Spring = Plein air Season underway!... Well sort of !

Though the "Greening" is well behind places south of us... it is in the air and well underway ...finally!

T 'is the season again!.... No not for Christmas... It's Black Fly time!!! Though short in duration... it is much feared and respected by all of us ... gardeners... farmers... cattle... horses ... and horse's ass plein air painters... who love to work outside! This is NOT a lament... nor complaint - just another facet associated and accepted as part and parcel with life... north o' suburbia!!

Though the dreaded Black Fly is in the air, it is not yet at its customary horde level ... but rather at this time only manifesting its "in your face"... and nuisance mode for the outdoor enthusiast.That will all change within a week or so... when the hatches do in fact hatch out... and they head out in search of anything... or anyone warm blooded to bite and punish in unrelenting droves. Their time is short -lived... but the agony they inflict lasts as a memory for a very long time afterward.

I am now... and forever... significantly allergic to their bite... due to the over needless and foolhardy over dosing and cumulative numbers of assaults that I have withstood over my outdoor painting life. On one occasion in Algonquin Park... I was so engrossed in finishing my 36x48 canvas... that I failed to notice that the hordes had slipped under the protective netting covering my head... and that they were having a Sunday school picnic on the open and uncovered area on the nape of my neck.

The experience left me bleeding profusely and bitten... far too may times! By nightfall... my neck had swollen to such an extent... that one couldn't see my ears from the rear. The burning itch reaction that multiple bites cause can only be described as torture. Only massive slugs of antihistimines brought any form of relief.

Needless to say... I will not put myself into any position where such havoc can be inflicted. I do not relish another bout of "staph"... or the risk of an anaphylactic attack for the sake of a painting.

Today's' cheery spring... and yes... studio subject lies within a very few minutes walking distance of our Gallery and apartment... just on the periphery of the village and on out regular nightly stroll route. I call it affectionately... my "Lady in Red"... but in local lore it is simply Rumble's Feed and Flour Mill. It was the epicentre of commerce in Hillsdale for nearly a hundred years... but ceased operation in 1959 when its last owner, Jack Rumble became ill and locked the door behind him... and it ceased to be a mill from that moment on.

The Rumble family are great friends who have allowed me the run of the place... where I am free to enter the property and paint at my leisure - a great gift. They all have a Sherman view of the mill in various views and seasons. I plan an in depth "visual essay" style theme some day soon... whenever things fall into place... and I decide to kick start the project! Stay tuned!

Until then... all the usual sentimentality and romance that I usually inject ... and inflict upon you set aside... please do enjoy on particularly favourite site from my Home... and journey!

Good Painting!... and a Fly-less Spring to all!

PS Tips for the ardent fly time painters:

1. Avoid wearing light blue clothing such as denim... it attracts the female "biters" they say.

2. Avoid wearing any kinds of perfume... aftershave... or deodorant... they transmit tell-tale vapour trails that lead directly back to you!

3. Applied Skin So Soft Baby Lotion to hands ... neck and face is touted to be a good outdoor repellent. Keeps your skin soft as an added plus! HAHA!!

4. A sheet of fabric softener inside one's hat is claimed to discourage fly visitors around the head and face... where they really prohibit concentration and good painting conditions!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all Moms... wherever you are! I "hope"... that your family has taken the time to celebrate "You" on your special day that we set aside to remember your countless acts of kindness and sacrifice... to make our lives fuller... every other day in the year!

I cannot ever personally show my own Mom my gratitude for those years of gifts to "Me"... and sadly... for the first time since "She" passed on... I cannot make it down to visit and place flowers on her grave ... as has been my custom since her death. I placed chrysanthimums on her grave three weeks ago... but it just wasn't possible to make the eleven hour journey to Brockville this year. Life ... quite simply... got in the way!

I decided on Friday to abandon my next painting subject... which was to be another Bajan piece and to create a floral tribute (she adored all flowers and birds) dedicated to her memory and to share it on Mother's Day with people like my good wife Deb... my daughter Lisa ...my blogger friend Joan Joan Sicignagno... and all other Moms who regularly visit my site! Happy Mother's Day to all!

