Visiting Marmora was an amazing experience. Mining in this location goes back to the 1820s, and as one hikes around the site, the idea of all this rock being moved by men and horses is mind-boggling. A photograph simply can’t do justice to the size of the open pit (now half filled with water), or … Read more
Before the snows come, I’ve decided that I want to get out for a least a couple days of rock hounding. The connection with the earth is so important within my art that, as much as I love my studio, I need to head out up to the Canadian Shield and into the bush to … Read more
Today I got to work exploring the colour potential of two different rocks I collected last year: Lemonite from Madoc and Annabergite from Cobalt. Using intervals of 100°F, samples from both rocks were put into a small kiln and held there to change their colour (this is an old, primitive process that goes back to … Read more
I worked a little today on the red earth I collected around McGinnis Lake near Peterborough. Nothing fancy; just a simple wash (to get rid of the roots, etc.), and a basic decanting to get some sense of the colour. There’s something here that’s especially interesting to me: The idea that this dirt comes from … Read more
I’m now working on the second icon of my St. Barbara series, this one will be from outside Madoc, Ontario. The colours from this location are much brighter than from Cobalt, and offer a naturally occurring yellow ochre and a beautiful Indian red. But, I’ve come to realize that I am missing a good brown … Read more
“Saint Barbara of Cobalt”
16″ x 24″
local-colour pigment; egg tempera; silver leaf; pressed wood panel.
To prepare for my first attempt in painting an icon of Saint Barbara I’ve ground the different hues I’ll be using (and a couple of mixtures, too). In the end, an entire shelf has been filled. It feels good to have this work done, but as I look at the narrow range of colours available … Read more
In life, it seems to me that there are two kinds of people: Those who eat their favourite bits of supper first, and those who save best for last. I guess I belong to the latter group, because I’ve been really enjoying the anticipation of harvesting the yellow ochre pigment that Reiner and I collected … Read more
I’ve been on trips where I spent most of my time looking for something and in the end was thankful to find it. But, yesterday I found more than I had hoped for on the first go, so Reiner and I decided to have a bit of fun and visit the Roger’s Mine. The Roger’s … Read more
Months ago, Reiner and I agreed that if there was no snow we’d head up on an early November weekend and look for colours on the Canadian Shield. As the weeks passed we decided that we would head for the town of Madoc and continued to hope that the weather would cooperate. Well the weekend … Read more