Painting Music - Work in Progress

When I paint I put on one of my favourite cds….usually a Mozart, Beethoven or Vivaldi. Currently, with my mother visiting I try very hard to consider her music preferences … country music! I am not one of country’s greatest supporters … however at the moment I am listening to Wilf Carter; and becoming somewhat agitated.


For those of you who are not familiar with Wilf Carter; he is considered the ‘father of Canadian country music’ … popular in 30’s, 40’s, 50’s. The ‘yodelling cowboy aka Montana Slim. Right now I am hearing about ‘Old Shep’ … some dog on his way to ‘dog heaven’; I’ve heard ‘Down the Old Cattle Trail’, ‘The Little Shirt My Mother Made’, 'Drunk, Broke and Sorry' and Rye Whiskey. Apparently one of his greatest fame makers was ‘You Are My Sunshine’.

It may be time to put painting aside for today … I can feel a sort of tension building by the moment with all this yodeling going on!

So here it is for today. Progress slowly made on my latest waterfall attempt.

Will have to continue in the silence of 5 a.m. tomorrow without Wilf!

In Progress - 92 Year Old Suggests Collage

I have my 92 year old mother spending some of the winter months with me. The fact that she was here for Christmas was in itself quite an accomplishment for getting my mother to come ‘south’ for the winter is as about as difficult as extracting wisdom teeth. She just does not want to leave her northern home, the six foot high snowbanks and very minus zero temperatures!


So my children and grandchildren are delighted; it has been wonderful to have her share our holiday season in our homes!  And it is indeed quite an experience. In her home mother still rules with an iron fist….but away from her familiar surroundings she becomes what she is; a 92 year old who is legally blind and navigating with a cane. She will not agree to a white cane because ‘people will think I am blind’. She will not agree to a walker because they are a ‘pain…you know where’! In her home however she knows where everything is and moves like a small tornado. In my home she needs much help and attention. Our day begins with pulverizing her medication and administering in a spoon of jam and special foods … must be a certain brand or the food is quite simply not edible! I wonder if I will be as feisty and stubborn …. My daughter says ‘shades of things to come’!

However, these are not why I mention her here. Although she is legally blind she has a bit of peripheral vision in shades of grey. She knows how unhappy I have been with my latest painting effort and knows I am trying to ‘loosen’ my style. The more I work at 'loosening' this painting the more it is becoming a 'labourious task' and the more distratous it becomes!  This morning mother suggested that perhaps I needed to go collect some ‘thin, flat bits of rock’ and glue to the canvas along the edge of the waterfalls …. ‘maybe that could be a “new” style’ she says; unaware that 'collage' is an art form or style. 

I just think it is quite phenomenal for a lady of her age who has known nothing but hard labour and the cultural offerings of a small Ontario mining town to be so perceptive and to be able to ‘see’ solutions at 92!

Just had to share.

Anyway, I am leaving this attempt at loosening my painting approach and returning to what I do best and hopefully the detail won’t become too boring to view.  I will at some point gather some 'thin, flat,bits of rock' and glue to another smaller canvas so she may "feel" the art.

New Year Resolutions

Right! It’s time for New Year resolutions! Do you make these resolutions?


Once upon a time, and far, far away ….. I made New Year Resolutions. The list inevitably consisted of ‘lose weight, be a nicer person, lose weight, show understanding to someone I absolutely could not tolerate, quit smoking, lose weight’. Had I resolved to ignore the person I could not tolerate I would have succeeded; had I resolved to smoke like a chimney, eat like a hog, I would have succeeded.

I don’t know about you, but by midnight January 1st my resolutions had taken wing and would line up to be considered anew the following new year. Finally somewhere along the years I realized these resolutions had as much commitment as giving up chocolate. And that year I made a resolution I could keep ….. I resolved never, ever to make another new year resolution. Finally I met with a measure of success!

Why is it we look inward at the beginning of a new year and identify what we would like to change about ourselves, why do we not do this daily. If these resolutions made at new year are so important, why do we not pursue them every day; without a ‘resolution’?

I struggle daily with ‘things’ I would like to change – about myself and who I might be, about my environment and the ‘path’ I walk … so this year I will continue as I did last year and the years before, I will continue through life’s journey without the crutch of a new year resolution; endeavouring to meet each daily new beginning headlong with courage and faith. I will probably continue to make wrong moves … but that will be fine; and who knows I may unknowingly do some good along the way. Whatever evolves the only resolution I will take with me is to give “it my all”!

I did however, make a commitment to myself last night; to start the new year painting and that is what I am doing and include here today’s work in progress. Apologies for the quality of the photograph, wet paint not copying too well.

Good luck with the resolutions.