I chose the daffodil because it symbolically represents respect... sunshine and unrequited love... feelings that I continue to feel strongly not only for my own Mom... but for Mothers in general. My own Mom defined for "Me" as a child and now as an adult... by her actions and beliefs... what the power of Hope can accomplish. She carried Hope with "Her" until the end of her journey... and I do hope that her belief in a life hereafter has been met.

Irregardless of that one Hope... the Hope that she had that each of her children and grandchildren would prosper has come to fruition. Each of us has ... or is on the way to reaching that goal according to our separate goals and desires.

So on this special day... I send this "pigmental" bouquet of Hope... and thanks... to each and every Mom that reads this post! My apologies for some bit of an unfinished look... but I wanted to post it on the day! I will tidy it up a bit later next week... a few pushes n' pulls are still needed.

Rich blessings... and thank "You"... one and all!

A Trubute.. to Hope!

Hope Springs Eternal... but it takes working on! The coming of Spring signifies Hope in all cultures. It is the time when the Natural World slips from dormancy and the icy shroud of winter. It is the time in the Christian World when Resurrection conquers Death. It is the time in a Child's World when freedom from heavy clothes... a time when freedom of movement and play fills the hearts of the young with joy... delight... and even love.

If you watched the Royal Wedding... and didn't feel the overwhelming and radiating power of Hope... in not only the couple... but the British nation as a whole... then you are incapable of ever finding... or embracing Hope. I am hardly Royalist (though my Mother was). But I was deeply moved by the possibility of a better life for these young people. Their subjects obviously sensed and embraced that notion of Hope.

As I listened to the soaring ... pure voices of the boy choristers reaching to the very heights of the vaulting... one hundred and twenty-one feet above this pageant... my own previous sadness and the cold greyness of our late-to-appear Canadian Spring melted away... and was replaced by true joy... if only for a single day.

As with all aspects of the human condition and experience... paradox exists for all states of being. One cannot understand, or appreciate gain... unless one has felt loss. Light cannot exist or be appreciated... except to have followed on the heels of darkness. Joy is beyond understanding... except for the affliction of pain. And so too... one can only strive for Hope... when one has tasted Despair.

If Hope be a "thing"... a feeling... wherein lives any chance of Hope... or Love prevailing... where might replaces right... where violence against any other individual is justified and condoned out of pure vengeance? What lessons do these thoughts ... actions and even governmental support teach children who look to their adults for direction?

I do not subscribe to... or cannot change those feelings ... or erase the actions of such Hopeless acts... but I can express Hope in my own unique and personal way. "I" choose to continue to reach out ... in Hope and Love.. to whoever will accept it... believe in it ... and pass it forward. I have created a painting which fills my heart with Hope.

Making that painting... as a result of a trip to the Barbados... where I found Hope ... alive and well amongst a vast number less fortunate individuals than my Self.... I returned to Canada and my own life filled with Hope and optimism. That momentary elation and sense of Hope was dashed... temporarily at least, by the combined and overburdening greyness lingering here and in many other parts of the world... the heavy and oppressive weight of a stagnant economy... and even sadder... several world events that eclipsed the Joy and Hope created by the Royal Wedding.

In closing... I offer my painting "Tribute to Hope" and my Mom... now passed... and with it...I would like to share a favourite poem which deeply and emphatically underscores my own personal feelings about Hope... and Hoping! It is a poem by Emily Dickinson... seemingly simple in vocabulary and imagery... on its surface. But ... do take the time to read each word... each stanza... and absorb the energy and message that is skillfully crafted and presented. The subject of my painting is an upright Heleconia... as prevalent (with its sister the hanging Heleconia) in the Barbados landscape... as our bright yellow, saucy "nuisance"... though not to "Me"... dandelion.

Oddly enough... there is a basis for comparison in use of imagery... in Dickinson's poem and my painting. Dickinson uses a bird as the central metaphor to portray Hope. The Heleconia is often referred to as the "Bird of Paradise"... because of its exotic form... colour and surrounding. I hadn't thought of that until this writing.... the Universe does conspire!....HAHA!!

