Cobalt is an amazing town to visit for local colour! A century ago it had a floating population of 12,000 people living in it, mined almost 1,000 tons of silver in a single year (30,000,000 ounces), and even had the cheek to dub Toronto as, “the place where you catch the train to Cobalt”. It’s … Read more
I’ve wanted to visit the Kootenay Paint Pots since I first read about them a decade ago—and last week I did! Since a conference at the Banff Art Centre was bringing me to Alberta, I took the opportunity to cross into Kootenay National Park and visit the Paint Pots on three different occasions. Arriving in Calgary early in the … Read more
I doubt if the previous camper at the site knew that she’d been collaborating on an art project with me … Last week, my family and I headed to Eastern Ontario, in Canada, to explore the area around the village of Warsaw. While there, I went on a few pilgrimages, purposefully looking for certain local … Read more
The Dempster Highway in the Yukon is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. As it winds its way north, it would have eventually led all the way to the arctic circle (although I never quite got that far). The landscape changed with every rounded hill or crested mountain. It went from a winter wonderland with every … Read more
It’s hard to believe how much things have changed during my first week in Dawson City. When I arrived last Sunday, the Yukon River was still frozen (in fact I crossed on its ice bridge that very day …) but yesterday it broke up and is now flowing freely. Spring is coming on strong here in … Read more
Last week, I had the opportunity to work with a wonderful bunch of people out in Edmonton, Alberta in celebrating, finishing, and perhaps resurrecting Betty Spackman’s Found Wanting exhibition. I was lucky enough to attend the exhibition when it appeared at the Reach Gallery Museum in Abbotsford, British Columbia, in 2011. At that time, the … Read more
Until this year, Prince Edward Island had been one of the few provinces in Canada where I hadn’t yet gone on a local colour pilgrimage — looking for potential earth pigments in a community. The island is famous for its reds, so I was especially excited to take this trip and see the colours for myself. My … Read more
Last week I had a magical experience in San Diego … It involved beautiful people, a red landscape, and ancient tools! It was a joy to meet up again with Dr. Norrie—she is an amazing combination of child-like enthusiasm and deep knowledge! Together, we headed back up to the mountains around the La Jolla Reservation. Once again I was … Read more
As I wrote about in my previous post, my family and I spent a couple of weeks exploring northern Ontario last month. While the residency at Pukaskwa National Park was a big part of that experience, we also took the opportunity to undertake a number of local colour pilgrimages along the way. What surprised me … Read more
Earlier this month, I was invited up to Pukaskwa National Park to be their Artist in Residence, and I was pretty excited by the opportunity. I’ve always loved the landscape of Northern Ontario, and the park was welcoming to my family. So, we packed up our van for the adventure and began what my youngest … Read more