Treetop Views

The sun is out. The end of the year is upon us. We are going high up for a look around.

A grand view always has me reflecting on my blessings. I usually sort of hop-skip up and down and exclaim about how wonderful it is to be alive.

David laughs and we both grin one of those big grins where our teeth show and our eyes snap as if we are keeping a secret. This past year we have tramped the island trails regularly. We have meandered along the roads. We have washed our hands in the Salish Sea. We have sat quiet watching as the light changes on the trees.

This year of 2010 has been a good year.

Happy New Year dear friends! May you notice the blessings you receive.

Sprout question: What are you most treasured memories for 2010?

On Monday shall see Creative Potager begin a new posting schedule with Monday and Friday being the book-ends for the week with the occasional surprise post in the middle. Monday will be used to set my intention for the week and Friday will be a report out on the results. So off into 2011 we go!

© 2010 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Dramatic Seas

What I am about to share with you is from last evening’s meanderings. Can someone please choose a perfect piece of well-known classical music for me?  It needs to start softly as the light gives way to early evening.

(image may be purchased here.)

Then the notes should rise slowly but with confidence.

Building with sweeping sounds as we begin to embrace the clouds over Vancouver…

Going quiet as we come close to the mountains catching the sinking rays of the sun.

Now large sounds that make your heart pound with anticipation! Symbols crash!

(image may be purchased here.)

Building, building until you think you are going to burst….

(image may be purchased here.)

All sounds coming at once… the same notes dun, dun, dun… then releasing you to the Salish Sea.

(image may be purchased here.)

Sprout question: What is drama has your attention today?

© 2010 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Rocks

Some days like yesterday, rocks play a prominent role in photo shoot. There are those in a spot of sun deep in the forest floor.

There are those providing a backdrop for an old fir tree.

There are those clustered together on shore.

Then there are those providing a foamy footpath for Surfbirds.

(image may be purchased here)

Rocks – all of them sandstone rocks.

Sprout question: What is prominent in your creativity today?

© 2010 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Winter Waves

Leaving Vancouver B.C. to catch a ferry back to Mayne Island on Boxing Day there was a slice of early morning sun coming through the heavy rain clouds. I was early. I took a left at Tsawwassen and headed for Boundary Bay Regional Park. This park is a seaside wetland sanctuary for birds and bush bunnies like me passing through on their trek home.

To day the wind and sea were both high as waves rolled up and sometimes over the sandy beach.

The scene was dramatic. The contrasting colours between sea and sky were unusual. The light changed fast as it rose above the sea towards the cloud bank. If I had painted it, the viewer would have had a hard time believing its authenticity.

Even with a photograph… you might think “she did it with Photoshop! You can do anything with Photoshop.”

But I didn’t. I just happen to be at the right place at the right time with camera in hand.

 

Sprout question: When is life grander than your imagination?

 

© 2010 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

 

One Year Ago Today


One year ago today I posted the first Creative Potager post – A Gown Remembered: Beginning.  With one quick comment and my reply and eleven views it was a quiet beginning.

Today is post 205 and it starts the day with 26,600 views while building on 3,440 comments. It is a good solid beginning. Thank you everyone for your part in making this a great Creative Potager year.

Going forward, we will see a shift in posting in order accommodate my intentions for the 2011 year. Creative Potager will have a Monday morning post that will include my intention for the week. Friday morning will conclude the week with a report on the results of the intention set at the beginning of the week. With these book-end-posts there will be occasional but not predictable post in between. Each post will continue to have a Sprout Question for your musing and comment.

My intention for 2011: I will be focusing more on oil painting en plein air than photography. The purpose of my work remains the same – to ground the viewer to their physical earthly environment – in nature. Zen impressionism. Quiet abundance. Joy.

This painting “Winter Sun” and a few of my other 2010 oil paintings are for sale go to ART of DAY, at the ART of DAY store. More of my work will become available at this location in the near feature.

With an intention to be painting more and also to be painting outdoors I hope you can see why there is a shift in this years posting structure. The nice thing about blogging, if something doesn’t work we can wake up in the morning and change it. This new schedule will begin on Monday, January 3, 2011. You can expect to see Creative Potager posts today through to Friday, December 31, 2010.

