Symeon 
This week we had an ice storm come through our region. In Conestoga, everything got covered in a layer of ice—the roads, the trees, and the hydro lines—which meant that we were without power for a day (and we were lucky, many people didn’t have electricity for three or four days). While a lot of … Read more
Some years ago, an American friend considered the map of Canada I had on my studio wall. Into this map, I had pushpins marking the different places where I had collected local colours. Given that almost all the pins were along the Canadian/US border, he noted that I hadn’t been very far north y I’m … Read more
The highlight of last week was freezing my hands harvesting woad in the snow, but this week I’m likely to get sunburned—I’m in Tampa, Florida! I’m here to present the Atlas of Canada’s Local Colours at the Soil Science Society of America’s International Annual Meeting. It’s a large conference which brings together scientists studying agronomy, … Read more
It’s been a colourful couple of days for me … Red, green, blue, and black have all come walking into my studio over the weekend! I recently visited Robert Hall Originals in St. George, Ontario to check out some possible pigment-able rocks (which I recently heard about). While Robert’s storefront is full of fine specimens … Read more
My little flock of chickens has been without a rooster for almost two months now … but not anymore! This weekend my son and I happened past Sonja and Greg Oakes’ farm outside Elora, Ontario, and we dropped by to see if there was a chance of remedying the situation. After a tour of the farm, Greg … Read more
A couple of weeks ago I got an email from my friend Reiner that he had found “what must be the best glauconite in Ontario”. Glauconite is the mineral that gives green-earth its colour, and the chance to find a good source here in Ontario was very exciting. So, last week, on a gorgeous fall … Read more
Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to visit the Vermillion Bluffs, outside of Princeton, in British Columbia. Members of the Rock Lovers Pitstop suggested, organized, and facilitated the trip. Together we headed out early from Abbotsford and arrived in Princeton by 9am. After parking the vehicles, our hike began with walking an old train tunnel that … Read more
This weekend I got to work preparing the pigment I collected along the Conestogo River for use as paint. A number of things came together to make this happen—An unexpected, free day; a couple road-side wooden skids; and the clarity that comes with a little bit of inspiration. And, I had help … LOTS of … Read more
One of the things I look forward to each year is revisiting the Conestogo River after the spring torrents have washed its banks. I never know what I’ll find as the waters reshape the river’s boarder revealing new veins of colours (and burying others). Yesterday my son and I were delighted to find a new, … Read more
A chance encounter put me on an irrational trail yesterday … and it’s been a lot of unjustifiable fun. While visiting the Art Gallery of Peterborough, I asked the opinion of the only other person in the exhibition, Theresa. That conversation led to others, and it was a great talk which inspired. Since we had … Read more