plein air effort... as it was photographed later that same evening in the studio. Note the obvious effects of the cold: piled up pigment... unrefined details... areas requiring a steady hand (not possible out there at the close)... values that need further tweaking - a real "unfinished symphony" for certain! Has

promise I think.... but better give it a rest overnight... and further thought and planning.

Just before I left the scene... I noticed how the lower light had cast an interesting shadow on the previously blank and sunlit wall of the cottage. I decided to take one last picture. Interesting!.....HMMMMMMMM!

I wonder!.....

Here is the finished version with added detail and second considerations. The tug in the middle ground had appeared too cut off and I wanted the tug to actually physically overlap and interact with the cottage. It struck me when I had first looked at this subject that the composition actually "spoke" of the literal grasp that winter and Nature have upon human activity on the St Lawrence. We are quite simply..."winter-locked" for six long months... at the complete whim of the cold... waiting until winter relinquishes his reign. I added the shadow of the nearby spruce.I felt that it further added further interest to an otherwise blank flat wall... a mood of quiet... and the presence of impending darkness and night closing in.

I have titled this sketch "Winter-locked...at Ivy Lea" - oil on toned panel 10x12 inches. It is the product of an initial plein air outing and was drawn to a successful conclusion with another half hour of studio finishing. I think it would be hard to readily discern which of these two sketches in these last two posts was completely painted within the studio. One learns a great deal about the actual process of painting and how to approach either situation using the information gained through outside experiences. Photos alone often reveal only half truths!

In comparing the two paintings... take into account my intentional limited use of the camera as a tool. The first painting employed its use in the actual on location gathering of subjects. Matt Smith described his use of photos in a recent demo which my painting friend Marian Fortunati had attended... as a "conversation" between himself and the subject in the digital image. It provides information which is then translated into his own painting process and stylism. I like to think of the photo as a "marinade" which captures... soaks up and preserves the raw essence of the image for further use and actual "cooking"... back in my studio-kitchen. I dispose totally of the "marinade" when the cooking begins... its function is complete. It has infused its flavour to suit my "taste and palette."

The second use for the camera that I use... is to capture a specific moment or lighting situation that is dramatic... but transient. In the case of the second plein painting foray... it was the dramatic shadow at the conclusion of the  session... as the light simply dropped away that caught my eye and my interest. Recording it allowed me the opportunity to consider its use perhaps.... back in the studio where I no longer was rushed by the cold and fading light conditions. Both instances make use of the camera... but neither directs the final outcome in place of my own inner feelings and artistic choices. There is a delicate balance which encourages one to create... rather than merely copy. That is essential for me.

Painting en plein air teaches you to "see"... to feel and to interpret what is in front of you broadly and with a certain bravura. It teaches you to paint quickly and confidently... making decisions quickly and to extrapolate beyond what is physically present. Winter isolates elements in the landscape for you to use... that are lost in all other seasons. Snow and combined contrasting light and shadow interplay together become strong sculptural elements and present new and exciting opportunities. These are my reasons at least... for taking my kit out into winter for extra lessons... and all in a quiet interruption-proof classroom!

Can "school learnin"... get any better?....

I wonder!...

Good Painting ...to ALL!!!

Winter... Wavering... but unwilling to exit as yet

We have again reached that juncture in in our our very long and cold Canadian winter... when most folks seem sick to death with its constant cold and the reality of being "winter-locked". Cabin fever is at best staved off by the presence of the constant hum of the Sochi Olympic Games coverage... providing a legitimate reason to stay indoors and simply enjoy a spectator participation in this global view of winter. It surely does focus on those of us who revel in winter weather and willingly...  "come out to play". I too... have caught my own fair share of broadcasts of this exciting once-in-four-year winter pageant. I thoroughly enjoy and am inspired by the presence of so many nations from around the world... competing and sharing the world stage ... in sport... peace and common brotherhood.

Somewhere in between my sitting down to take in the spectacle, the sun and blue sky of a few beautiful winter afternoons lured me outdoors locally on a couple of days to "compete"... with Me... My Self and I in our favourite winter past time - plein air painting. While I must admit that the cold was there... I was, for the most part comfortable and very easily able to enjoy every moment of the two sorties. Both were indeed plein air outings, but each was carried out differently from the other.

In this first outing... because of the lateness of the day, the goal was to trek ... camera only in hand, or concealed from the vicious cold within the folds of my red mackinaw until a subject appeared. My intent was simply to enjoy the late part of the day when shadows are bluest, competing in an ever-changing woodland dance with the failing light. I had my refuge, once again to myself . Glorious! I was indeed fortunate to find more than enough material for a post plein air studio painting session. That session occurred later that very evening... while every detail was still fresh. The photo would only serve as the first motivation to create. it provided only an initial map function, or structure for what would follow.The second part of this process was to transcend my actual experience by "imagineering" an impression and decisions shaped by my imagination... my own colour palette and free brushwork.

Reality vs Imagineering

Here is the reference photo directly to the left... once again, a nugget "mined" at the mother lode... Ivy Lea Provincial Par ... but on this occasion "refined"... at the studio smelter. I will leave it to you to decide whether I struck Gold! HA HA!!







