The snowstorm is over and our place is shovelled out.  Everything is now frozen over since the temperature has dropped to minus 5C.  So, there's my excuse for taking some time to myself and posting some more art from the backlog.  Thanks for your patience in putting up with this stop and start process.  Here we go.

Milling Frolic- A crowd of women fulling a newly-woven piece of woolen cloth and singing Gaelic work songs to lighten their task.  These events still happen here in Nova Scotia, although it's usually just for the fun of singing the songs.  I based it on a photo taken in Scotland almost a hundred years ago and relocated it to this hillside in Cape Breton.  In Scotland it's called a "waulking", in Gaelic "luadh".  A gift for one of my Gaelic students, a home schooler who was graduating from high school.   Acrylics on canvas.

In the Becigning- This is the childhood home of friend, the music director at a nearby church.  The geometric shapes in the clouds reflect the windows in that church.  Acrylics on birch panel

Scotch Bonnet Peppers-  A friend of ours loves to cook with spices.  I got the spice name wrong on this birthday card I cartooned for him of the Dartmouth Fire Department at his home.  Acrylics on paper.

Sarah and Daniel Wedding Program-  Self explanatory.  The bride's parents were Gaelic speakers.  The Gaelic says "My dear, my dear".  The groom comes from an Italian background, so that says "I will love you forever".  I moved her home to sit on the back (left) page of the program with the happy couple and their dog picking blueberries. This is the church where my wife and I were also married.  Watercolour, ink and acrylics on paper.

HK at the Nova Scotia Highland Village.  An ink sketch of a friend, this young woman, who works at the NS Highland Village museum.  Check out their website:  highlandvillage.novascotia.ca  She's also a talented Gaelic singer and fiddler.  Can you see a theme in these friends of mine? 😉Ink and acrylics on paper.

DW at the coffee shop.  DW, a certifiable braniac friend, is a physicist at the Neils Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark.  We shared coffee with him at a "bogkaffee" there one morning.  The shop is also a rare bookstore and there are pictures of famous Danes on the walls.  So I sketched his Irish mom and dad, Neils Bohr and the Little Mermaid and gave them "suspended sentences" on the wall.  Acrylics

  

NW- The portrait of this young girl was commissioned by her auntie as a gift to NW's mom.  Usually I discourage toothy grins on a portrait but for a small child it does show their beautiful youth.  Oils on wood panel.

EW- This little fellow is the brother of NW.  His auntie also commissioned this. Oils on birch panel.

EM-  Another Gaelic student of mine.  She was bold enough to ask me for a sketch of herself and another of her boyfriend!  This charcoal on toned paper was hers.  We're both from the same city, so I felt generous.   Don't know if they're still a couple, so I'll just post hers. 😎

Give me Twenty!-  In war canoe races, the coxswain will often call for a series of faster, stronger strokes with that shout.  These races are done on flat water but I thought the Great Wave at Kanagawa, by the Japanese master Hokusai, would be more impressive.  Acrylics diptych on birch panels.

SM on the Issel Meer-  Our dear Dutch friend, SM, treated us to a visit to the Zuider Zee historic village museum at Enkhuizen in Holland.  Here he is sitting on the boat which takes you to the landing docks.  Ink and Acrylics on paper.

A Major Event-  MW was a major in the US Army, so when we visited the Halifax Citadel Museum here in Nova Scotia, I goaded him into putting on this redcoat tunic and bearskin and added a major's badge to the hat.  He's a good sport, but I though it would be safer to send to his granddaughter, so I did!  Acrylics.

DM in Dunvegan-  This friend was at an outdoor unveiling of a monument to the author Alistair MacLeod.  The bright, outdoor light was great for capturing photos of strongly contrasting faces.  Acrylics on paper.

MR in Inverness-  I often say that there's a fiddler behind every spruce tree in Cape Breton.  Not many are in the class with MR.  Of course she's a Gaelic speaker, too.  Charcoal and conté crayon on toned paper which doesn't do justice to her gorgeous red hair..

