Road Trip and Celtic Cross

Celtic Cross

7x9 Sketchbook Watercolor

My desire to participate in a Plein Air event, arose from the advent of the first annual Parrsboro International Plein Air Festival, which took place in June of 2017. My husband’s mother comes from this remote part of Nova Scotia, Canada, located on the North West shore of the Bay of Fundy and we have spent two decades traveling up to visit relatives and stay in a little cottage on the shore.  Thus, when I was alerted to the PIPAF event, I just had to apply, because Parrsboro is mine. I stopped in this cemetery in New Brunswick and snapped a few photos. I love cemeteries for their garden like settings and beautiful monuments. This is my contribution to Girls Just Wanna Paint, “Not New England” challenge.               

The Girls

"The Girls" 

9x12 oil on panel

The dairy herd at Two Islands in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, one of my favorite places in the world.  Cape Blomidon is in the distance. 

I made this fit into this months Girls Just Wanna Paint challenge, which is 'Women'.  After all, dairy cows are females.

Parrsboro Changing Tide

 Parrsboro Changing Tides

6x6 oil on panel

It's that time again. 

The Girls Just Wanna Paint monthly topic is "Saved".

I saved this painting from Parrsboro for this post!

This is my second painting of the changing tide from Parrsboro.

Oh Canada

Patriotic in Parrsboro

8x8 oil on panel 
$150 
special shipping price to Canada

I only recently discovered that my Mama had a Canadian flag in her eclectic collection of this and that. I don't know where or when she acquired it but, it's mine now and I was delighted to be able to fly it off the railing at the cottage in Parrsboro. 

We do, after all, have MacDonald roots from Antigonish on my mama's, mama's side.

While racking my brain for something to paint besides water, boats and trees I suddenly hit on a novel idea. The flag!

I really enjoyed working the back and forth in the creases and I adore the RED in the Maple Leaf! 

Outside the Box

8x8 acrylic mixed media

I can finally reveal my Outside the Box piece which was great fun to do. I can't do better than this photo because of the glare on the iridescent paint. The color is much more vibrant than it shows. I drew the dragonflies and then decoupaged them on and painted them with a shimmery acrylic paint. I'll have to think of something different for next year because I want to keep everyone guessing.
By the way the closing party is tonight at North River Arts in Marshfield Hills. Be there or be square.
Don and I and the 'girls' are heading to Parrsboro, Nova Scotia tomorrow for a week. A little slice of heaven. 

Partridge Island

I really have been at the beach and working in the yard and revamping my 'home' studio. We are finally having some summer weather here, which is cause for celebration. My favorite place to go is the seawall about a mile from my house, where I can sit and watch the world go by and of course, my car is right there so if I need anything ...... This watercolor was done in Nova Scotia.

Parrsboro Pine WC 8x10

Parrsboro Pine
8x10

This spruce has been standing on the edge of the lawn at the cottage in Parrsboro for the last 12 years but when Don and I arrived there this year, no more tree! There were such violent Ocean storms that the erosion this winter was heavier than usual. I did this watercolor last October when I was up there. Glad I caught this magnificent tree, then. I love this place.

Gone 6x6

Click to bid

We spent the past week in Nova Scotia and my wireless card would not connect at either of the available sites, even after considerable time working in control panel connections. Nada. I received an error message that, yes, I the signal was there, but my computer couldn't connect. Whatever. It works perfectly fine here at home. Wirelessly. Anyway, despite poor weather including pouring rain, thunder, fog, mist and wind, it was glorious, and I painted several paintings. Here is the view from the cottage at low tide. Overcast clouds with some rays coming through. I had to work to see the color, as this scene is very monochromatic and the light glares off the wet sand.

Joy's Cottage 8x10

This cottage belonged to 3 sisters, one of whom died two summers ago. Her name was Joy and everyone who knew her said her name described her perfectly. I think of her spirit being here when I paint this little cottage. I will mention also, that the photo does not do justice. Like reproductions in art books, the computer monitor doesn't give the depth of seeing the real painting and some works photograph better than others. I need to tweak this just a touch, but for now it's up for all to see.

Parrsboro Red Rocks 6x6 oil

I can only describe this place as ‘magical’. The colors are amazing and since I think my viewers might not believe they are true, I included my reference photo. My friends and I enjoyed a spectacular adventure to Cape d’Or yesterday on a perfect Fall day. It was sunny and warm. We were so overwhelmed by the landscape that we didn’t get to paint. Today is raining so we are painting out the windows.

Parrsboro Pine Study 6x8

This is a late afternoon study of the trees outside the cottage window, from my trip to Parrsboro. I also included a detail. I'm feeling better about painting trees these days. I hope everyone is enjoying the summer. I am ;)

Picnic Tables and Lupine W/C 7x9

I sat on a small bluff next to our cottage and painted this watercolor looking towards the Pier which would be just slightly to the right of this frame. I think of this as more of a study, to grab some color notes and some practice on the spot. The little cottage with the red shutters is just a doll house and looks out over a large patch of Lupine to the Lighthouse. The view from my previous post, which I shot from behind this Lupine, is behind me. Heaven.

Parrsboro

I'm in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia for two weeks. Got here late last Monday night and so far have done at least one painting each day. Yesterday I painted a couple of watercolors outside fighting the blackflies which bit me numerous times. Thank heaven for spray benadryl. If one must know why I would plan my Nova Scotia vacation for the last two weeks of June, when the weather's iffy and the blackflies are biting it's because of the lupine which blooms profusely this time of year only. Sunday I donned my bug jacket which completely covers my face and upper body and set up to do a painting at Two Islands. There are no serviceable photos of the paintings yet but I thought I'd share the lupine. An addendum to this post is that I have to come to the Fundy Geological Museum to connect and I didn't get this post up last Friday as I'd hoped. They were closing and I only had the draft prepared. Didn't feel like spending time indoors either Saturday or Sunday so today I had to come over and put up the post. If you want a quiet vacation, this is the place.

Study at Two Islands

I've held this post back hoping to get a better photo but since Monday, July 2nd, when I arrived at my studio to find that 16 studios, including mine had been broken into, their doors pried open with a crow bar, I've been scrambling to visit several possible new studio sites. Our building was recently sold and zoned for condos, so the writing, as 'they' say, was on the wall. Nothing was missing or damaged that I can detect but it was upsetting to find my lock repaired, as best it could be. The building has never been completely secure, but we've had no real trouble and I've never been afraid there. Most of our intruders were homeless cats and kittens which ended up being taken in by group members, and neighborhood kids skateboarding in the hallways at night. So, this is the photo I'm going with. I will say that any painting I ever saw in with my own eyes, looked better than the best photo of it.