Week 18: A is For . . .

Debby

I was stuck for a topic this week, and frustrated with the blank canvas on my tabletop easel. So this week, A is for Art, or the absence of art, as the case may be. I’ve stepped away from decades of creating abstract art and have tried my hand at some realism.

It’s all Chuck Black’s fault. He’s a 32 year old landscape and wildlife painter from Montana who has a plethora of art videos on YouTube. I tried a couple of landscapes but was not satisfied. Why not try a more abstract approach I thought.

Then I discovered Scott Naismith. He’s a young Scottish landscape artist who is known for his bright colours and abstract approach. Again, I became addicted to YouTube.

I think I need to experiment with all that I have learned to find my own style. What used to work for me doesn’t seem to work any more. I’m waiting for inspiration, and hope the blank canvas doesn’t stay blank much longer.

Carol

Yeah, I went for the obvious with this one. A is for apples.

At first I was going to go to the grocery store and either take a picture of the produce section or buy a variety of apples and pose them artistically to take my picture. But I had a few apples that needed to be used up and I had some little frozen tart shells in the freezer so ….

Apples usually make me think of the fall, not summer, but in this case I was willing to make an exception. :-D

Week 17: Bridges

Debby

In 2013 our local hospital had a fundraiser called Love Locks. They sold gold coloured locks to be attached to a bridge, built over a small creek in a downtown park. The concept was based on a scene from a movie set in Paris. The characters placed locks on a chain on the bridge balustrade, for love, for memory, for hope.

I purchased a lock for each of my children, as this campaign coincided with the 10th anniversary of their father’s death. The locks were engraved “To Dad” with their name. My daughter placed hers on the bridge, my son placed his out on his property.

This was my first visit to the bridge and I was surprised with the variety of locks, not all, sadly, purchased through the hospital. I never hear any news that this is an ongoing fundraiser, maybe because it was not a big money maker. But I like the idea, and may one day add a lock of my own.

Carol

I think I acquired my love of bridges (the older the better) when I was a kid. One of the parks we used to visit up north had an old wood and stone bridge spanning a slow moving river. We’d cross it to the oak trees on the other side, search for acorns, and on the way back stop in the middle of the bridge to make wishes, tossing the acorns into the water.

That bridge has long since been replaced with something more modern, but I’ll always cherish the memory. There just seems to be something inherently romantic about old bridges, don’t you think?

I took a couple of different bridge pictures, one was metal and spanned a wide river, one was small and wooden, spanning a dry river bed, and finally I settled on the following bridge. It’s not big or important, it only spans the nearby creek, but it serves its purpose with character.

Week 16: Fences

Debby

What’s that old saying...something about good fences make good neighbours?

I’ve seen a number of different style of fencing from the natural cedar hedge to tall wooden structures. There’s the unappealing chain link and the old fashioned wrought iron.

One of my favourites is a fence made from split rails. They don’t offer much in the line of privacy, nor are they going to keep intruders out, but they have an appealing old country look.

This photo was taken at a country house, far off the beaten path. The gardens, once lovely, had been left to grow wild for the past year. Still, this little corner held some appeal. I don’t know my flowers so the name of this shrub escapes me. But doesn’t it still have some beauty, even as it stands dry and colourless?

Carol

When I was a kid we owned a big chunk of property behind our house and my mother had a humungous vegetable garden that was bordered on one side by a split rail fence. I always loved that fence. So naturally I thought of that fence when I received this week’s picture topic.

There were several interesting fences around my neighborhood, including a white picket fence that I chose not to try and photograph because of the children playing behind it. How sad that you have to take these things into consideration these days.

I guess the split rail fence has gone out of fashion because the one I had intended to take a picture of, just around the corner from us, has been replaced by a wrought iron fence. It’s still an attractive addition to the garden on either side of it, but it seems to be more of a formal, elegant fence without the charm of the split rail.

Week 15: Oh, Canada!

Debby

The July 1st holiday was always a joke around my house. My parents were both born in the U.S. and were naturalized Canadians, along with my sister and I. My brother having the privilege to be born here.

But as July 1st was also Mom’s birthday it was an ongoing joke that Canada celebrated her birthday every year in such a boisterous way.

It’s been so hot this week that I admit to being a ‘shut-in’ as the heat and I do not do so well. So I confess that I did not take this week’s photo, but it was taken from a phone.

My son was camping and sent me a series of photos and this one seemed perfect for this weeks theme. A chair with the Canadian Maple Leaf, on the edge of a lake, blue skies, sunshine and the Canadian countryside. Oh Canada indeed.

Carol

When I first came up with the idea of something Canadian for this week I kind of envisioned something in celebration of Canada Day, like our local waterfront festival or the fireworks or an artful display of Canadian flags.

However, I didn’t see any of the local colour, we went to Toronto for the weekend. Furthermore, I was armed with a brand new camera so most of the pictures I took were done using it. I mean seriously, would it have killed me to take at least one picture of the CN tower with my phone?

While I didn't have a lot of pictures to choose from, there were a few interesting ones of street murals, and the interior of a couple of restaurants we visited. There were also a couple taken during shopping expeditions.

What could be more Canadian than a flock of Canadian geese, especially the ones in flight in the Eaton’s Centre, one of Canada’s most iconic shopping malls?