Age Quod Agis-  How's your Latin?  "Do What You (Must) Do" is the motto of St Mary's University in Halifax.  It's another 2"x2" (small) acrylic for a student who earned a bonus for exceeding expectations on a Gaelic course assignment.  He wrote an original song and recorded himself singing it.  Acrylics on canvas

Gimli Girls-  Gimli is a small, but "largely" Icelandic town on Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba.  These women are two of the five members of their Curling club's "rink" (team) who won back-to-back Canadian National championships in 2020 and 2021.  Charcoal on paper.

Ad Model-  This lady's face looked so sincere in a patent medicine ad, I was moved to do this little portrait.  I've been known to tear up watching Kleenex ads!  It was a few years ago so it might be oils or acrylics, I can't remember.  Since I don't know who she is/was, it's still hanging in our basement!

GM in Dunvegan-  GM is a MacLeod too, so no wonder he was at the ceremony for his cousin Alistair.  Charcol and pastels on toned paper.

JAB playing in SW Margaree-  JAB was a guest at our wedding, but being a good fiddler we asked him to play for a "set" of square dancing.  So, he borrowed John MacDougall's (the hired fiddler's) instrument and cracked off some lively tunes.  It only took me 37 years to get around to painting him.  Acrylics on canvas.

Dr. FF's winning smile-  Dr.  FF directs a number of choirs including our Dartmouth Choral Society.  Who wouldn't sing, as directed, when faced with this winning smile?  Charcoal and pastel on paper.

EM at home in Pictou-  EM was top student in one of my courses and so won a portrait as a prize.  So, I sent it to her home in Pictou, NS.  (Her proud mom liked it, too.)  Oils on canvas

VM in Dunvegan-  VM is a well-known Cape Breton artist who was also at that sunsoaked ceremony for Alistair MacLeod and her white hair caught every ray just right.  Pastels and conté crayon on toned paper.

CM in Dunvegan-  CM is a granddaughter of Alistair MacLeod who also soaked up some sun that day.  Such enthusiasm must be celebrated.  Charcoal on paper.

Dr. A. and K-  Dr. A was Dr. FF's PhD advisor in choral direction.  Such an alphabet soup!  Here she is in New York City with her daughter K, the Screen Kop, who was home again from London.  Charcoal and pastel on paper.

TH at Choir Camp-  I was inspired by Tintin artist Hergé's style when I did this cartoon of TH,  another Choir Director and founder of the Nova Scotia men's provincial choir.  Yet another director, Dr. JF, is at the podium.  Ink and acrylic on paper.

FM and mom (JM)-  The baby in this acrylic turned 38 years old last summer.  I figured it was about time to paint this image from a photo I took at a wedding lo, these many years later.  She has long since cheered up!  Acrylics on canvas.

GB at Broad Cove Concert-  GB comes from a family of musicians and traditional dancers,  No wonder she was putting her heart and feet into playing for her two sisters who were dancing this day in Cape Breton.  Charcoal and pastel on toned paper.

Well, as far as uploading my art, I'm up to works completed in May 2020 which is almost two years ago, so I'm making progress.  I'm enjoying reflecting on why these works were created and where some of them went,  I hope you are, too.  That's it for this post.  'See you next time. Remember, my e-mail address is at the top of the blog and I enjoy hearing from you about the works that are here.  -Joe 

 As I said in the last post, it's going to take some time to post even a small share of the art I've been making over the last four years.  But, here are a few more.  We've just shovelled out from a dandy nor'easter today and the plow hasn't made its final pass yet, so this will be a short one.

CF as Queen Bess- I've never seen any episode of The Crown, but I understand this English actress portrayed the Queen.  From a small sketch book, it's acrylic on paper.

S.H.  This lady teaches at the school where my daughter does.  One of SH's daughters did very well on a language assignment I gave her in one of my university classes, so I did this little portrait of her mom as a bonus prize.  The support looks coarse because it's only about two inches by two inches on a little Dollar Store canvas.  They're fun!

Diaga Dancers #1  These young girls and I were involved in a Christmas concert of Irish dance and music.  I think I used watercolour on watercolour paper, but this was years ago! Wonderful kids!

Diaga Dancers #2-  These dancers are from the same school and were backed up by some talented, local Irish music artists.  They're a little older and were quite graceful.  The dancers that is.

