Journal

Autumn 2007

This year during my Autumn painting I stayed in a beautiful cottage on Clovelly Point ,Lake of Bays. The cottage was at the water's edge with an arc of french doors. It was unusually mild fall weather. In the mornings I usually painted the stillness of the lake waters with reflections.By mid afternoon the light was good on the far shore of the Oxtongue Rapids and the colours were just right. It was exciting to paint the energy of the moving water without attention to detail. There was such an array of colour and shapes in leaves, rocks and trees. The sound of the rushing water seemed very much apart of me as I painted. I enjoyed painting a path to the lake at Arrowhead. The sun was brilliant and the colours were ablaze.

Late August, 2007

I was invited to Lynn’s and Paul's beautiful new cottage with a spectacular view of Lake Rosseau. They have collected my work for years and I was pleased to get to know them more and to see my paintings all about on the soft yellow walls.

Together we explored Lake Rosseau for subject matter. They dropped me off at an island with an exciting view and promised to come back for me after several hours. I had told them my story of the marina at Twelve Mile Bay Road taking me out years ago to an island on the open waters of Georgian Bay and forgetting me until late into the night. They did some exploring and found another set of beautiful small islands linked by causeways . I spent hours here in perfect stillness.

Mid August, 2007

I took a painting trip to Lake Joseph in beautiful summer weather. My friends took me out to the Three Sisters Islands. I set up my easel on one island and had a great composition of the other two in the afternoon light. The next day I returned to capture the early morning light. Later I painted along the spectacular shoreline at Point Ideal and I hiked into the birch woods at Seabreeze on Lake of Bays. It was magical with the lake breezes blowing through the sunlit birches while I painted the distant shore islands.

The distant shoreline and cluster of Birches near the church on Dwight Beach Road made an interesting composition. On Osborne Point Road I painted a small island in the morning stillness. I enjoy the dramatic Lake of Bays shoreline here.

July 2007

I met Martha and Susan in Harbour Island last winter. I gave them an art demonstration of how I paint in pure shape with no drawing. Susan invited me to come to her summer home on Squirrel Island off the coast of Maine in mid July. I reached the island by boat from Boothbay Harbor and I was immediately enthralled . There were no automobiles, no cell phones in public places, and narrow sidewalks all about the island. Fields of wild roses led down to a small cove full of colourful boats. My room with a view in Susan's wonderful house had surf pounding on the rocks below. We painted the cove, the boats and the small white church.

I returned to the mainland and another boat took me to Monhegan Island - an hour and a half journey from Boothbay Harbor. I had heard this island was a real attraction for artists, including Edward Hopper and Jamie Wyeth. Sure enough there were artists all about with their easels as I walked to my hotel; Again,there were no automobiles. There was a beautiful harbour and dories pulled up to fishing huts, gardens, cliffs, and the light house high above. There were compositions everywhere and tranquility.

The first morning I climbed to the light keeper's house in the early morning. I joined two artists who had already set up. As we painted they told me about the island, the history and the artists who come here. I returned at different times of the day and different lighting. I enjoyed close ups of dories and the fish huts, a white sea captain's house and white dory and the harbour itself. I painted a colourful garden with poppies and blue clematis and the distant lighthouse. A doorway with roses and poppies near the sea and another garden with large poppies. I ate local seafood, lobster rolls. I even went to a talent night at the church one night. I spent the last night with an old friend Sue at her summer home in Boothbay Harbor looking out to the ocean. We reminisced about Harbour Island and the Ocean View hotel and enjoyed a seafood dinner she had made. We looked at art galleries the next day.

Late July, 2007

When I returned to Toronto I became involved in opposing a proposed lakefront development at the foot of Neville Park. A 5 story condo is proposed instead of the existing 4 single dwellings. Many trees will be taken down including 8 large oaks. This is an R-1 conservation area and it will be a great loss as well as setting a precedent for further lake front development. I painted the scene as it exists now and felt a great sense of connection to the beauty of this lake front setting. I have donated the painting for fundraising to fight this development. It will be a limited edition print with all proceeds going to the fight.

May and June 2007

I devoted much of May and June to my oil painting in my studio. It was exciting. I worked larger than ever. I found that it was natural for me to work in a large scale. My largest oil ( 4 feet x 5 feet) is a mixture of summer flowers: roses, delphinium, columbine and daisies. The 3'x5' canvases include white roses, burgundy and pink roses and red field poppies. In May I painted Blue iris and white Iris in Oil. Also I painted a watercolour of white iris and a still life with yellow and blue iris. I did a series of paintings in jam jars.

April 2007

I gathered spring flowers, tulips, daffodils and narcissus. I worked in both oil and watercolour. "Spring Gathering" is a 36" x 48" oil. I enjoyed the using strong vibrant colour in my first spring florals. It was good to work with the first spring colours, the yellow and red striated tulips. the whites and soft yellows and reds in large watercolour.

March 2007

I continued to paint Caribbean images in oil, excited by the great response there to my work in oils of roosters, fishermen, school children . One of my favorite images is a little girl with a pink bow.

I did my spring workshops in my new home and studio. I had 46 different students over 4 days. The method I teach - shape painting - is good for both advanced and beginning students. I especially enjoyed seeing people who had never painted being able to see shapes and create great studies immediately.