Yes, it's Christmas eve. A good time to wish Christmas blessings for all of you and to update my art blog.
It's a misty, mild, maritime day here in Nova Scotia and not promising any of the white stuff. That makes for easier travel, but lacks a bit of the visuals which inspired Irving Berlin.
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Fishermen's Preserve- This little huddle of fishermen's huts is on what was once a small island (now connected by a causeway) on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. It's right beside the descriptively-named Three Fathom Harbour. Watercolour on 200 lb. paper
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A Kat Can Look at a King- or so says an old Gaelic proverb. Something to do with independence of spirit and self worth. A good line for KR, shown here talking with Prince Charles at a milling frolic in Pictou. Charcoal on sketch paper
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Self Portrait at Pictou- We almost perished with the cold at that milling frolic in Pictou. Just as I dragged my hypothermic remains out onto the street, my wife snapped a pitiful pic of me. Herewith, the results. Pastel on sketch paper.
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Super Buds- My dear friend OPL and his bud R in our kitchen on Hallowe'en. I loved the 150 Watt smile on OPL as he basked in presenting his chum to us, where he has often been since he was carried in as a babe in arms. Charcoal on sketch paper
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Missing Those Days- The Black Market is an interesting little shop in Halifax. The owner sources all sorts of clothing, jewelry and nick-knacks from small, independent and fair trade craftspeople in the third world. The young woman passing by seemed to be wistfully observing the mother and daughter who were browsing on the sidewalk. Acrylics on canvas
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Street Beat- A couple of blocks away, the same afternoon, this young man had set up his drums outside of a shoe store and was busking away. Something about the couple walking toward him told me that they must have strolled off one of the cruise ships tied up in the harbour. I thought I was being so original showing the scene reflected in the window until I noticed that every second artist since the renaissance had stolen my idea! Acrylics on canvas
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Peggy's Conservatory- The Maritime Conservatory of the Performing Arts is a 100+ year-old institution in the heart of Halifax on a rather un-Maritime looking streetscape. I relocated the Conservatory to scenic Peggy's Cove and put together this image. Acrylics on gallery canvas, left side shown
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UBC, Kispiak Campus- An image based on one of Emily Carr's paintings of the Haida indian village at Kispiak BC with the addition of a few landmarks from the UBC campus and some famous composers. Acrylics on gallery canvas, right side shown
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Portland Street, Dartmouth- The first of these two images was in my last post, but I wasn't happy with it, so I roughened up the front of the buildings in the sunshine to give them a bit more texture. Acrylics on canvas
The second is at the end of the street which runs down to the harbour. I wanted to catch the ferry leaving for Halifax and the Christmas wreaths on the lamp poles. Just then a car serendipitously passed by, and two Christmas trees on its roof. What luck! Acrylics on canvas
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Christmas Gifts- Christmas often brings commissions of portraits for gifts. Here are two.
BML in Glasgow- BML and his wife celebrated the freedom of their retirement by spending a year painting and studying in Scotland. She's a talented artist herself, so I was flattered when she asked me to paint him. It's not so dark down in the lower right corner. Something funny happened to this JPEG. Oils on canvas
Summer Reunion- These children are all grandchildren of JR. They were at a family reunion last summer, so their auntie commissioned this group portrait. I wish I could show the many photos they took of the kids squirming about to get something useful for a painting. Watercolours on 300 lb. paper
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I hope you enjoyed this latest post to my art blog and that the new year brings health and other good things to all of you. Thanks for all of your comments and encouragement over the past year. -Joe