Diaga Dancers #3- These little girls were some of the younger group from that school .  Lots of energy and confidence.

AJ in Christmas Concert-  This young girl, AJ, was singing in a Christmas Concert at our church.  Something we've been missing during the Covid restrictions.  Acrylic on Paper.

St Peter's children's choir- That same concert.  Here's the church's Children's Choir and their talented director / accompanist, GB.  We've been missing him, too.  Acrylics on paper.

AMO'F- This lady is an amazing harpist, and being Irish, that's the part of her repertoire that I find most lovely.  I hear her on RTE (Irish Radio) now and then.  An acrylic sketch on paper.

MEM and CIM, my daughter and wife were bundled up this day to go and watch the eagles who winter over in the Annapolis Valley here in Nova Scotia.  There is a spot where one can see 80-100 wild bald eagles all at once feeding or perched on trees around a farmer's field.  Charcoal on paper.

KM was a student of mine a few years ago.  He was an enthusiastic member of the class, always ready to learn, which I hope I've captured in this charcoal drawing on paper.

Mr. and Mrs. F.  - This couple was about to celebrate their sixitieth wedding anniversary a few years ago, so their daughter commissioned this portrait.  Note the white tapes (the ribbons tied in a bow) on his uniform.  That was a special tradition in the navy.  On his wedding day, the groom could wear white tapes, instead of the usual black.  If things go well, it's a once in a lifetime privilege!  Oils on birch panel.

RA, KA and BA at the airport.  Their auntie KA, whom I cartooned in a British police uniform in the last post, was headed back to the UK.  Acrylics on paper.  Yes, the kids live in Ohio!  

That's an even dozen, so I think I'll stop here for tonight.  Do let me know if you have any questions or comments about my art or if you're interested in having a piece made especially for you or as a gift for someone else.  

All the best, -Joe

2022, January 26

It's only been four years since I posted anything to this blog, but I HAVE been sketching and painting throughout that time.  I hope you enjoy seeing some of these works from that time period.  It will take a few posts to give even a small sampling of the 270 images I've saved to my computer since then, never mind the majority which never go beyond the sketch books!

A Flicker of the Heart-  Two Common Flickers star in this Valentine gift for one of two sister students I was tutoring at the time.  Acrylic on canvas.

A Hearty Lunch-  A young Northern Cardinal and her mother share lunch.  A V-Day gift for the other sister.  Acrylic on canvas.

 

Islanders Meet Highlanders- This group of wedding partiers are from a Jamaican heritage and were at a wedding in the Cape Breton highlands in Nova Scotia.  Acrylic on canvas.

Fair Trade- A congratulatory card for a friend whose Song for the Mira won a folk music hall of fame accolade.  The chorous includes the line "I'll trade you ten of your cities for Marion Bridge and the pleasure it brings."  See if you can figure out the cities! 😉 Acrylic on paper.

Another wedding program cover.  You can see it took place in the Canadian Rockies in British Columbia.  The couple wanted wanted something reminiscent of the old Canadian Pacific Railway posters which I tried to parody.  The colourful logo at the bottom is my adaptation of the paintjob on the old CPR locomotives.  I sent them the original artwork which, at last report was hanging in their home in Karachi, Pakistan. Acrylic on birch panel,

No Goalie!  Sometimes, when a few kids get together for "street hockey", there's only enough for two on two.  A couple of lumps of snow or a pair of boots make goal posts and there's no goal tender, the "goalie".  This street, Merkel Place, is in the Hydrostone neighbourhood of Halifax, Canada's first planned community, built after the devastating explosion in the harbour on December 06, 1917.  A gift for some friends in Ireland who lived on that street one year while teaching at St Mary's University in the city.  Acrylic on birch panel, if I remember correctly.

Sketch of the painting above.  It's often helpful to do a small full colour sketch before tackling a painting.  Here's the one for "No Goalie"   Acrylic on paper.

The "Little Prince" Visits the Big Apple.  This little fellow was six and at the Lincoln Center in New York City to see his grandmother direct a choral production.  He wore a snappy blue suit, but he reminded me of Antoine de St. Exupéry's little hero so I gave him his outfit and name.  Acrylic on birch panel.

