Spring Day Near Cape Blomidon

In the spring of 1961, palette-knife oil-painting was my favorite passtime. Trouble was, medical practise kept me so busy that there was little time to do it. Small 9in.X12in. panels done on the spot quickly but infrequently, was about the best I could manage. The 'Bluff Road' near Hantsport, close to my home in Windsor, was quick and easy to get to and provided a variety of challenging coastal scenery. It also laid the groundwork for future endeavors. Today, all around the world, artists are painting so called "pleinaire", after the French which simply means "painting in the open air". "Voila'!", a fancy new name for an age old practise of 'outdoor-painting-on-the-spot'. It's a fascinating and rewarding practise - regardless of what it's called.

Sunlight on Percy's House

Basic country homes in Nova Scotia often added a "dormer" to increase the upstairs bedroom capacity, as well as a "sun porch" and often a "summer kitchen" - which avoided over heating the rest of the house during the summer months. Percy Hebb's home in rural Hants County had all of these features. What was sorely missing, however, was electricity. Percy's mother and sister Elva lived in the home also and all welcomed the light of spring, summer and fall after the long dark days of winter. Mrs. Hebb regularly used the day light of the kitchen window to thread her needles as she made their clothing as well as quilts for the old homestead. As the family members grew older, the buildings began to deteriorate; first the barn and then gradually, the house.

One Man's Wharf, Isle Madame, Cape Breton, N.S.

Isle Madame is a French settlement on the east coast of Cape Breton Island. Very little equipment was required for a fisherman to make a living at "inshore fishing". Most did some "mixed farming" also in order to provide for their family and earn a little money for extras. This oil painting represents one man's wharf, fish store, boats, barrels and cutting table. His house and barn were just across the road from his work place, making for easy access. The shoreline on Isle Madame was dotted with similar wharves, indicating a common way of life.

Sunny Day at Iona Village, Cape Breton, N.S.

The "Malagawatch Church" and the "Centre Chimney House" were both moved by dedicated historians and craftsmen to the Highland Village Museum at Iona from other areas of the island. They are part of a magnificent retrospective reconstruction of Cape Breton history that have thrilled countless visitors to the site during summer months for decades. Attendants and volunteers in period costume present the story of Cape Breton's past, including its buildings, clothing, tools and manufacturing skills.

Morning Light at Aspotogan Peninsula, Nova Scotia

Aspotogan is one of several wonderful fishing communities on Nova Scotia's Lighthouse Route # 329, between Mahone Bay and St.Margaret's Bay. Beauty abounds all along that part of the east coast, making the area a dream-world for artists and tourists. Sail boats are ever present cruising amongst the many and interesting small off-shore islands - one for every day of the year, 365 in all, so the sailors say!

This oil painting was done with a very limited palette yet covers all the delightful colors with which Nature has blessed the area.

Morning Departure from LaHave River

Nova Scotia fishermen work in good weather and bad, but it's always best heading out on a bright clear day like this one. The water on the LaHave River is just a little choppy but it's unlikely that it will be worse on the open ocean with a clear sky like the one above. Already the seagulls are circling in hopes of the fishermen throwing the results of 'fish-cleaning' overboard for their breakfast. This Cape Island Boat was registered at Lunenburg, one of the world's most renowned ports for fishing as well as schooner racing. The well-known Schooner Bluenose, skippered by Captain Angus Walters was world-renowned as a 'banks' fishing schooner as well as an international racing champion in the 1920s. That was long before the Cape Island boat was first built at Cape Sable Island by Ephram Atkinson who designed it to resemble the sleek and efficient floating body of the seagull. Two or three men can do all of the necessary work on the high powered and speedy Cape Islander and return home the same evening. By contrast, the large sail-powered schooners required a crew of many and worked on the Georges Bank or the Grand Bank for weeks at a time.

Spring Sunshine at Clifton Estate

The Haliburton Memorial Museum at Windsor honors the town's most significant citizen of all time. "Clifton Estate" was created by Haliburton and his young bride, following their marriage in 1815. Louisa named it for her home in England. The house contains the library where Thomas Chandler Haliburton wrote the first History of Nova Scotia in 1829, and later, the stories that captured for him the titles of Father of Canadian Literature and Father of American Humor. His interest in agriculture led him to plant a wide variety of plants and trees from all over the world. A walk over the grounds conjures up visions of life back then, with walking paths as well as horse and wagon trails amongst apple orchards and beautiful huge old trees. This palette-knife oil painting was done "on the spot" on the south slope adjacent to the present museum.

Sunshine on Shingle-covered Barn Roof

The tall door in the pitch of the roof was used for many years to load hay into Harold's wood-shingle-covered barn. Lightening rods were an essential protective devise, for the barn held both the cattle and the winter's hay. The barn was totally functonal to all farmers who probably never stopped working long enough to notice the absolute beauty that was foremost in my mind whenever I viewed one - especially in strong sunlight. Pigeons frequently sunned themselves on the top of the roof safely away from the barnyard cats. They also had their secret passages that allowed them to enter the hay mow where they built nests high on the rafters of the roof. And why not? Hay makes the softest nest and there was always plenty at hand! Harold made sure of that each and every summer.

Clearing Mist on the LaHave River

Even on an otherwise bright day, fog often obscures the shoreline as Nova Scotia fishermen head out for a day's work. The LaHave River was the scene of these men readying their gear at the stern, or, "back aft", as the say! The canvas "steadying sail" is not used for sail power. It will serve to keep their motorized "Cape Island Boat" headed into the wind when they are "at anchor", while picking up "lobster pots". Just like small children and animals, water won't stay still long enough to be captured in paint by an artist on the spot. For that reason, when faced with a great photo opportunity like this one, we take lots of photos that can provide wonderful material for exciting compositions to be painted in the comfort of the studio later on.