Here is  my version as I cared to remember and record it. I have seen it many times previously... pretty much in just this light. Does it matter? I think not. What matters, is that I fully enjoyed painting it. It supports my continued belief.... that winter need not be looked upon as treacherously cold... and unsaleable... if that's what motivates one's reasons for painting. It is not my view... or my motivation however!

"Shadow Land" - oil on toned panel 8x10 inches

I'll close for now... and save the post recording the second and actual plein air result for posting later on in the week. Until then... if this quick post at all inspires you to get "out there"... even if only for a short jaunt... camera in hand to your own nearby "mother lode"..... I wish

Good Painting to ALL!

Stay tuned.... in to those Olympic moments... no matter your country. These Games promote the deeper,  more important and  lasting values... beyond one's place standing on the podium. It's about competing with your Self... as much as with, and against others to elevate one's knowledge of one's own accomplishments! That should become the spirit as well... that drives each of us to create in our individual anner.

Imagine... if you can!

Today is a day we set aside to reach out in love to those who make our lives full. Each of us has our own unique way I'm sure..to show to their commitment and gratitude to these special people. Imagine... if we made that same special effort... every day of the year... if only in a small, but meaningful fashion... or through a simple act of recognition or kindness. Can you imagine the breadth of love that we could each create... and can you imagine the feelings of love and belonging that we each would feel being returned to us? Where in this world... would there be room for hatred to dwell?

There are so many different forms of love... ways to show love and to describe what love is. Love can be found in unexpected places and come to you ... when you least expect it. Sometimes we search for that special "Heart of Gold" in all of the wrong places and at times... and often for the wrong reasons. We even at times mislead others... or are ourselves misled by others in our own pursuit of love.

My dictionary offers numerous definitions for the word "love". But the one that perhaps suits me best is the phrase that defines love as "a warm-hearted, passionate...wholehearted feeling for something or someone". Wholehearted... broadly encompasses the sense of depth and commitment which seems to me mutually fulfilling and healthy for both parties.

When you leave those that you love most... do you always leave them with the precious words...I love you? My Gramp Birrell one said to me, "Bruce, never leave anyone you love and care about without giving them a hug... ands a kiss leaving them with those precious I love you words. It may well be the very last time you might have to say that to them." I have never forgotten those words.... and have taught all of my family and children this wee lesson. It is a gift to carry it with you... to console and to reaffirm that you love... and are loved... unconditionally.

It is strange... and continues to mystify me that one can actually discover the "possibility" of love in so many unexpected and unusual places. If the Heart... be the true symbol of the presence of love... then consider these discoveries that I came upon... without even looking. None of these were constructed - they were truly "happenstance".... or were they????

I wonder!....

This love letter emerged in a swooooosh!..... from my can of Foamy shaving lotion. I hurried downstairs to my computer to record it.

This whole grain... "good for your heart"... heart tumbled on to the kitchen table. Deb couldn't believe her eyes! What a way to start your day!

This hearty "dude" is certainly gnarly... but it sure "lifted my heart"... on one of my plein air painting forays!

This icy heart on the road surely  has a "negative" outlook... but it made me smile on a grey day hike.

This icy fellow... illuminated by early morning light right beneath our kitchen window  shows his "positive" out look on the winter cold. How can you not smile... and love his style?

Here's a shady type "negative" asphalt heart... showing both his yin and yang sides!

Add caption

Here's is more prominent and perfect and pure cousin... a standout amongst his other asphalt family members! There's one in every family... EH???

This misty ... worn sea glass heart has tumbled around the beach for heavens knows how long? will he ever find true love.... perhaps settle down???

He's not traditional red  love heart... but I treasure this captured heart from my beach combing adventures at St Andrew's, Scotland. Reminds me of a "Special" day with my Sweet Heart daughter Allison!

This is a special minstrel ... we met him at the entrance to the Rogers Stadium.... home for the Toronto Blue Jays. I was taking Deb to a game (she had no idea where we were... or where we were going). As we approached this "straight from the sixties" troubadour began belting out Neil Young's anthem.... "Heart of Gold." How could he have known that Deb was with "Me"??? Strange... it made my day!  HMMMMM!.....A painting one day!

This acrylic painting was made for my Mom for Mother's Day. It is entitled simply..."Love Is". It depicts my seat... and the feeling of warmth... safety and sense of belonging that I felt in the classroom of my Grade Four teacher Miss Evelyn Mott. Remember my Apple Picking painting from the last post?.. The painting has a story to tell... but that's another story... for another day! this post is getting too long already.

Two ol' (f)Hearts... here in Paradise! No more lookin' for my Heart of Gold!... But yes... I' m gettin old... Peacefully! We are deeply blessed....

Rich blessings of love to my children Lisa, Allison, Andrew, Liam and Bryn and my grand kids Ryan, Mica and Braden. Might as well throw in  "Wee Mac".... he's on the way as we speak! Thank you too...to Spence, Jody and our Sweet Hearts Ava and Ella. Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

And to my blogging Friends... if a Heart be the symbol of love between friends... then"I"send along all of these heart gifts to each of you! Happy Valentine's wishes to all! I have been blessed to find love in may places. But to be truthful... I try to carry it with with me in my own heart which is the purse that holds all of my love. Open your purse strings. Share your Love... your Light and your Art... every day of the year.

Thank you for your continued love and precious presence in our lives!

Good Painting... and Much love... to ALL!