Arrowhead Birches

The day before Christmas and just one interested person. I wish all my followers a wonderful Christmas as you remember the birth of our Lord and Saviour. Rejoice with your family and friends!

New Grandson

Yesterday, we welcomed our little grandson to the world and our family! God is good!

Little Pointsettia Sled

Sleds make wonderful surfaces for painting and there are lots of them around in second hand stores and garage sales! This little one has metal runners and was painted with a pointsettia.

Santa Grouping

This is how the Santa's are displayed in the entrance of the front hall. Come and see for yourself on Saturday, December 17.

Lighthouse Santa Ornament

One of the grandchildren requested an ornament with a lighthouse theme for her teacher. This is one of the results though it's a bit tall for a tree ornament.

Santa Choir

The back Santa's are waiting for the inspiration to paint their bottoms. This is enough for this year! On to better things.

This Santa spindle sold last week and the lady really liked the hoolyhock painting. She came back today with her husband and bought it-a pleasant surprise. The spindle is the last of the rope bed spindles.

I spent another day painting little Santa tree ornaments. That's enough for this year-need a change of pace. We had a gift exchange and was blessed with a little propane heater. Will have to work at making a set up for outside with a tarp and see if it will be warm enough to paint some snowscenes. Tomorrow is Sunday. Hope you have a good Lord's Day!

Sinterklaas

Painting these spindles as Santas is what's keeping me busy this season of the year. It's a creative challenge to come up with new ideas for the bottom section of the post. Each one is unique and "one-of-a-kind". I have seen the most interesting wood turnings this way. The best were the first ones which were from the corner posts of old rope beds.

Ornament Santas

It's that time of year again! Last night, I spent the evening painting little Christmas tree Santas. What's a group of Santas called? -A bevy, a pod or just a bunch?

Barlow Creek (December)

This is the second painting done yesterday afternoon. I touched it up a bit last night(the trees in the background) because there wasn't enough time to finish on site. They really had some interesting shapes!

Raging Barlow Creek

Today was our last course for this year with Catharine Gibbon. We spent the afternoon in the little town of Troy down a muddy laneway, beside the creek which was swollen from the rain of the last two days. The sound of the water was wonderful and even on this dreary afternoon there was lots of colour in the water. It wasn't even that cold. This is a small piece on 1/4" plywood.

Colour: by Mal Austen- "What a gift colour is! God has blessed us with billions of colours for our use and pleasure-each as unique and special as we are. God recognizes the value of different."

Fall Mums and Squash

Last night, I spent some time fiddling with this painting. I tried to brighten it up a bit and change the background. The turtle at the front(wooden) is still a questionable addition.

"Texture" by Mal Austin
"Smooth, rough scaly textures create interest in nature. Let time, choices and life's experience work to form beautiful patterns in us as well."

Painter's Potluck

Yesterday afternoon, I had the privilege of hosting a last class potluck which, because of the rain, ended up just being a potluck. Lots of pleasant paint talk and paintings to admire and critique together. We come together and paint for so many hours but we are all so focused that we never have much time for socializing. This time we combined good food with good company. Thank you Catharine Gibbon for another wonderfully inspiring season.

Studio Sign

I painted the other side of the crib footboard. I'm hoping to put it out front to advertise the studio. These things are fun to paint since they're big and detail seems not to be important.

Enviroment by Mal Austen: God's enviroment places dew, light, sun, food and life cycles necessary for each plant to grow . He not only meets our needs but shapes our lives in extra dimensions.

"Aging: Plants have a life cycle, just as we do. Each stage brings beautiful new shapes and rich powerful colours. God loves and values life in all its glorious stages." Quote from Mal Austen

Lilies from "de Zwaan"

I painted this piece on the back of an old crib the other night in order to make a" studio open" sign for outside, since I would like to have my studio open for the Christmas season.

These lilies were on the table for the whole week- starting as buds and coming into full glory by the end of the week and are from a foto taken on our barge and bike trip in the Netherlands and Belgium in September. They certainly perfumed the whole boat!

"Shape" by Mal Austen

"Every leaf and every petal is unique by design and is then changed by weather and time. But our changes are best coming from God's Spirit."

