Painting like mad

Today I've been painting since I finished my first coffee. I've been working
with a wonderful model and I'm greatly inspired. Guess what? Yes. It's snowing
again. My client this afternoon couldn't stay because it was snowing -- she
broke her leg four months ago, and is afraid of falling on the ice that still
gilds our streets. This is one of my paint egg cartons
(that's acrylic). I work with three of these plus about 100 tubes
at the moment. The abstract is a test piece of paper I
use to see if the colour is what I need. The little painting
is a later version of the fruit study from last week, and there's
a detail of a figure I'm working on.

Have an ingenious day.

Apologies in order

My brother, who lives down a country lane in Ottawa, in defense of my mother who lives down another country lane in Ottawa, thinks I was a bit harsh about winter in the country the other day. I'm sorry. I wouldn't enjoy living in the country in winter full time. But I know many people who do happily, and for them whatever the difficulties, the view, clean air and lifestyle are worth it. I guess I'm unusually lucky, because four days a week in winter I get to work on a 700 acre nature reserve north of Toronto, and it is undeniably in the country. I love seeing osprey (gone now for the winter) and crows, geese, ducks, and birds of every variety just walking to the building I work in at Seneca College's King Campus. So I get my country hit.

And I know it isn't the same at all as living the country life.
Forgive me Andrew (my brother from the same mother).

These pictures were taken in a little slice of country -- the huge park
near my house. Have a delightful day!

Universal Notes

Today when I walked in the door from a trip to Ikea, a package was waiting on the hall table: a CD of the Notes from the Universe. Mike Dooley is one of the people associated with The Secret. I don't know if you're a fan or not, but I've been interested in the concept of affirmations for years, so I think it's great if more people learn how to think positively. Anyway, Mike Dooley sends out a message free every week day called Notes from the Universe. Go to http://www.tut.com/ to subscribe. These cheery, funny, wonderful notes are in my email every morning, and make a great start to the day. I also discovered that Mike has a fine voice, and an appealing unassuming manner.

One of the things he suggests you do is make a dream board of things you would like to be, do, or have. This house on Lake Ontario in Toronto's beach area is a "thing" I would love to own.
I could see the lake every day, and it looks like I'd have lots of room for a studio. I'm painting all day, so have to go now to pick up my model. Have a creative day!

Snow again

Once again it's snowing. It's become a wry joke here --"Oh--what do you know -- it's snowing!" Exhausted chuckle all round, and then back to the shovels, or snowblowers.

Here's a picture I took the other day, of an abandoned bike. Ironically the high icy snowbank imprisoning the bike is in front of a luxurious wall of Ivy.
It reminds me of one winter semester when I was going to the University of Guelph that I decided to live in the country. I rented a farm with five guys just outside of town. The plan was pitched, I remember as a romantic, Utopian idyll -- back to nature. The guys resembled the men in the movie Knocked Up, only not quite as funny -- a collection of lonely, nerdy guys. Entertainment -- none.
The bedroom I slept in had a thick layer of living cluster flies sandwiched between the ceiling drywall and the rafters. The only heat came from a kerosene heater in the living room, which smelled and smoked. The snow plough failed to arrive on time to clear the long, picturesque lane every other day when we were all trying to get to class, and I was the only cook -- and not a good one. After about a month of freezing to the hum of an orchestra of one million flies, I fled the farm, with a clear resolve never to return.

Say what you want about the city. I do. Complain about city drivers. I do. But I would much rather spend the winter in this town, than down any country lane.

Have a cozy day wherever you are.

Valentine's revisited

I'm sitting at my desk next to the most luscious white roses in a glass vase.
For Valentine's Day Steven promised to buy me flowers every week for
the whole year. Some puritan, practical voice inside me said, "No -- that's way too much."

But when the voice jumped out into the super decorated kitchen
at our Valentine's dinner with Steven and Sam (our youngest),
Steven pretended his heart was broken. Under the dollar store strings of shiny red cupids, and the looping shiny red hearts over the kitchen cabinets, I faux pas -ed. So...this week he kept his promise and bought me a bouquet of Ontario grown white roses. My flower store friend, Lyn assured him the local flowers were better than those flown across the world from Paraguay --"fresher," she said.

What a treat. Have a beautiful day!
Pictures -- 1. In the Avenue Road flower shop. 2. The flowers on my desk (there are more in the kitchen).

To see the sea

Hi there,

Today we went down to the sea -- well Lake Ontario to be exact, but the high waves rolled in and burst in sparkling spray on the rocks, just like they do at the sea. It was absolutely lovely. We took the dogs, Zoey, and Josephine's Ziggy (Zoey's sister) and Brody, (Ziggy's stepsister). What fun! Cold -- but fun. That's Zoey in the blue coat, with Brody.

Take a break

This picture of our friend Phil with Deby and Phil's baby dogs sums up relaxation.