Monday, July 9, 2012

A Summer Reflection... "Now and Then"... or... "Let there be Light !"

Summer offers a wonderful time to reflect... to look back... to recall other summers and events which enrich one's journey. I enjoy this mainly  through meeting people who drop into our Gallery... but often... I just enjoy recollections from my own mind's eye for the pure joy of being alone..." in a good place." It is ... in this "good place" where much of my creative spirit archives Ideas... both old and new. It is here where I merge and play with them to formulate new directions for my work.

I had a lady visitor and her husband  from Napanee area visit us at our new Paint Box Gallery home in Rockport. She was particularly taken with a Prince Edward county lighthouse piece entitled "Pulling in Winter", an oil on canvas measuring 12x30 inches. While she really liked the piece, she lamented that the space she had in mind for a light house painting was just not large enough to support the width of that  painting. I gave her a brief history of the lighthouse... located ironically, very close to her own home town in nearby Prince Edward County.

The ensuing conversation we had dredged up my complete disrespect for government agency (in)action to help preserve remaining Ontario light house structures. They hold title... but refuse to maintain or release them to the public. They are simply allowed to fall into complete disrepair... and to moulder into oblivion. Such is the plight of so many wonderful heritage sites across this province.

Atfer hearing of the history of Prince Edward Point Light...  Point Traverse Light... or "The Red Onion" ... as it was dubbed because of its striking red lantern house atop its 31 foot tower, she asked if  might be persuaded to do something with it in a 16x20 inch format. I jumped at that opportunity simply because I had wanted to attempt my own "virtual renovation" of the site... by doing some research and applying artistic licence to come up with a new slant on an old idea. It was 1981... when I last visited Point Traverse and two major watercolours came pout of that foray. I was a pure water colourist working with a high realism interest.

So I thought that it would be a nice opportunity to "fly by the seat of my creative britches" and just have an afternoon of research and  play at the easel... both activities that I find highly pleasurable! The research reveals that the light was built in 1881, serving continuously until  being decommissioned and replaced by an electric light in 1941. It is a wooden structure with a pyramidal tower 31 feet high. The lantern room has been removed leaving only the wooden structure consisting of the tower and the adjoining keeper's dwelling area intact, For a time it was leased by Parks Canada to The Kingston Field naturalists to conduct seasonal migration studies and banding operations on migratory songbird and waterfowl. It is considered a major bird and wildlife region.... comparable in conservation value to Point Pelee on Lake Erie... yet it remains lonely... derelict and for the most part forgotten despite its navigational and conservation heritage value.

So Linda ____ , of Napanee... this one's for you my dear! Thank you for the inspiration- it was a fun project and I'm pleased with the outcome. Get back to me at (613) 659- 3925... if it catches your eye as well. No strings atttached as I indicated during our afternoon chat. But as I assured you... you have... "first right of refusal"!

I have include jpegs which well illustrate the "Now and Then". Every now and then... each of us should look back over our shoulder to see how and where our path way has led us to the Now. Perhaps... it might just shape something to help shape our... or someone else's Tomorrow!

"The Way Things Were... at Point Traverse Light" - oil on canvas 16x20 inches
"Red Onion" lantern room offering light and safety to Great Lakes mariners through these treacherous... storm and shoal-laden waters.

" Pulling in Winter" - oil on canvas 12x36 inches.
Reflects the presence of fall migrating Canada Geese heading southward... just ahead of winter' harshness!



This is "a back in the good ol' days" watercolour sketch dating back to 1981.
It best reflects the present derelict.... neglected condition and forgotten state of this wonderful piece of Canadian Maritime History!



Good Painting and Happy Summer to ALL!!!




12 comments:

  1. Good morning Bruce. I do hope Linda is aware of your blog. She will be so very pleased with the painting that she inspired you to do. It's great to go back in time and join the past with the present through art.

    All the best to you,
    Joan

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  2. Hi Bruce, it's such a shame the light houses aren't kept in good order, what a history is being lost! A wonderful opportunity for you as an artist to keep them alive through your paintings though. This one is smashing!

    Best wishes

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  3. Hi there Joan!... Thanks for dropping by and for leaving constructive comments!

    I hope that she will respond when she sees it. If not... it will find a home I'm sure! Every painting has its day! Patience is all that's required after painting it!

    Art is a very exciting and lasting device to record the past... and to pass it forward! These common every day things we take for granted around us... will some day... like us disappear and become part of the past!

    Good Painting!
    Warmest regards,
    Bruce

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  4. Hi there Lisa!... Being a sea shore person we share the same respect for the service and heritage that all light houses wherever they stand... have contributed in their life time of use.

    Thanks for your encouraging comment about the painting! It was an enjoyable artistic exercise... and history lesson combined!

    Good Painting!
    Warmest regards,
    Bruce

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  5. Such a beautiful piece and I shared your thoughts on the letting such places fall into disrepair. One of your watercolor windmills you did within the past year or year and a half is a piece that has always stuck with me (well that and your maple sap series).

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  6. Hi there Sherry!... Thanks for dropping in and for offering you encouraging response to this post and other images!

    It is always encouraging when people identify with certain pieces in the way you painted them.

    Your attraction and my own to those images... is one of nostalgia for certain. But as well we both hold the past in a place of respect... where many others just pedal on... and forget!

    I appreciate your mentioning your own thoughts on the matter!

    Good Painting!
    Warmest regards,
    Bruce

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  7. Hi Bruce, isn't it crazy when buildings are protected from development but then not preserved? The same thing goes on here. The result is buildings that slowly crumble. If they can't be used for their original purpose, or preserved as monuments, it must be better to give them a new life as private houses.

    All the best,
    Keith

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  8. Hi there Keith!... We are on the same page/wave length for so many things Keith... in both our artistic and personal lives and principles!

    In order to understand your present and future... one must have a clear understanding and respect for their past. Just that simple.

    If the private sector recognizes worth... and has the resources to undertake restorative or new usage... let the government agencies relinquish their claim... for a figure that would go back into the public purse for some other use/benefit.

    I guess we're both crazy??? HA HA!!!

    Good Painting!
    Warmest regards,
    Bruce

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  9. Hello Bruce good to see your latest posts and that you are well and painting with inspiration. Happy summer painting to you laddie!

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  10. Hi there Caroline!... Thanks for dropping by... and for your good wishes!

    Yep!... Life continues to be good... and inspiration is still running high!

    Good summer painting!
    Warmest regards,
    Bruce

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  11. I loved the phrase, "fly by the seat of my creative britches" !! I do it much of the time. Watch out for those landings...Lol.
    To preserve beautiful spots on canvas is a great responsibility, Bruce. Those are marvelous paintings!

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  12. Hi there Dean!... That's the way most of us fly about... creatively... and the landings can get messy! HA HA!!! On the other hand... often you go where you never dreamed that you could!

    Painting should be an act of sharing... and often helping others to see what find value in... that they either miss... or take for granted.

    Thanks for dropping by and for your enthusiasm Dean. I very much value your opinions because of your own very fine art!

    Good Painting!
    Warmest regards,
    Bruce

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