To hell with Winter . . .
January 26, 2012
Actually, I’m joking. I’m a winter person through and through! This is the Season when I thrill at the photos of my favourite bloggers on ‘WordPress’, whose will is such that they are out there when the pale sun is orangey and the naked trees throw indigo and mauve stripes on the lapis snow. The lone leaf clinging yet to the branch moves me. The icicle tear surrounding a burnt-sienna rosehip speaks of life still sparking inside that crystal casing. Winter is the freezing of time–everything locked in icy suspension while we stand dazzled on chilled mornings over what happened as we slept.
A week ago it was -37C (with the wind chill factored in). Our pipes froze and plumbers had to repair them. The bird feeders were so busy, I had to tend them twice a day. And yet. And yet. And yet I knew even as we risked frostbite to walk our little Bichon dog, Elmo, that under all that concrete ground there were bulbs not only surviving, but actually thriving. The red maple in our yard is busy plumping up its buds. Things are happening, though for humans, an hour out there with little protection is a cruel fate.
But here’s to Summer, in the midst of Winter. Here’s to what I can’t wait to tend to when my favourite Season ends and the growing Season begins.
"Peace"
weisserwatercolours 
I did…except heading home..everybody was leaving for the province so hitching a ride from the gym was awful..
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How sweet to hear this, Jen. I hope you will have an exquisite day today.
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Exquisite!
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I’m still absorbed in your interesting site! The closest I came was living in Halifax after resisting the draft in 1968. That to me felt exotic enough–after New York– much less moving that much further East to Pasadena. But reading your accounts, I kind of wish I had. Instead, I ended up in Toronto (frown).
Thank you very much for visiting me!
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Absolutely love the Peace painting! Just gorgeous!
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Beautiful!
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I was directed here by Jane of High River Arts and so glad I was! I love your work, including your writing reflections! I will be visiting as often as I can!
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I am getting alot of enjoyment from your site! Thank you for your very encouraging words here today.
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I love the painting of the roses in the “to hell with winter entry. your work is so vibrant, yet delicate.
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Your site is full of design ideas and gorgeous rooms–thank you for your words of encouragement, Mona!
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I love your watercolour technique and the colour palettes are stunning!! I can’t wait to see more of your work!!
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Very kind of you to always give me a nice lift, Francina!
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stunning painting indeed! unbelievable how fine all the details. Ciao, Francina
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What a beautiful painting… The blue butteerfly fascinated me. I love paintings… Thank you, with my love, nia
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Thank you very much–it means a lot after seeing your gorgeous photos! As for winter . . . I get your drift (pun intended)
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Love the painting–really beautiful.
As for winter…eh, not so much. I do typically get out in the snow a few times each season, but there’s been virtually no opportunity to do that this year.
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I’m enjoying your poetry and your thoughts on ‘falling from grace’, and I am very pleased you’ve taken the time to come by here. Thank you very much for your words to me.
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Eloquently written. Loved the sensations and imagery your words wrought in my mind and soul. Lovely thoughts. Thanks for sharing!
much love
Celeste
Thanks for your visit to my corner. 🙂
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You are always so generous in your remarks. The ‘one brush stroke’, or ‘single wash’ approach is certainly not shared by all watercolourists. Many scorn the notion as ‘old school’. However, one of the finest ‘contemporary Impressionists’ (in my opinion) is John Yardley. If you ‘google’ him, you’ll see how he rarely overlays washes. He pre-mixes his washes and lays them all down in one, decisive stroke. It gives his work an immediacy and freshness that is alive and vibrant. He also masterfully uses the whiteness of the paper to show contrast. The man used to be a banker, then switched suddenly to become a watercolourist! His paintings show that inner daring. Few are so courageous as to change profession from security to walking the high wire (smile)!
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These are so beautiful. I am learning so much by viewing your works. The roses are so lovely, soft and delicate. I love how you create pieces that draw the viewer in. I feel I want to join those roses in their peace and reverie. One brush stroke..I’m hooked!
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lol – you’re teaching me so much, how can I not keep coming back!
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I’ve just been enjoying ‘bad boys’ and your artist friend’s rendering of them. That to me is what art is all about–capturing the essence, transmitting the ineffable. And your appreciation of these roses makes me feel happy. My watercolour mentor told me that the ultimate goal is to lay down one’s washes in one stroke, so the paper shimmers through that single blush of paint.
The impulse is to always correct–to go back in and just . . . . but with these roses I confined myself to one brush-stroke per petal. The exception was the rose in the upper right. I just couldn’t resist trying to improve things and you can tell that it is slightly less transparent in the centre than the others.
That’s why watercolour is the most challenging of the mediums, because it demands great confidence and judgement and forethought. I believe the Japanese and Chinese are the most judicious in their use of pigment.
See? You write one or two short sentences and I have to supply whole paragraphs in reply. I think my watercolour mentor would sigh over that habit, too! Thank you so much for your interest, Jane.
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Although these are roses, there is something very different in how you paint these compared to your landscapes or is that just my imagination? These are incredibly delicate looking!
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oh my god, I simply can’t get my head around the down under seasons and that your roses are now in full bloom! I absolutely have to experience that once in my life. Yes, I have three rose bushes–this one (‘Peace’) and one called ‘Pretty Lady’ and another called ‘Livin’ Easy’. They are currently wrapped in burlap and surrounded by a thick layer of straw to hold the snow in. Snow is their blanket. Their enemy in winter is wind.
You are so generous. And I hope all is well there, magsx2!
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You are very talented–and how I enjoy that photo of the storks nesting! It is really amazing to see such a clear photo of birds I’ve never seen up close. I am reading a novel called “Cutting For Stone”, set in Addis Ababa, and about surgeons and Ethiopia at the time of the Emperor. I believe I read somewhere that you are yourself a surgeon? This is a really good read, Dr. Ho. Thank you very much for your good words.
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Thanks for visiting my blog. Your watercolours are wonderful. Although my family members are true artists, I am best with a camera. I’m glad you have enjoyed my work.
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Hi,
Gorgeous roses, I love the colour, especially the pale yellow around the edges of roses themselves with a touch of pale pink going darker to the middle, I can almost smell the fragrance, beautiful, the butterfly is a lovely touch.
Are these roses from your own garden? Some roses here in OZ are in full bloom at the moment, but every rose is in full colour in September here (Spring).
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I am enjoying your blog a great deal–there is so much there to view. Thank you for your compliments.
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Lovely!
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