Covid-19

“perfect happiness”

June 22, 2020Art, Uncategorized#stay-home, Art, Bhutan, Covid-19, gratitude, shelter in place, Tiger's Nest, travel, watercolor, Wordpress bloggerAndrew Seal View all 5 comments

Prayer flags at Tiger’s Nest, Bhutan

My way of saying thank you to Kelly who has treated us to her trip to Bhutan on her wonderful blog Compass and Camera, which she has posted every day since we all started sheltering in place, with her wish to add “a bit of light to the darkness as we get through the pandemic together.”

The title perfect happiness is explained in Kelly’s post yesterday Tiger’s Nest, Bhutan, which I recommend everyone should read and enjoy.

Thank you Kelly for lighting our darkness these past few months.

America weeps…

May 31, 2020drawing, Uncategorizedblack lives matter, Covid-19, drawing, enough, George Floyd, I can't breath, justice, protest, Statue of Liberty, walk with usAndrew Seal Leave a comment

…and the world weeps with you.

From Park Walk to Art Work

May 25, 2020Painting, Photo Essay, photography, Uncategorized#discoverWP, Art, Art studio, charcoal drawing, Covid-19, drawing, learning, Pacific Spirit Park, photography, postaday, watercolor, WordPress, Wordpress bloggerAndrew Seal View all 4 comments

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 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.

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…

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

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?

Well, perhaps some additional watercolor to complete the picture…

and we’re almost there…

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

to be continued…

Blowin’ in the Wind

May 24, 2020Uncategorized, videoBlowin' in the Wind, Bob Dylan, Covid-19, Pacific Spirit Park, videoAndrew Seal View all 5 comments

Today is Bob Dylan’s birthday. He was born on May 24,1941. He wrote Blowin’ in the Wind in 1962 with lyrics that seem as relevant today as the times they were written for.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, ’n’ how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, ’n’ how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind

The wind blowing in the Pacific Spirit Park Regional Park, Vancouver.

Happy Birthday Mr Dylan

return to venice

May 22, 2020Painting, Studio 365, Uncategorized365, Art, Art studio, Covid-19, Italy, journal, Pen and Ink, photography, travel, Venice, watercolorAndrew Seal One comment

Venice 22.5.20

Five years ago today I was also in a Venice frame of mind.

Studio 365: Day 142 22.5.15

Venice study I 22.5.15

Painting this watercolour and ink sketch in the studio this afternoon allowed me to re-visit our magical trip to Venice in July 1999, a visit documented in a precious journal that I kept throughout our Italian travels that year.

Pacific Spirit Reflection

May 20, 2020photography, UncategorizedCovid-19, family, Pacific Spirit Park, reflectionsAndrew Seal View all 2 comments

A moment to be shared, I’m sure you would agree.

together apART

May 17, 2020Art, Uncategorized#Nova Scotia Strong, Art, Art studio, Canada Strong, canadian snowbirds, Covid-19, family, love, social distancing, together apart, watercolorAndrew Seal View all 2 comments

What could be better than spending time in the studio virtually with my beautiful artist granddaughter today.

Together apart takes on a whole new meaning.

Sadly whilst we were in the studio word came of the crash of one of the Canadian Snowbird planes with the loss of life of one of its team members, Captain Jenn Casey. This heartbreaking news comes as they have been crossing Canada to pay tribute to those fighting Covid-19. I send my heartfelt condolences to her grieving family and to all of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds team. I would like to dedicate my Kite Under The Rainbow painted today to Captain Casey’s memory. 🇨🇦

Canada Strong. Nova Scotia Strong

back to the future

May 16, 2020Studio 365, Uncategorized, Weekly Photo Challenge365, Covid-19, photography, postaday, tulipsAndrew Seal View all 6 comments

The tulips featured in Canada Remembers have taken on a renewed beauty in their final hour.

My post from five years ago today looks remarkably similar

Studio 365: Day 136 May 16, 2015

As these glorious deep purple petals fall away revealing the pistils, styles and stamens that have been enveloped so protectively and majestically in the flowers core, these tulips seem to have taken on a renewed beauty in their final hour.

need for color

May 14, 2020Art, UncategorizedArt, Art studio, bouquet, Covid-19, National Nurses Week, watercolorAndrew Seal One comment

The need for a little colour in the studio today with this bouquet from the imagination, with thanks as always to our frontline healthcare workers and of course all our nurses as we come to the end of nurses week.

social distancing – what’s that?

May 9, 2020photography, UncategorizedCovid-19, On the move, photography, postaday, social distancing, The Daily Post, travel, Waterloo StationAndrew Seal View all 4 comments

I thought I would repost this from six years ago today when if you had asked someone what “social distancing” meant they might have thought you were referring to how essential having First Class travel was on British Rail so that one didn’t have to sit with the riffraff in Second Class. Now, here we are six years later and the meaning couldn’t be clearer.

On The Move To Waterloo May 9, 2014