Hope

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune--without the words,

And never stops at all.

And sweetest in the gale is heard:

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little bird

That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,

And on the strangest sea:

Yet never in extremity,

It asked a crumb of me.

Emily Dickinson

I truly hope that these conjoined offerings warm your soul and raise Hope within...a few rungs higher in each of your separate... but parallel journeys. Embrace Hope... Paint hard... and dream sweet dreams... no matter what goes on about "You"! Stay your course... and Hope! Count your blessings... and not your defeats!

Happy Mother's Day Mom!... and to all Moms wherever you may be!!!

Good Painting! Hoping that life treats us all... a bit better in the upcoming months ahead!

PS A few licks n' a promise still be added to the painting.

Rewind!... Back to the Barbados!

I offer my apologies to regular follower.... for skipping ahead and not addressing her very good question about the appearance of a windmill in my sketchbook... and the windmill's importance in the Barbados.

I made a segway from that plan to wish Allison a "Bon Voyage" ... and to muster interest in for her in the sandwich contest. You can still vote for her fabulous Divine Chicken Pesto entry at www.countryharvest.com/contest/gallery.php for her sandwich daily until May 15th... once vote each day. We enjoyed it on the weekend... SUPERB!!!!

Our visit to the Barbados linked many previously unrelated bits of earlier "school larnin" as we travelled about and became familiar with landmarks and facts about this paradise. When one feels the constant presence of the warm Trade Winds... it becomes much more obvious as the whys that caused the Barbados to be the first point of landfall... and entry to the New World for early European exploration.It explains why the native population there are descendant to the shiploads of slave ship survivors who arrived and were enslaved to form the work force on hundreds of plantations that existed on the West Indies and in the Colonies prior to Independence and the Civil War.

Sugar was king in the Barbadian trade with England up until the mid Twentieth Century. Cane sugar was the major export... along with its bi-products molasses and rum. Rum was first distilled in the early 15oo's. Each plantation's fields of sugar cane was cut by hand and delivered to sites where windmills were used to grind the cane into powder, using the constant power of the Trade Winds to maintain production. Today... only a few remain in their original running condition and are maintained for historic reasons only. Sites to visit for bronzed... sun -worshipping subjects of the new "King"- Tourism!

The mill that I sketched is the Morgan Lewis Mill in the parish of St Thomas which ceased active operation in 1946. One can easily see the Dutch influence in its construction. Sugar cane mills operated for over 200 years in the Barbados... and at the height of the sugar trade it is recorded that the Barbados had 506 mils island wide. Today... the Barbados has the second largest number of windmills per square mile in the world... second only to Holland. I wonder if that will remain so... given the current technological impetus of many countries to create vast fields of wind turbines/windmills to supplement hydro-electric generation!

I am once again including my sketch of the Morgan Lewis Mill.. Like Caroline, I never expected to see such a thing in the Barbados. Along with this sketch... I will include an example that represents what most other windmills look like today. This one was located at Apes Hill where we were staying. It is well-maintained... and serves as a lunch facility for the groundskeepers and security staff at Apes Hill... as well as offering a very panoramic view of the sea coast from the crenellated tower... which no longer house any windmill gear or roof.

I hope that this satisfies your interest and question adequately Friend Caroline. Sorry for the segway!

I am currently working on a not too "largish" canvas... 30x24 inches... my first major piece related to our trip. Something different!.... I will leave further discussion until completion. One never knows where the process goes... sometimes... no where! HAHA!!

Stay tuned!

Good Painting to ALL!

When the Universe Speaks.... Listen!

The term "Universe" defies exact description or definition... even by the greatest scientific minds... simply because it "exists " far beyond the boundaries of this very temporal band of existence we know as earthly existence. I use the word in my own unique way to explain what others might refer to as Karma... Destiny...Fate... just to name a few. To "me" the Universe is simply...."Existence". I make no effort to understand it in terms of its beginning... or its end.... I simply accept that "I" exist in the Now.... and for now!