Troy End of Season Cornfield

The painting from yesterday before the snow fell.

I found this lovely little book at "Value Village" which I bought for the stunning floral fotos. It's called "A Season of Possibilities" by an Australian Mal Austin. On the first page of his book he makes comments about some Artistic principles which are profound enough to pass on to you.

"CLOSE UP: God is a God of details. Look closely and you will see beauty in every feature. Don't be afraid to draw close to God . Beauty increases in closeness."

Quarry Water

We painted today-believe it or not-outside. I had the back doors of the van open to give some protection from the wind. We were in Troy, on a little dead end laneway with a spectacular view. Mine was limited to what could be seen from and around the back doors. I will make a foto of the painting tomorrow. This was done in North Flamborough at the same time last year. The location was an old gravel quarry with crystal clear water. The enthusiasm gets to be a little dampened when frostbite sets in.

The Barn

We're off to an all girls weekend(Mother and Daughters) in Thornbury.

Late Fall Sunlight

This subject was on the other side of the road with the anemic winter sun shining through the trees making lovely shadows. There has been some lovely work painted here by other students in the class. The familiarity with the subject helps, I think, since this is the third time at this location. The location was changed because of hunting season.

Beverly Swamp Nov.

We had another lovely afternoon painting along Middletown Road. Finally, I got to try the moving water-what a challenge! The quality of this photograph of the painting isn't very good. May have some time to improve on it tomorrow. The light was slipping through the trees and creating that special late fall atmosphere.

She can now see!

Check this out. A Quechua women receiving new glasses. She commented:"Hey, I can see you!" One of the many pairs of glasses MMI sorts by prescription, donated by Americans and Canadians. You know, the boxes you see in Doctor's offices and at optometrists, where you put those old glasses. Yes, they provide better vision for thousands of poor around the world!

Waiting

When we arrived at the clinic with the bus the people were lined up outside the building meant to be the clinic-some waited overnight to be first in line. Many would have to wait for hours to go through the process and most were very patient. A couple of women walked 7 hours through the mountains to have their eyes checked or see a doctor. They asked if they could jump the queue because they were afraid they would not be able to make it back home before dark. The patients were just like us North Americans in that they would get very annoyed if someone got ahead of them. But they were okay with this one exception.

Pictures from Peru

Last week we flew to Cuzco, Peru and spent three days ministering to the poor in the slums of Cuzco and then two in the country where we saw many indigenous Andean people. Most of them spoke Spanish and Quechua but some of the older people could only speak Quechua. This meant that often we needed two interpreters to translate from English to Spanish and then from Spanish to Quechua. There were lots of eye problems. A couple of older women walked for 7 hours to get to the clinic. It was a humbling experience. Do we appreciate our blessings?

"Beverly Swamp # 2

This is the second painting done last Tuesday. The other side of the road. I worked on it a bit in the evening while the feeling was still fresh in my mind, Now we're off to Peru for a week. Will try some sketcing in my spare time.

Beverly Swamp Willow

We had a lovely afternoon painting on Middletown Road. This time we enjoyed sunshine and the colours are soooo different and the painting experience is much pleasanter! The old willows are all gnarled and tentacley(is that a word?) Initially, one really needs to decide what to edit with the myriad of branches and stumps that seem to pop up everywhere the eye roams. It's a bit overwhelming, but fun. I saw some beauttiful work done by fellow artists in the same location. We were standing along the road and got many curious looks from passers by!

First Frosty Morning

This morning I experienced the beauty of the frost on every blade of grass and spent flower-until the sun warmed the world.

Pumpkin and turtle Still life

I worked on this still life Saturday night with the remaining flowers in our garden-some faded looking mums and bright orange "goudsbloemen" which seemed to go with the pumpkin and gourds. I stuck the wooden turtle in the front but wonder about the success of that object. Am not too happy with the background either. What to do? It needs to be reworked but don't want to ruin the energy . I'll let it sit and look at it a while and see if the inspiration hits me again some time.

Algonquin Park

On this beautiful but nippy Sunday morning, we can look back on the spring, summer and fall's beauty in God's Creation and give thanks for the change of seasons and the glory He lets us see in this fallen world. The frost on each blade of grass and the sad, broken dhalias in my garden, each speak of His glorious creative work. "Give Him the Glory!"