Sprout question: What intentions are you setting for 2011?

© 2010 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Winter Solstice on the islands

These images are from the shortest day before the darkest night with a lunar eclipse on Winter Solstice.

I find great comfort in their deep dark soft peace.

The hush of low light brings its own beauty.

The light of day begins to length as we pass through to deepest point of darkness.

 

 

Sprout question: Where do you find light in the darkest of darks?

 

Thank you for your support, encouragement and purchase of my photographs, calendars and paintings.

 

Please note: Creative Potager will be on holidays beginning Saturday, December 11, 2010 and will return on its one year anniversary Monday, December 27, 2010. Which doesn’t seem to stop the occasional post from appearing.

 

© 2010 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

 

Art of Day 2010 Holiday Show and Sale

Creative Potager interrupts its holiday to bring you news about the inclusion of my painting “Rising” in a fantastic online international show and sale.

UPDATE January 30, 2011: This painting has been SOLD to a buyer in Switzerland.

James Day is the brilliant brain behind the development of ART of DAY blog and online gallery store. He invited 20 Featured Artists and included 20 Artworks for inclusion in the ART of DAY 2010 Holiday Show and Sale. There are artworks from a wide range of disciplines from all over the world coming together in this one online location.  Please drop in and to view this outstanding collection.

To view more work by Terrill Welch:

To view more of my oil paintings for sale at ART of DAY, go directly to the ART of DAY store. Also, three oil paintings were recently profiled on Creative Potager and can be accessed through separate links on the post Wrap up of three paintings over three days.”

My photography can be viewed and purchased at my redbubble storefront.

My full artist biography has a sampling of my work displayed as well.

Thank you for your support, encouragement and purchase of my paintings, photographs, and calendars.

Sprout question: What brilliant creative idea are you working on?

Now back to holidays!

Please note: Creative Potager will be on holidays beginning Saturday, December 11, 2010 and will return on its one year anniversary Monday, December 27, 2010.

© 2010 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Tis the Season

Well, today is the day!

Today is the day that Creative Potager holidays begin. Thank you every reader who dropped by especially those who took the time to comment and be part of a delightful, passionate and intelligent creative community. I have enjoyed your companionship, your humour, and your vulnerability.

Today is also our first anniversary. David and I eloped one year ago today. Here is the evidence – as we prepare to share cake with friends who stood up with us.

We wish you the very best of the holiday season.

I look forward to seeing you again with a new post on Monday, December 27, 2010.

Before we go too far though, I invite you to drop in to Leanne Dyck’s The Sweater Curse blog today where I have a guest post “Within a Curse.

Sprout question: What is your favourite holiday season greeting?

Thank you for your community, support, encouragement and purchases of my photographs, calendars and paintings in 2010!

Please note: Creative Potager will be on holidays beginning Saturday, December 11, 2010 and will return on its one year anniversary Monday, December 27, 2010.

© 2010 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Softly Dramatic

Not all breathless moments come with blood-rushing luminosity. Some are quiet and wrap their arms around you while you are not looking.

Transitions


(view full resolution – available for purchase here.)

Smudges


(view full resolution – available for purchase here.)

Softly Dramatic


(view full resolution – available for purchase here.)

These three images are a study and meant to be viewed together.

Sprout question: where do you notice quiet drama in your creativity?

Please note: Creative Potager will be on holidays beginning Saturday, December 11, 2010 and will return on its one year anniversary Monday, December 27, 2010.

© 2010 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Winter Evening

Rain and warm winds play and sing through the night. There had been a wind warning but nothing came of it. I wake at 4:20 am. Dawn is hours away as we near winter solstice. I must decide what to post. Thinking I will use another of my blue sky images I open the photograph folder. I stop over photos I had taken on the evening of November 20, 2010. I never went any further.

Looking over Georgia Straight to Vancouver.

Then south east a bit the light had faded even further. It was a full moon.

 

Sprout question: What is the softest point of reflection for you today?

 

Please note: Creative Potager will be on holidays beginning Saturday, December 11, 2010 and will return on its one year anniversary Monday, December 27, 2010.

 

© 2010 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada