Golden Dozen

For photographers the best times to take photographs are shortly after sunrise and again just before the sun sets when the daylight is redder and softer than during the middle of the day. This softer light is what I call "golden light".

So here is a "golden dozen", actually thirteen (I guess a golden bakers dozen), pictures from my garden at the end of a sunny day.

Camellia

Chive flower

Clematis and Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle

Hydrangea

Iris

Lilac

Peony

Wisteria

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A garden surprise? I have an artichoke growing!

Just one mind you, here is a second look at it:

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Here is a continuation of group names theme from the last post.

Did you know that a group of porcupines is called a prickle.

try these made up ones:

a scamper of squirrels

a plunge of waterfalls

a brouhaha of louts

a crunch or maybe a dent of parkers

a wave of kayakers

a goggle of swimmers 

a dictation of secretaries

a clipping of gardeners

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A YouTube video with unexpected ending:

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And from the studio:

"Skedans 2", a varnished watercolour: 

Art news: 

One painting was accepted into the "Oil and Water" show at the South Delta Artists Guild Gallery 1710:

That's all for this week,

happy Wednesday, with whimsy,

Gillian

Signs of summer?

Do the arrival of Rufous Hummingbirds and apple, early clematis and lilac blossoms mean that summer will be here soon? I hope so, I am ready.

 

think this might be a rufous hummingbird, they don't stay here long

apple blossoms are dealing with the rain, cool temperatues and lack of insects -- hope we get some apples this fall

 the early clematis seems to take bad weather in stride

here is another picture of the Rufous Hummingbird,

 

 and the Anna's Hummingbird is below, notice the different gorgette (throat pattern) and the reddish sides of the Rufous

 

 

lots and lots of lilac

 

I have planted beans for the third time this spring, each time a few come up, maybe now I will have enough to fill the rows.

 

I am ready for warmer weather even if it means I might have to water the garden occasionally but I have been so busy painting and the cooler weather does make it easier to focus on that.

 

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In the studio:

 

Great news, two of my paintings have been accepted into the "oil and water" exhibition at Gallery 1710 (Delta Artists Guild) which opens at the beginning of June.

 

"Haida Song"- watercolour 18" X 24"

 

 

"Watchful" - watercolour 24" X 18"

 

Both are painted on watercolour paper and varnished; the first is on stretcher bars (first I stretch the paper then paint it) and the second is painted then mounted on a cradled exhibition panel.

 

Both are inspired by my visit to Haida Gwaii last summer.

 

 

 

I have also painted three more gargoyles, this one I saw and photographed in Albi, France.

 

 

The other two gargoyles will have to wait until next time, the pictures I took seem to have gotten "lost" somewhere on my computer for now.

 

 



 Brief today, but my paintbrushes are calling me again, bye for now.

 

Happy Wednesday, with whimsy,

 

Gillian.

 



Please turn the lights on?

Pretty dark this time of year, and we have just reverted to standard time, I need more light! Maybe we all need some light; here are some pictures catching the light.

 

From my camera:

 

 

Most of these pictures were taken in the fall, a few even this fall, but we have not had many sunny days. We set a record in October for the number of days of rainfall.

 

It is November and we have just changed to standard time but there still have not been a lot of sunny days or even sunny spells!

 

The sunflowers and squash pictures were taken on a recent trip to the Okanagan; you guessed it, the weather was cloudy, but the sun came out long enough for me to take these two pictures and was gone again.

The bridge in Jericho park on a sunny day in early October:

 

A cheeky Jay from a prior fall.

 

These are fungi pictures that I meant to post last week but they went astray on my desktop:

 

An early spring picture of one of the character trees in Jericho park:

 

Fall in Nitobe Gardens at UBC:

 

 

"In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present."  Francis Bacon

 



"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." Albert Schweitzer

 

 

 

"What makes photography a strange invention is that its primary raw materials are light and time." John Berger

 

 

"Light tomorrow with today!"

 Elizabeth Barrett Browning

 

"People are like stained - glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within."

 Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

 

"It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness."

 Eleanor Roosevelt

 

 

Hope you enjoyed catching the light with me today!

 

 

Need a good book?

 

I have just finished reading the new Colin Cotterill book "Six and a half deadly sins"; it is the latest of the Dr. Siri books set in Laos and another good read. Hint, a "sin" is a hand woven Loa skirt.

 

I think you might enjoy Colin Cotterill's website, he is a cartoonist as well as a writer.

 

I got the ebook from the library, great books for free!

 

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Here are some amazing lights from Youtube:

 

Northern Lights, Liz Lake, Paint Lake Prov. Park:

 

 

 

New from my studio:

 

Here is what came out of my studio this week:

 

 

Another varnished watercolour, this one called "Limpets Abound".

 

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Thinking about Christmas Cards?

 

"Santa Anna"

 

 

These are available on my cards site, view all my Christmas cards:

http://www.GO4cards.com/seasonal--other.html

If you would like to order cards to pick up you can save the postage, send a message from the contact page on my website with your choices.

 

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 That's all for this week, thanks for dropping by,

happy Wednesday, with whimsy,

Gillian