British Columbia is burning. The wildfires have devoured a land mass larger than the province of Prince Edward Island. The fire season is not over yet. There might be a little rain on Sunday but it won’t be enough. Air quality warnings are frequent but unnecessary. I only need to breathe in next to the open window to know how many particles there are in each square inch of smoke-filled air. The sunsets are as eerie as they are beautiful.
No long hikes for me. A casual stroll to sit by the water is all that this week can offer.
I did manage to get out to do a small plein air painting though.
Hazy Morning Active Pass 5 x 7 acrylic plein air sketch
The painting sketch is now off on an adventure of its own – the eighth painting to do so this past five weeks.
But the Terrill Welch Gallery! Now it has enjoyed the soft light from outside through the feature window.
I will be there again on Friday at 10:30 to do a live recording on my Art of Terrill Welch Facebook Page for the first Friday Art Stop feature. If you have a moment, drop on in. I did an introductory video, a sort of sample, for this new project that you may enjoy in the meantime.
I suppose today’s post is my best efforts to find my way forward during uncertain times.
How do you process things that you cannot change? Like wildfires? Like threats of nuclear war?
© 2017 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.
Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.
Creative Potager – Visit with painter and photographer Terrill Welch
From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada
For gallery and purchase information about Terrill’s photographs and paintings go to http://terrillwelchartist.com
Creative Potager 
How do I process wild fires and threat of nuclear war? Big question that is a wonderful writing prompt. As I sit here with smoky air coming in from the Salish Sea and my eyes burning, my heart goes out to all the people’s homes, creatures, and vegetation ruined with the fires. And I am afraid for our little island. Every day when I go to bed I am grateful we haven’t had to evacuate. Then the threat of nuclear war…I belong to an online widows group where members are mainly in the U.S. – they are all writing good bye and giving love to each other. I can’t read those anymore. Too terrifying.
I guess I process by doing what I can to keep our island safe from fire, sending good wishes to those brave enough to be out there fighting fires, trusting things will unfold as they are supposed to, and a great deal of journaling. Same with the threat of nuclear war. Makes me very frightened for humankind let alone our planet.
Thank you Terrill for consistently bringing your wonderful creativity and beauty to our lives. You and your work help me process and cope.
Katherine I appreciate your thoughts and sharing your experience. Reading that members of your widows’s group are actually saying all they need to say, including good-bye, makes my stomach do one of those lurching flip-flops like when you hit a down draft in a plane or drop over a rise in a car. I too spend time thinking about all the loss of forest, homes, livelihoods and animals. The landscape will heal but it will take take time. Nuclear war we have much less of a chance to recover from, maybe never. Trust – I always tell myself when there is nothing more I can do. So glad you stopped in today to join the conversation I proposed for us.
Terrill — I feel for everyone up in your neck of the woods. While many areas are known for their particular natural disaster (flood, earthquake, hurricane, etc), Boise’s main threat is wildfire, too. It’s unpleasant and scary for humans and animals alike.
It is indeed Laurie and we certainly don’t have the corner on the devastating impacts of wildfire in British Columbia. Wishing for you regular rain and fire safe practices.
My hometown is full of smoke too. We’re all connected. Climate change connections too. Was in Canada for a wedding. The haze might make the pictures great?
I have double my meditation sessions to deal with the smoke and the USA threats and chaos. What a world we live in
I agree Patricia – what a world we live in. Tonight the air seems worse than ever though the wind is suppose change to the southwest and clear thing up a bit on Friday with cooler temperatures and a little rain Saturday night and Sunday morning. Here is hoping!
My heart goes out to you in BC. Hopefully it will be over soon.
Take care.
Warm greetings from Norway,
Dina
Thank you Dina. We finally had a shift in winds this morning and a few clouds have appeared. So he is hoping for some much needed rain with no lightening in British Columbia.