weisserwatercolours

THIS FORMAL AND RATHER LOVELY Heritage Home in our small city (90,000) of Kamloops, B.C., (canada) is known as the Dr. M.S.Wade House.  Dr. Mark Wade was an eye, ear, and throat specialist who arrived in Kamloops in 1895. A decade later, in 1905 he built his home.  It has become a great favourite painting subject of mine . . .

Dr. M.S. Wade House

THE BASIC SHAPE OF THE HOUSE is undecorated and angular, but Wade added rich Victorian millwork and slender, turned verandah columns. Bay windows, stained glass and a wraparound verandah are lovely features to this home.

IT IS SUCH AN APPEALING SUBJECT.  The reasons for this are my enjoyment of Victorian architecture, how the many nuances of this design capture the imagination, (especially when situating the house in the midst of ‘moody’ seasonal weather), and how its present owner adds her own personal touches.  The watercolour below has been posted here, but some years ago now. . . .

‘Foggy Dew’, November, Dr. Wade Home’, watercolour, Arches 140# Cold Press Paper, 36cm 50cm (14″ x 20″), J. Potter Collection

BUT A MORE SUMMERY ONE is of a portion of the house at the very back which can be faintly seen at the far left in the painting above . . .

“Joan’s Place”, watercolour on matt board, 23cm x 31cm (9″ x 13″)

THIS WAS AN EXPERIMENTATION in depicting grasses on the almost glassy smoothness of plain old white matt board.  As a finished painting, it is so-so.  The composition suffers from there being just a bit too much grass, and how the lawn ornaments unintentionally became the subject.  Without an interesting focal point, in the end it was a helpful study in summer grasses and pines–and an instruction in what to avoid in seeking good composition (i.e. not everything in a photograph needs to be included).