Soybeans from LaFarge

This little painting was the first attempt at the drumlin from the viewpoint of the "LaFarge Trail".

Grapevines Revised

I worked on this painting a whole evenimg and need some serious input. I think the middle grass part needs a different approach. The grapes probably look really interesting this morning with all the frot we had last night. Really should take the dog out and get a good look at the back field before the sun has burnt it all away.

View from LaFarge Trail

This is one of the little paintings that got rained on Tuesday afternoon.

Middletown Road in the Rain

Worked on this maze of trees, water and leaves yesterday in the rain. It worked when the paint drips weren't running down the canvas! There is a real depth of colour and a new perspective in the "dullness" of a gloomy day.

Grapes in a Row "Good Earth"

Here is the start of a second painting of grapes at the "Good Earth" last Friday. Seeing as this is a larger canvas, I really had to hustle because there was not a lot of time left to paint. The vines were full of luscious looking purple grapes, which were for ice wine, I was told. I felt like the Israelites must have when they entered the land of Canaan.

Today was another painting day with Catharine. Started out early to, hopefully, take advantage of the dry weather. An hour later it started to rain which has an interesting effect on acrylic paint . Painted on the "Lafarge Trail" and then later moved to Middletown Rd. in order to paint under the protection of the back door of my van.

Plain Tree Impression

Here is my impression of the plain tree from last Friday's paint day at "The Good Earth".

Sunday Blossom

On this beautiful, bright Sunday morning I want to praise the Lord in His Creation. This late October day with frost on the grass and roofs this morning, these little beauties are bravely showing off their elegance. Have a good Sunday!

Plain Tree "Good Earth"

This, most interesting tree, is situated on the parking lot of the Winery "Good Earth". Looking at this tree, you know why a short, little man, like Zacheus, in the Bible chose to climb a tree like it in order to get a better view of the Lord Jesus. The bark is a patchwork and looks like army camouflage and the seeds are little spiny balls. My son tells me that if the seed balls are double then it is a European Linden and if they are single , then it is a native tree. The European Hybrids are much hardier than the native species. I tried to paint this specimen and am sure I couldn't do it justice.

Sawmill in Deventer

Had a lovely opportunity to paint with Kim Rempel today at "the Good Earth Vineyard". We had a great lunch and the company was superb! Who cared if it was cold. Will post my efforts tomorrow. Thanks Kim!

This is a pic of one of the windmills we saw on our trip in September. This mill was sawing logs while we were there-not (the sleeping kind).

Doc's Farm

This is the second painting done on Tuesday, outdoors. The sky was telling us the rain is coming.

Doc's Farm Shed

This was my warm-up piece yesterday afternoon. We had a lovely painting session at this great location. The weather cooperated even though the forecast had been rain and we enjoyed the beauty of late fall, with its subdued hues in the grasses and leaves. I wasn't terribly excited about this piece although the instuctor thought it was the better of the two done that afternoon. I might try and fiddle with it some evening.

Sunflowers at Doc R's

I was enthralled by the movement and pathos in these old sunflowers in the class last week. They sure are fun to paint.

Girl with the Pearl

This famous painting speaks for itself.

"Yippee"

"Yippie" is the dog "mascot" on the boat we stayed on when we were on our bike trip. He would stay in this container if reprimanded-like a time out. The other place he would stay was in the saddlebags on the bike.

Fall Anemones

This is a painting I worked on just before we went on holidays and three weeks later the anemones are still putting on a lovely shoe in the garden. Every fall, the abundance of bloom from the coneflowers and echinacea have come to a brown halt and we still get a last,great show from these beautiful, delicate blossoms! They twist and twirl toward the light with stems, buds and flowers gently nodding in the wind. I frequently noticed an abundance of these plants in the dutch gardens we biked past last week.

The painting in the back wall of the room is a "last Judgement" Scene. The women in the room is holding scales as if she is weighing her jewellry but there are other hidden meanings. The artist has the light source coming from an upper window. I just love the richness of the fabrics.