Lunenburg again

I was here again on Friday! Lunenburg! It was a perfect early Spring day. Blue, blue skies and a tiny breeze. The town is slowly gearing up for tourist season. See that window below? Look closely. See some art? It's mine! Hooray. The Witherstone Gallery will be open for business on May 1st. It will be chock-a-block with lots of creative gooodies from all disciplines.

See this boat? Recognize it? No?

Look closer. See what is transpiring on it?

Ha. Filming has begun for Haven. It is "Duke" and "Nathan". know I've mentioned the show before and will probably again but it is now broadcast in 11 countries! I love how it showcases the beauty of Nova Scotia although it is supposed to be set in New England. lol You can watch episodes here.

no brainer

Savoy cabbage........

Daughter and I are addicted to this Jamie Oliver recipe.

Cabbage braised in Worcestershire sauce

1 large Savoy cabbage
Olive oil
1/2 cup or more Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
knob of butter or two

1.Remove and wash the outer green leaves of the cabbage, then roll them up like a cigar and finely slice them – this is called ‘chiffonade’. Cut the cabbage in half, remove core and finely chop/slice the rest.

2. Put a LARGE frying pan on a high heat and add a good glug of olive oil. Add the sliced cabbage to the pan and move it around, giving it a good shake. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the Worcestershire sauce and some salt and pepper.

4. Keep moving the cabbage around so it all gets nicely coated and cook for another 4 minutes until it has softened. Keep an eye on it, moving and tossing it around so it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and add butter – this will give it a nice sweetness.

Yum.

Hal's House

Whew, another one finished, except for some minor touch ups. This is 30 x 34". Largest painting I've created to date. Took a lot of hours to get this one done but very satisfying to see it completed. It was my daughter's idea to paint a wider view showing Hal's entire house. That's Hal below. 26 x 30" These are both destined for a gallery.

business and pleasure

Anyone from Lunenburg will recognize this photo. It is the Lunenburg Academy built in 1895. So cool. It is an elementary school that is still being used:) A wonderful old building perched atop Gallows Hill overlooking the colourful town. Click on the picture to see some other views of it.

On Friday, I drove to Lunenburg with two other artist pals to visit the owner of a new gallery which will be carrying some of our work and to meet with a few of the other artists! It was such fun and very exciting. The Witherstone Gallery is on Lincoln Street next to a few others so it is becoming sort of an "Artist's Row. After our meeting, we all had lunch together at the Scuttlebutt. My fave spot Magnolia Grill is closed until the 15th but'll pop in there when I deliver my paintings later this week. There is our table glimpsed through the door.

The food was really good and the cheerful place was full of art and light. I had a lentil burger with a light salad and AMAZINGLY crunchy and delicious sweet potato fries with a smoked paprika dipping sauce. So good I forgot to take a picture. I'd recommend it. Nice to kick off Spring with a wee road trip and good company. I'll be back there before I know it!

Also....... I'll be in this gallery in Mahone Bay! (Trilogy) Another new one. It looks as though it is in the middle of nowhere but actually, it is right on the Main Street as you go around the curve to all the shops. There's a wee brook next to it and the house backs onto the bay. Plover's is off to the left across the street. I have a LOT of work ahead of me:)

Saturday Market

Cool huh? These are the wind turbines on the living roof of the Halifax Seaport Market. These pics were taken Saturday morning. Sun rising over Georges Island.

Love this pic! "the golden girls" The rising sun this time of year beams into the JavaBlend
Coffee Roasters kiosk. I always pick up a skinny latte here to start the morning after I've taken my snapshot of the harbour.:)

road trip

Headed here today! Mini road trip to Lunenburg. Checking out some galleries:) This painting is by my friend Zehava Power:)

Seraphina

Another gallery painting! 16 x 16.

I had to pop into National Art the other day to pick up some bits and bobs and just as I was walking up the stairs to go in, I glanced over to the next parking lot and saw a policeman in a "legs bent holding gun with both hands squat" and then I saw another one with gun pointed! They were corralling someone. I froze. I was in the line of fire should they shoot or something go wrong. There were three police cars haphazardly parked with doors open. I was wondering why there was not a police cordon to prevent people like me from getting so close. Scary!
and then I noticed they were just shooting a movie:) Ha.
Once inside, I told my story to the sales clerk and she laughed and said the same thing happened to her earlier when she arrived at work.

Argyle Fine Art Gallery

I had to pick up some things downtown last week and thought I would pop in to see Argyle Fine Art's new digs. They are now on the corner of Barrington and Blowers Street where Carsand Mosher used to be.

It is a bright cheery spot with a great future. Barrington Street used to be a prime busy shopping street and then fell into decline. It is now in the midst of a Renaissance and Adriana and her team make a great addition. This is Crystal wrapping up a folk art cat. ( if you were wondering what on earth was in that package:)

The gallery is stuffed with beautiful art and interesting bits and pieces. Downstairs there is a 3-D exhibit on at the moment which is really fun.

They often run workshops and special events throughout the year and Argyle Fine Art also has a blog where you can learn more about the artists featured and a Facebook Page too.

seagulls

Fun stuff.This silly 16 x16 is headed for the new Witherstone Gallery in Lunenburg!

Daguerreotype

I came across this amazing collection recently. Look at his hair style! (1850) These pictures fascinate me. They belong to the Donald Weber Collection, which was donated to George Eastman House (a cornocopia for visual feasting). Most of them are small daguerreotypes circa 1850.
"Donald Weber began collecting photographs in the 1950’s when he purchased a ‘bushel basket’ of stereographs for $7 dollars. In 1976 his initial association with George Eastman House was established with a gift of a few items, and in 1994 he donated his collection of nearly 260 daguerreotypes, ambrotypes and tintypes along with funds to support the collection’s care. Since his original gift, Weber has donated over 600 objects to the museum and continues to offer a variety of 19th and 20th Century photographs to George Eastman House every year."

Weber finds nearly all his objects in flea markets, estate sales or through dealings with other collectors. It is said that “chance favors the prepared mind,” and discoveries at such venues must therefore result from experience and the ability to recognize exceptional objects amidst a preponderance of unremarkable ones. It is evident by looking at this selection of his ‘finds’ that Weber possesses a remarkable eye, and an obvious passion for photographs."

Twins, 1855, daguerrotype. They are even wearing the same ring on their index fingers!

I find the seriousness of the subjects fascinating but I know it had to do with sitting still so no blurring occured. A face without an expression seems to express more for some reason. Almost haunting in some cases. I wonder who they were, what happened in their lives.

Look at this woman and her seven children( 1860), so different from today's pictures!
Say Cheese:)