I well understand also... that in the course of one's journey... opportunities arrive... or are presented that we must respond to - Choices by which we map and travel on our individual journeys. Often we travel "in parallel"... or on similar planes with others... but more often we travel alone.... inwardly speaking at least. Sometimes it is often difficult... painful and at times even dangerous to to make certain choices offered. They visit us unexpectedly... often simultaneously with a multitude of other choices... making the process of deciding bewildering and unsettling. Ultimately... one must bare the burden of choosing... perhaps with advice and counsel... but again ultimately on one's own.

In the spring of 1989, I made a choice when the opportunity to travel to study for eight weeks in Venice, Italy in a Venice Summer School course being offered by Queen's University to complete my undergrad arts degree. It marked the end of an almost 20 year quest using extramural winter and summer courses... while teaching and raising a family to reach this goal. My school board and my family supported that decision and I was "given leave" of both responsibilities to make this happen.... a huge gift to "Me"that became a pivotal turning point in my personal and my artistic lives.

Venice was indeed Paradise "found"... for "Me." I had begun my journey at age four sketching (copying) David, the Pieta... Laocoon.... and others from history textbooks in our home. Drawing and painting provided "Me a vehicle for expression... and for escape through "Imagineering" into my own Universe. That has been so... during the whole course of my life.

Venice and my eight week "affair" with "Her" sent me back to Reality on a high at first... wanting to share everything that I had experienced with anyone willing to be trapped for endless hours. But gradually... as with all highs comes... the low! Reality paled and for many years afterward never quite measured up to that freedom and environment that I had been immersed in. I was stuck between Reality... and Paradise "lost"!

It has been a very long and painful recovery... for all of us involved. But today... the wheel has come full circle and that long ago choice: ... "To go... or not to go... that is the question!"... has finally been justified in my own mind.

My daughter Allison followed "Me" to that same place ...Venezia... using the same summer school opportunity eleven years ago this week in her last undergraduate course with our Alma Mater Queen's University. She and I both stood at the top of our class of about twenty-five students and found our True Selves in that experience. I found my artistic place... and "She"... through her intellect and persistence... a PhD in Art History... authorship and an emerging place in teaching at the university level.

Today... she is in her beloved Venice... without all of her initial fears, financial challenges and misgivings. This week... "She" will be leading twenty-five Queen's students along the streets of Venice and environs... as the teacher of that summer school class!

The Universe does "speak"... to each of us in mysterious ways. How or whether we answer... is our own decision!

Wish that "I" were there to share the Serenissima with you Allison!

But that's another story... for another... at this moment... distant post perhaps!

POSTSCRIPT!!!

Allison entered a sandwich recipe contest online sponsored by Country Harvest... with three $1000 cash prizes being offered to 3 of the 10 finalists selected by the judges. Her VERY TASTY "Divine Marinated Chicken Pesto" entry was chosen amongst the 10 finalists. DO VISIT the site www.countryharvest/contest/gallery.php to see her recipe and others. The others look delicious and nutritious.... BUT Allison's Pesto Chicken is indeed ....DDDDDDDDivine! I've tried it! If you would... both Allison and I would appreciate your having a look-see... and your vote... one vote each day until the contest closes on May 15th! Sure would help a young woman... "doin' her best"... in Venice!

Good Painting!.... Voting!,,,and Heavenly... no Divine.... Intervention! HAHA!!!

Love you Jemima!!!

XXXXXOOOOOXXXXX

Warmest regards,

Bruce

Paradise.... Gained... Reclaimed! - Part Two

In my last post... I bemoaned the [too] sudden "loss" of the Paradise that we most certainly "found" in the Barbados. How could a place of such new and visually stunning beauty... of unusual human warmth and acceptance... complete freedom of movement... and physical

warmth not be an ideal for the term "Paradise"... "Eden"?

