Dreaming of Nova Scotia and the day was a 10

The house on the hill

Acrylic on canvas

8 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 

I spent the day painting, and once again nothing is finished enough to
share. Today, the 10th was a perfect 10.  I painted a sweet model's
portrait and had delightful conversations in the process.

I am dreaming rather a lot about Nova Scotia, and this painting is
in some ways symbolic of our travels there.  We own a one room school
house in Nova Scotia, with an attic -- which is where we sleep. And we 

love it there.

I expressed my tenderness for Nova Scotia in a former blog:

"When you love a place the way we love Nova Scotia,
and travel there by car -- certain landmarks
help you know you've arrived.  This house is one of
them for me.  You see it coming along Highway
6, the Sunrise Trail, from Amherst.  It's at the top
of a hill, and it appears over the brilliant green of
summer grass. When we see it we know we'll be
there in 10 kilometres.

This year I photographed it frantically as we drove
by, and then when I was painting it the angle was
different than my mind's image, so I wasn't clear
that it was "the house."  Driving by another day,
I thought, "that's the house in my painting, oh and
the house on the hill." 

This is it.  A simple white farmhouse. Those
white buildings set against vivid green grass,
and blue, or scowling grey skies might as well be
the fans waving flags at the finish line of a race at the
end of our 2,000 kilometre (1,242 mile) journey.
They say, "lucky you!  You've made it to Nova Scotia
again."

Light influences everything we paint.  In our part of a

Nova Scotia the sand is a coppery red.  The colour
changes wildly with the time of day, and many of the
roads and paths are the same colour.  That was my
ground and it wanted to pop through here and there, 
so I let it." 

Don't worry Nova Scotia, we're coming back.  Just
not sure when.

Have a loving your life day!