Walking in the Pacific Spirit Park on a rainy Saturday afternoon and enjoying the beauty of nature’s “canvases”, which never fail to inspire, as these mossy, craggy tree trunks did today.
Pacific Spirit Park
pacific spirit reflections
Pacific Spirit Park – 8.7.20
Today’s watercolor was inspired by a photograph I took in the park four years ago and about which I wrote, “one of my favourites for a long time and looks to me like a painting in the making.”
So…better late than never. You can see the original photo together with a few more from one of our favourite trails here: spring forward fall back.reflections on the 4th of July
Pacific Spirit Park reflections today and some reflections on the 4th of July.
On today’s Independence Day for dear family and friends across the border I clearly need to educate myself more about their history this 4th of July, particularly after watching last night’s demonstration on Mt Rushmore and seeing the film of the stage show Hamilton last night. Saying “Happy Fourth of July” this year can only be said in the context of hoping for the change that’s needed in the year ahead.
the greenhouse quartet
The Green House Quartet
The Barcelona Opera House reopened yesterday with a concert by the UceLi Quartet to the hall filled with potted plants on each seat. The plants will be given to local health care workers to say thank you for all their efforts throughout the pandemic. A wonderfully inspiring story in which the word greenhouse was never more meaningful. This second image imagines the quartet playing in one of my Pacific Spirit Park paintings.
The Pacific Spirit Quartet.
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.
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 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
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
shadowland
From yesterday’s Pacific Spirit Park reflections to today’s shadows.
Pacific Spirit Reflection
A moment to be shared, I’m sure you would agree.
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”.