I was well-acquainted with the biblical use of these two terms... but I was curious about the other possible meanings for them... so, as is my usual practice when my curiosity runs wild... I searched out their dictionary meanings. I found that Paradise and Eden... beyond their biblical relationship... shared the notion that they both represented "a place of delight... contentment or bliss." In other words... they both represented an enhanced state of mind.

This latter concept of the word Paradise better suits the notion of what Deb and I both had experienced... and the feeling of dejection... no withdrawal that we both felt upon our arrival back to Canada. We discovered... and sadly to our chagrin... that the country remained unchanged and still... much in the same icy cold clutches of winter. I think that we both might well identified with and felt the same disorientation at that moment... as the "original"cast of the biblical story... when they were expelled... forever... from Eden!

Over the past week back in Hillsdale, our earlier life and state of mind has been difficult to return to... with our minds continually volleying back n' forth between the two diametrically opposed states of mind... Eden vs Reality... and a very tropical vs polar natural environment. Add to that... the reality that small retail businesses everywhere and especially in the Arts... (including our own) are facing some uphill challenges over the next few months.

I really did enjoy our trip to Eden... Paradise... call it whatever you will... both from a tourist'point of view and from an artistic stance as well. However, I came away with much more in the way of benefits. We enjoyed visiting my eldest daughter Lisa's world... and having the benefit of her presence... knowledge of... and passion for the Barbados. I came to better understand and feel more comfortable, as her Father... with her passion and desire to fully make her life there at some time in the near future.

As a died-in-the-wool history buff... I spent much of my time there acquainting myself with the past histories of the Island... both natural and human... as a way to better understand what was unfolding before "Me." I came away with such respect for the Bajan populace as a whole. They have finally... after 300 years of slavery... injustice...oppression and suffering started to enjoy a more equitable quality of life and their rightful place as pilots of their own ship. The yoke of control under slavery and British Colonialism is disappearing... and being replaced by educated Bajan leaders who are prepared and willing to lead their countrymen towards economic self-determination and political decision-making. Their time has finally arrived!

In this process, they have managed to retain their strong and proud connection to their black cultural identity. They continue to maintain an unusual sense of humour... tolerance... and Faith in God and in themselves. We were approached only twice by some one asking for a hand out... and those individuals truly seemed in desperate need. People were visibly "making ends meet"... or as the phrase goes on the Island... "Doin' the best I can!"

Medical care... drugs and hospital care are free to all Bajans. Education is free all the way through from Primary School through to Post Secondary Education. There exists a number of exceptional community colleges and even North American University campuses in the Caribbean... each providing even the poorest, but intellectually capable and motivated students the opportunity to advance in their culture. The US and Canada... being more affluent and able to provide this same level playing field to their poor... should take notice. It CAN be done!

I had planned to run a number of posts to give a more elaborate reporting of my discoveries... but I could be locked into that task far beyond space... or interest allows. I think that you can see that I came away enriched and motivated by the experience. But more than that even... I returned more grateful for the Freedom that I have enjoyed... simply by the good fortune of my birth. The experience made me even more deeply aware of the many simple daily blessings that we all share in our Western World.

In closing... I wish to thank my lovely daughter Lisa for her generosity and love... in providing this uplifting experience for Deb and I. I am forever grateful to "Her" for this gift of the heart! I wish too... to thank her Bajan partner Dorian for spending many hours of his time showcasing his beautiful country... and opening up doors and our eyes to places and experiences that no tourist can hope to reach reach into... or come to understand in such a limited stay. Thank "You".... "Big D"!!!

I am posting the remainder of my Barbadian sketches. I hope that you enjoy them... and they might tweak your fancy... to pay a visit to this friendly... safe Jewel of the Caribbean . You will never regret the decision... I assure you!

I will use this post as well... to bid my other lovely daughter Allison... "Bon Voyage"... and safe journey to your very own version of Paradise ...found... Venezia. Enjoy your teaching assignment and research opportunity... and then get back to us to share stories about our separate Edens!

