Rising Mallard From a Farm Pond

Mallards are known as "common" wild ducks. Still, they are as beautiful as any. Their distinctive markings set them apart from all others, especially the 'curly feather' between the dark back and light tail. I'm also assured that the Mallard is the only duck that sports such a curly feather. And who could miss that iridescent green head and white ring around the neck. Bird lovers tell me that the less colorful female identifies the male by the beautiful elongated marine blue patches on the wings adjacent to the body. They are beautiful in a flock but when you can focus your complete attention on a single male rising from a farm pond or 'slough' you get to appreciate the totality of its magnificent features. The cattle fence by this pond reminds me that it was painted at one of my favorite trekking grounds, the King's Meadow Marsh at Windsor, Nova Scotia.

Hot Oysters on the Half-Shell

I just thought that I should show you a photo of opened oysters on a plate as they appear after being opened and cooked in a micro wave oven. In the glass is Canadian Rye Whiskey - not that the oysters need anything to help them slide down! That's just a little added pleasure for the occasion. It might be a good subject for a still life painting BUT, the oysters never seem to stay around long enough to be painted! There are only three of the four left here, and the others soon followed the first one down the hatch.

South Cove Oysterman

Jim Crawford has the 'Dept. of Fisheries Oyster Lease' for the cove where our home is situate on Cape Breton's Loch Bras d'Or. He 'rakes' oysters from the bottom and sorts them on a counter affair laid across the boat. In some coves, he dives for them, using snorkeling equipment. In this painting, he is close to our shoreline. We've become friends over the years and he sometimes steps ashore and walks up the field with a bucketful of oysters for Lauren and me. He taught us how to open them properly with an 'oyster knife' and enjoy them on the 'half-shell'. Here's a recipe I discovered for easy opening. Scrub oysters clean in the sink, then place four oysters on a dinner plate with a small amount of water and cook in the microwave oven for one and a half minutes. The shells open automatically and the oysters are hot! Repeat as necessary! Toast is used to pick up the juice on the plate that you don't sip from the shells! MMMMM! Jim has provided me with lots of oysters, stories and subject matter for paintings.

Creek at King's Meadow Marsh

This has long been a favorite walking place for me and my dogs. They love scooting ahead of me along the embankments looking for and finding ducks and muskrats. The farms at the edges of the marsh make for great compositions. There is a ski hill on one of those mountains to the left and large corn fields in between where Canada Geese flock to feed on the left overs after the corn harvest. The whole scene is just as beautiful in winter as in other seasons and the dogs and I love it just as much at all times. The fence is meant to keep the cattle away from the creek but it doesn't always work!

Castle Frederick, Falmouth, Hants County, N.S.

Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres (1721-1824) charted the coasts of Nova Scotia and produced the DesBarres Charts, the famous "Atlantic Neptune". His home at Falmouth, near Windsor, N.S. was a 500 acre farm called "Castle Frederick". There he recorded the charts in winter months based on his findings of the coastal waters in summer. Prior to the Deportation of the Acadians from the Windsor/Falmouth area in 1755, the farmland where he built his home had belonged to an Acadian family named Landry. In 1784, DesBarres became the first Governor of Cape Breton. He changed the name of Spanish Bay to Sydney, in honor of Lord Sydney who appointed him governor, and made it the capital of Cape Breton. The fascinating love story of JFW DesBarres and his "beloved friend" Mary Cannon, known locally as "Polly" is well known to Falmouth/Windsor locals. Popular Nova Scotia Historian, Peter Landry aka "Bluepete" tells the story on his web site. The Landry Farm, or Castle Frederick, is owned and operated today by Jim and Frances Bremner, relatives of mine, making it a favorite place to visit. This painting was done from the Falmouth country road, by the farm pond, looking across the property toward the Chester Hills of Nova Scotia's South Shore.

Falmouth Farm Field in July - En Plein Air

Falmouth is a lovely farm village just across a bridge over the Avon River from my home town of Windsor, Nova Scotia. It was ever a quick escape for me as a busy doctor to have a chance to do what is called today a 'plein air' painting. That French art term means in the 'open air' and refers to a painting done outdoors in daylight - on the spot, as it were, rather than in a studio from a photo. As a busy family physician and with no 'art studio' available, for years I was forced to paint 'on the spot' - long before the fancy term was invented! Today it sounds like 'magic' when we hear that a particular small painting was done by a certain artist, 'En Plein Air'. I still love doing it - whenever the Canadian weather permits it! But, when days are not conducive to going out in the wild winter weather and facing the impossible problems that weather often creates for us Canadian paintaholics, I just dip into the photo filing cabinet and take my pick of any subject that interests me, and get busy with creating another painting. I've been there, on the spot, studied the landscape, taken plenty of photos, and done enough paintings that way, that I don't have to prove to anybody that this painting or that was done 'en plein air'! This one just happens to have been done that way, on a piece of quality painting cardboard. I remember well, the day, the field and the beautiful experience. I hope the painting expresses all of that.