photography

dad

As I remember my wonderful dad seen here courting my mum in 1935 and on his retirement in 1969, and having received the most loving father’s day wishes today from my amazing children whom I love so much, I wish all the dads and granddads out there the Happiest of Father’s Days.

farewell to a hero


 
On a day when the Pacific Spirit Park sparkled in its beauty at every turn I would like to remember my amazing brother-in-law, a veteran, who left us today surrounded by his wonderful family after 98 years of a life that inspired all of us who knew him. We will miss him but his spirit will never leave us.

working with light

After a breathtakingly beautiful sunset and sky two nights ago I returned to the studio today to practice some more exercises from Tony Smibert’s “Turner’s Apprentice”.

In the chapter “Working with light” he writes, ”Learn what you can from Turner, certainly, but also study the play of light in nature, adapt what you learn and allow what you see to inspire drama within landscapes painted in your own way”.

When you see the sky from two nights ago you can see why I was inspired.

 

 

 

From Park Walk to Art Work

Pacific Spirit Regional Park I – 25.5.20

Four years ago I posted From Yardwork to Artwork and was honoured to have it featured as an Editor’s Pick on WordPress Discover, which I posted about in a day like no other.
 

Pacific Spirit Regional Park II – 25.5.20

To celebrate this special anniversary for thechangingpalettte, yesterday and today in the studio I continued to create Art Works from our daily Park Walks in the beautiful Pacific Spirit Regional Park, which as you know I have featured regularly in the last few weeks since the pandemic started with photos and paintings.

 
Here’s a look back at the post that WordPress Discover featured for those of you who may not have seen it.

From Yardwork to Artwork: The Photinia Story Part One May 24, 2016
 
photinia c
 

Photinia I 23.05.16

Today’s post is all about learning to find beauty and inspiration in the mundane chore of yard work on a holiday Monday.

photinia ix

Yesterday was Victoria Day here in Canada, the perfect time to prune the photinia and clean all of its dried leaves from the studio roof and gutter.

With the concrete cleaned and swept the afternoon was free for painting and photography in the studio with a rescued photinia branch making for the perfect subject…

 
photinia xix

and a few of the trimmed branches new tools for drawing with.

photinia ii

Now all I had to do was put the two together. What could be better than an ink drawing of the photinia created with one of its own branches?

photinia vi         photinia iv
 

Well, perhaps some additional watercolor to complete the picture…

photinia iii
 

and we’re almost there…

photinia v

So ended a very satisfying day turning the hard work of yard work into art work.

photinia x
 

to be continued…

spring tra la


 

A celebration to uplift us all of spring in our neighbourhood…

 

…and a look back six years, together with a little Gilbert and Sullivan:

 

Blossoms around the world   May 21, 2014

 

Blossoms-Provence

blossoms-Provence ii
 

Blossoms giving colour to our lives the world over.

 

treebeard


 
If you’ve read the Lord of the Rings we met Treebeard in the Pacific Spirit Park yesterday.

From Part Two: The Two Towers – The two hobbits Merry and Pippin deep in the forest found themselves “looking at a most extraordinary face. It belonged to a large Man-like, almost Troll-like, figure, at least fourteen foot high, very sturdy, with a tall head, and hardly any neck. Whether it was clad in stuff like green and grey bark, or whether that was its hide, was difficult to say”.

modern day superheroes


 
As National Nurses Week begins a chance to say thank you to a lifetime of nursing colleagues and dear friends. They are all amazing and those on the frontline everyday are true modern day superheroes.