The mantra for Bajans... as posted on the walls of schools... and spoken from the hearts of their spiritual and government leaders appears so simple on the surface... but it touched my soul and I have adapted it as my own simply because... I believe its every word and will try to continue to practise it in my own daily life:

"Life is complicated. Do your best!"

Can "You"?... Will "You".... try to your best?

"I" will !

Happy Easter to all. Give thanks for your blessings for a few moments... if only quietly within!

Good Painting to ALL!

PLEASE NOTE!.... It would seem that I ahve a spacing glitch in this post that I can't figure out for the moment. If you wish to leave a comment... scroll down.....WAY DOWN! It is there! HAHA!

Thanks,

Bruce

Paradise.... Found... then Lost! - Part One

We're back in Canada... and as I write..... again "Lost" in a world of white! It is snowin' and blowin'... much the way it was at our departure to the Barbados on March 28th! Winter just seems to be hanging about... reluctant... no defiant to surrender his icy grasp. I will admit... that adjusting to these dramatic changes... all in the course of a few days is both difficult and discouraging. I never imagined myself admitting to that fact because I generally much enjoy the winter season. But it's true!

It seems quite reasonable to span both Paradise locations by beginning today's jpeg show with Canadian "Gold".... McCutcheon's World Class #1 Maple Syrup meeting Bajan "Gold"....Apes Hill Gay Rum... both World Class Champions in their separate classes! A fitting head-to-head meeting of the two cultures.... through their sweet...sugar -related cousins!

We truly did find... and experience Paradise on our visit. The Island is indeed a Paradise in every respect... from exotic flora and fauna... to landscapes that endlessly continue to open before you... like gifts under a Christmas tree - each unique... and each breath-takingly different than the others. I think that you can easily sense from my description that both Deb and I were in a state of rapture. I could not bring my Self to settle to any kind of painting for that reason... I was on sensory overload. I also was completely overwhelmed by the heat and humidity at first.

My thermostat runs hot at the best of times... which accounts for my ability to paint outdoors comfortably throughout the entire winter. I found myself challenged to withstand this sudden change of temperature... even though the Trade Winds continually provide relief at all times of the day... and the magnificent variety of trees and palms a ready supply of shade wherever you travel.

It was only after the first week of touring... swimming and acclimating ourselves... and Deb recovering from a very bad initial sunburn... that we were able to move about with ease... and a mind to sketching. I wore my trusty 60 sunblock every single day top to bottom... and still managed a pretty nice tan. "Mr Golden Sun"... is harsh and unforgiving of those who snub their nose to his might. A good decision to cover up!

When we visited Bridgetown to purchase my oil supplies from the art store there, I learned that the oils and canvases I had intended to purchase had been totally purchased "in bulk" and were unfortunately not available until the next shipment from the mainland. Wisely... I had foreseen this possibility and had brought along my trusty watercolours, ink pens and sketch kit in reserve. That decision paid off in spades for me and in fact worked out to be a much better choice overall.

Bajans are not accustomed to plein air painters en masse... and many are even adverse to having their photos taken... or even their houses... without prior permission. A lesson to future plein air painter-visitors! I learned that uncomfortably... from experience. Lesson Learned! I managed six nice sketches that I was satisfied with... but more importantly, I have a digital library of over 500 images to "play with" at my leisure... and be certain that I will !!!

In this post, I will offer jpeg images to attempt to introduce you to the Barbados... as we saw it and enjoyed it. This is akin to offering you an hors d'oeuvre from a banquet... but I feel that it will be interesting to share these images in conjunction with my humble sketches... to give you a taste or flavour of this magnificent part of the world!

The first sketch was done directly from Lisa's balcony overlooking the fifth fairway of The Apes Hill Golf Course... a stunning course ... with a stunning view! This first sketch shown here was done from the balcony of Lisa's home overlooking the fifth fairway of the spectacular Apes Hill Golf and Polo Club. From this vantage point... and in this same scene... I watched the four cruise ships that arrive and depart each day. A comfortable and shaded spot to put my watercolours first into action!

Let's hope that today's snow... is just a "Robin's Snow"!!!

Good Painting to ALL!