Four o’clock in the afternoon the day before the time change in November 2012 the southern Gulf Islands rolled and heaved the light and mist across sea and land.The Mayne Queen has just left Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island.
When I shared a few of the photographs on Google Plus a fellow artist C.J. Shane asked what music I heard. I replied – with my lungs filled with sea air and the mist leaving intimate jewels on my skin and hair, I heard the sound of the diesel engine of the small ferry and the rolling wake of the water along the occasional cry of the gulls. But if I was to think of music, it would be a classical overture such as maybe the Italian romantic composer Giuseppe Verdi’s 1862 , The Force of Destiny-Overture
Verdi – The Force of Destiny – Overture
There are great spaces of quiet with the seascapes building and building into these surprising moments where even the deepest breath does not seem to provide enough. It is like – breathe in and in and then exhale into such a sense of inner peace a person wants to hold themselves in that place for as long as possible. Then the tension of the landscape will start to build all over again as the mist and fog moves in its mysterious ways across the sky.
Alone in the mist…
in early November.
The sky rolling and heaving as if it is breathing and extended breath of awareness, inviting, demanding that I do same.
The golds of autumn are only hinted at beneath the cloak of November mist.
Mist is threaded across the landscape with such speed we are witness to the seamstress.
Hiding and revealing with equal wonder…
the southern Gulf Islands in November.
A welcomed beacon blinks against the lowering light.
Then land seems to escape from sea and sky – protruding in its deep and dark glory.
We move on to the outer edge of the November mist.
The hour, the moment has passed. Not the memory though. The moment is captured here in this overture in mist so we can breathe it again and yet again.
SPROUT: What music do you imagine would accompany your creativity?
P.S. none of these mist images have been made available for purchase yet. I need to let them sit for awhile before deciding which ones will go.
ONLINE GALLERIES with Terrill Welch paintings and photography include –
Xanadu Studio Gallery for large original paintings
Artsy Home for most original oil paintings currently available
Redbubble for photography prints, greeting cards and posters
Current Local Mayne Island VENUES –
Green House Restaurant – small original oil paintings and photography prints
Farm Gate Store – one large painting
And by appointment at Terrill Welch’s home studio
© 2012 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
Terrill Welch Artist website at http://terrillwelchartist.com
Related articles
- Autumn Sliced with a Tear (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
- Special Report on B.C. Ferries – Part 2: Gulf Islanders pay a price (nanaimobulletin.com)
Creative Potager 
Terrill, your photos and lyrical descriptions are so beautiful and haunting.
Thank you Jo-Anne and pleased to meet you!
Hi Jo-Anne
It seems we think alike because I was about to write…
Such a lovely tribute to such a haunting beautiful month.
“November mist”–a song yet to be written.
Thank you for sharing this post, Terrill
You are most welcome Leanne – so glad you dropped by the post when such scenes are so much part of your everyday here on Mayne Island.
Stunning views!
There are something a little extra special Sandi and I was sure glad I had my camera with me 🙂
simply beautiful and the words are such a descriptive force that I can hear that wee ferry chugging right along, the water passing over the hull and the mist upon my cheek and hair….at first it made me miss my yearly ferry ride. It is good to do something different and truly all okay dokie to miss it,and wonderful to draw up the memory.
I seem to be celebrating silence at the moment and not a piece of music comes to mind…just the striving for personal peace. Oh now I hear the pup asking to go out…so I will wander away from this adventure and outing and think of the beauty – like walking in the rain first thing in the morning
I hope that you too get some sunshine to go with the rain this week Patricia. I was just over to your new post “Grate Full Ness” . I encourage others to drop by and listen to the video as it is a perfect companion post to this one with the mist. Thank you for simply being you Patricia and all the best of today to you.
thank you for the Facebook and local shout outs – I think that video is just wonderful… How about we make a video of the beauty here and our compassion – your art maybe I could muster some appropriate words? or maybe all your readers could add something…what a idea?
You are most welcome Patricia – my pleasure and as for the video of my art, I love the idea and have not a clue where to begin 🙂
Beautiful, and beautiful, and beautiful, and beautiful…also the music, beautiful, like your words, beautiful, and beautiful, and…
Compliments, Luca.
Thank you Luca and a pleasure to meet you! 🙂
Amazing images!
Thanks Brett and welcome to Creative Potager. Pleased to meet you!
That magnificent Verdi overture is indeed a sumptuous aural accompaniment to these striking atmospheric visuals Terrill. They consort to bring the viewer into the scene. It all depends on what mood I am in as to what classical music I listen to for inspiration. When opera is the hankering I go for Puccini, Wagner or Verdi, though Mozart, Donizetti, Bellini, Bizet, Strauss, Mascagni, Massenet, Offenbach and a host of others are negotiated. For pure classical, the major players for me are Bach, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Handel, Beethoven, Schumann, Mendelsohn, and Debussey, the last of whom with impressionistic strokes might also be a perfect underpinning for your ravishing visuals. I also think of the British composer Vaughn Williams when I look at your work here.
Wow Sam! Thank you for the long list of your favourite classical music. What a great gift as I have only a little familiarity with the specifics of classical music and would love to spend some time systematically increasing my exposure. I am going to copy your comment and this list into my art journal for future reference.
Terrill, my dear, these are all really, really fine images. But oh my god, it looks so cold!
Shane
Hello Shane! 🙂 It was cool but not cold. In fact it was kind of warm for here this time of year. However, it would seem very cool for where you are. I am so glad you stopped in.
“…and the mist leaving intimate jewels on my skin and hair.”
I love the word picture you painted with this sentence!
I’m in serious “catch up mode” having recently returned from San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I love the photographs in this post.
SPROUT: What music do you imagine would accompany your creativity?
The sound of silence…
Oh, how I enjoy the times that I pause to admire your Overture in Mist. So gorgeous! Thank you, Terrill, for sharing your creativity and spirit with so many.
You are most welcome Kathy. It is always a pleasure to have you stop by.