It was a beautiful weekend here in Conestoga! And, what with the water being low and my family looking for an adventure, we spent a good part of the day down by the river. I was looking for some of the bright Eby Ochre I’ve found in the past … but we also found clay, … 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
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
Before leaving San Diego, I had the chance to attend the True Blue exhibition currently happening at the MinGei Gallery in Balboa Park! The show explores the colour blue by categorizing works into four materials: Indigo, Turquoise, Cobalt and Lapis Lazuli. The pieces on display are all beautiful, functional, and mostly from anonymous sources, which … Read more
Yesterday I walked to visit the Sunset Cliffs … here’s a place that’s already a paint palette! The diversity of colours is amazing! I collected a couple of rocks while walking along the cliff and the beach … I think I’ll make an atlas map when I get home.
Yesterday, I had an amazing opportunity to paint with a group of Luiseño children on the La Jolla Reservation north of San Diego. For over a decade, Dr. Norrie Robbins has been running the Science Explorers Club at reservations around San Diego with the express purpose of nourishing a love of the outdoors and sharing values that protect … Read more