Shaver hill

 soft pastel 11"x14" on illustration board with acrylic pumice ground 

June - 2008

“Rosie dips her brush into the dark-green paint and makes a careful little curve with it on the wall. She does it again, and then she does it again. Jamie was right—a monkey could do this.”  This is the first paragraph from a short story by Deborah Eisenberg  - Rosie Gets a Soul.

I am not Rosie but to some degree I identify with her leap of faith. I am rooting for her. I am on her side. 

The beginning of the second paragraph: “When the green dries, Jamie will show her how to add another color, and, when that dries, another. “

In my case I  pick up all manner of shades of green pastel to shove around on the toothy acrylic pumice ground to indicate fields in diminishing summer light. The light in itself is hypnotic and all the pastels have exotic names.
Unlike Rosie I don’t need to wait for anything to dry. I can add and subtract and smear and wipe and smudge all within seconds – the fresh evening air is subtle and caressing. This plein air experience is addictive – I begin to think I have a soul!

Celsius

10 minute gesture - charcoal on manilla

Our neck of the woods is feverish – Hamilton has a temperature and the Celsius is rising. 

No it’s not social unrest. It’s called summer. I’m the patient. What to do?  I could take a Tylenol or I could go for a swim – I’ll opt for that.

Victoria pool is a 5 min bike ride to the north, Ryerson is even closer to the east – Coronation is closed for renovations  (tragic) but Dundas has a salt water pool 15 kilometres to the west. Actually this city has about 70 pools  all easily accessible   by foot bicycle bus or car. There’s even our bay front harbor, replete with geese and a swan - lake Ontario with a stretch of beach and cottages going back to the 20’s – the water is still a wee bit polluted (steel factories nearby) – I’ll put a hold on that option.  

my young jenny and her dad



and a more recent young jenny grown up

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

low light midsummer's eve

Hilda's place, concession 2 

soft pastel 11"x15 on illustration board prepared ground

I remember meeting at this place in June of 2008 early evening. There was an abundance of rhubarb which  Cathy Gibbon encouraged us to pick. The next day I made a large quantity of rhubarb sauce to have with our morning toast.

Dear neighbors to the south, have a wonderful Independence Day! You have a magnificent country which of course, you already know.