DR. A. Retires.  And here's the Little Prince's "Nana".  When she retired from the University of Toronto she had the honour of carrying the mace to Convocation Hall.  I couldn't let that go by without a fun sketch.  Acrylic on paper

Allo, Allo, Allo.  The Little Prince isn't always on his best behaviour.  Once, while suspended from "screen privileges", his auntie who was visiting from London, England, caught him sneaking a peek at his sister's iPad.  The auntie was given this cartoon to take back to Blighty.  acrylic on paper.

Jordan Bennett, the renowned and talented Mi'kmaw indigenous artist came to speak to our group of guides at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia one day.  I sketched him as he spoke and later gave this to the gallery's indigenous art coordinator for Christmas.  Ink on paer.

Seumas and Iain, two world-leading experts in the Gaelic culture of Nova Scotia, on two occasions participating in a milling frolic, fulling newly woven cloth while singing Gaelic work songs.  The watercolour was for Seumas and the acrylic on birch panel for Iain, the man with the long sideburns.

LW Portrait.  LW is a star collaborative pianist here in Nova Scotia.  I painted her portrait as a gift to her and a souvenir of Choir Camp in the Annapolis Valley.  As luck would have it, the background scene which I randomly created, reminded her of her home in Saskatchewan.  The hinges are from her church in Halifax.

OK, Just one more Hand.  A late night crowd at Choir Camp.  Inveterate bridge players.  One of them asked for the sketch and got it. 😀

CB Unites the Choristers.  CB, is a multi-Grammy award winning who shares so much talent when he has come to NS choir camp.  Some altos work with him in this scratchy sketch.

Yoga Starts the day at Choir Camp.  Every morning begins before breakfast with yoga outdoors, under the towering hemlocks at choir camp. Another quick sketch.

BP Rallies the Sopranos.  BP is a wonderful soprano and a respected section leader at choir camp.  Here she is helping rearrange the seating before afternoon rehearsal.  Acrylic on paper.

PF, Coffee is a priority.  This talented chorister and retired math professor, PF, showed up at a choir camp meeting armed with his coffee.  It's all about getting your priorities set out.  Acrylic on Paper.

Three Wheeler-  In normal years, summer brings the NS British Car Club show with neat, old rigs like this three wheeler.  Acrylic on paper.

Triumph TR-4  Another car spotted at the Nova Scotia British Car club show of 2017.  Acrylic on paper

Woman with Blonde hair-  I sometimes try to beat the clock while sketching.  You can see this sketch took ten minutes.  I can't remember who the woman was in the photo.

Louis Muhlstock-  Another ten-minute sketch.  It's safe to give this man's name as he is long gone, but was a famous artist and one of the Beaver Hall Group back in 1920s Montréal.  It's my quick version of a portrait of him as done by Lilias Torrance Newton, Canada's foremost portrait artist of the early 20th century and the first Canadian to be commissioned to paint a reigning monarch (QE II)  Her version is better!.  Acrylic on paper

L.A, Cape Breton Fiddler-  L.A. is a well-known fiddler and fiddle teacher, now living in Halifax.  I snapped a picture of her at a book launch by a piper friend and then sketched her as if standing near Cap Rouge on the famous Cabot Trail in Cape Breton.  She's from Sydney Mines, but "her people" were Acadians from that other side of the island near Chéticamp and Cap Rouge.  I gave it to her later a square dance where she was cracking out some great tunes, as always.  Charcoal on paper.

Fidel Castro- The late Cuban revolutionary and president-almost-for-life.  I gave this to a Cuban friend, but I don't know if he was a fan of Fidel or not.  Acrylic on paper.

Susan Turnbull Retires.  This nurse, ST, is a style-conscious woman who nursed with my wife at the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax, NS.  Can you spot the VGH logo?  ST's parents were deaf and she grew up speaking to them in sign language, so  I put her right hand in the American Sign Language symbol for "Bye-Bye."  Her age and retirement date are also hidden in the image.  Acrylic on paper.

Well, that's a few for now.  I'll get back at this a lot sooner that the four year gap since the last one.