Fire Portage and Snow Vision

Fire Portage

Snow Vision

These two pieces are still wet and drying in my studio but they are finally finished. I have worked on Snow Vision for almost a year - constantly changing and playing with the light, the brushstrokes, the energy of the piece. I gave up several times and considered the painting a dud, one that just wasn't going to make it to the finished state. Then after setting it aside for months I added a few grays and the painting came to life and said exactly what it needed to say. Same thing with Fire Portage, after struggling for months with the orange, taking it out, putting it back in...I finally added some complementary grays and voila, the orange fire colour was suddenly able to speak it's firey message when surrounded by the solid neutrality of gray. I think I have fallen in love with gray, it's versatility, it's subtle beauty, it's ability to reflect and/or receive warmth and coolness. The winter sky is full of gorgeous grays that now speak of fantastic visions to paint. Isn't it remarkable how long it takes to remove our eyeglasses of assumptions and see what is directly in front of our eyes?

Playing with gray, rocks and watercolours

Here is a series of small watercolours that has emerged in the last few weeks as "thinking pieces".
They are small (5"x7") and I just love to do them. I start with washes of complimentary colours which creates
warm or cool neutrals and then draw into the wet surface with a watercolour graphite pencil. I don't know
why I have such an affinity for rock but even when I try NOT to paint rocks, they just appear out of nowhere.
I like the last one in the series, it appears as though the rock is cracking open and a light is appearing.

Longing for Light

Longing for Light

Sometimes light breaks in where it is unexpected,
finding shapes in the darkness of shadow stones
my luminous finger flows across fault line crack.

A stampeding sky horse, I gallop as a mad stallion
eight legs flying across land and water, hammering
hoof-fall a mythical rhythm of skaldic visions now.

One-eyed Gods of poetry – nothing more than lust
licking with words, as high above winged laughter
mocks blind master free of memory, void of thought.

-Jim Larwill

Tiny flame within is fed with oxygen
and bursts into a roaring blaze
Suddenly all is made clear in the
burst of light

River Truths

River Truths

A spruce hangs clinging to frozen soil:
here at this river’s bend, winter weighs
heavy with – hazardous storms of truth.

Cloudy virgin ice mirrors and mocks this
spring-doomed tree with erect visions of
youth, still straight with heavenly belief.

Soon falling storms of snow will razor wash
face of lonely branches with an ashen beard,
roots cracking like old fingers anointed at last.

-Jim Larwill

Working with a Poet

Below is one of my paintings alongside one of the many beautiful poems that the Ottawa poet, Jim Larwill has written for my paintings. It is a humbling experience to work with a poet who can look at the paintings and reflect them back in words that reveal new energies within the images. I am able to see my work more clearly with these new revelations. The paintings are somehow more complete with his lyrical words framing the images. It is a joyful thing to share the creative process with an artist of another medium, we are presently working on putting a book of images and poetry together.



Passion

A quake threatens to tumble upon a tender
meadow with an avalanche of love as fall beauty
pulls upon fractures of a root tickled hillside.

Raspberry leaves, these wind licking flames -
a burning bush torturing this grey slate rock:
heart of the mountain beats hard and steady.

Cracked teardrop tongue of stone cries for sweet artist cut;
below her glass breath sky – hearts of granite skip-a-beat.
Everywhere at once a sentinel spruce sings free - trembling.

-Jim Larwill

Coming Snowstorm

There's a snow storm coming, I can feel the stillness in my bones. There are blurry blends of warm and cool grays in the clouds, I can smell snow. Spent the day learning about glazing acrylics at the Visual Arts Center in Montreal. The glazing of acrylics intrigues me as a new medium to replace the toxic oils I am now using. I can't wait to get back in my studio and give the acrylics a try on larger canvas...have plenty of ideas brewing. Montreal Studio is a busy place these days since we have
the St-Henri Art Walk coming up and all three of us are participating. The studio is FULL of paintings, feels so alive in there!!