A Friday on Mayne Island in January

January 21, 2012January 21, 2012 / Terrill Welch / 10 Comments

There is still some soggy snow left but the warm dripping of rain is overpowering its January grip on the Mayne Island landscape. High tides meet the surviving remnants on shore.

Even the seagull seems to be hunch over in gloomy resistance.

We leave the bleak sourness of it all and head for home. My old ford pick up, Miss Prissy, rounds the corner on her last climb up Wood Dale drive before ducking down into nowhere. I looked up at the uncompromising cliffs.

(image may be purchased HERE)

I guess it is not all that bad after all. I smile and click my heels before sliding back into the truck.

SPROUT: How long will you hold out to find a bright spot in your day?

Happy Friday and the best of the weekend everyone!

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Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

Mayne Island Dawn of 2012 (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Three Mayne Island photography landscapes go to Vancouver (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Coastal Winter Storm original oil painting by Terrill Welch (creativepotager.wordpress.com)

A Whale of a Story

January 16, 2012January 16, 2012 / Terrill Welch / 20 Comments

I have been out practicing my mountain photography, as some of you might remember, on the beauties across the Strait of Georgia from our lovely Mayne Island. Such is the case on this Saturday January 14, 2012. We didn’t have snow but Vancouver had been gifted with a good dusting as we can see on the coastal mountains.

Such nice a crisp bite to the air and the sea is rolling black gray. There are large thunderous snow clouds moving in billowing mounds overhead.

It is about 3:30 pm and maybe an hour before sunset. I look at the clouds and I look at the mountains and I start to wonder. Could we possibly get a pink sunset and maybe a pink glow on those mountains? I muse for a bit and decide to go over to light house at Georgina Point right at the entrance to Active Pass. This is the best spot to try and set up a tripod and get a good view of the mountains. I get all ready just as the colours start to change. A couple walking their dog come along and visits for a short while. They wanted me to settle an discussion they were having about what I might be photographing. I diplomatically said “a little of everything.” They then wandered off with the dog leaping a head. I went back to watching for the pink to appear on the mountains. David joins me.

Not more than minute goes by when I hear the woman yell “whales!”

Now, if you have ever been anywhere on a B.C. Ferries or on the Gulf Islands when someone yells “whales” you know it gets your attention – no matter how pink the mountains might be about to get. I look down from the coastal giants across the Strait and start scanning the water.

I have never switched the settings on my camera so fast!

Killer Whales or Orcinus orcas – or Orcas for short, seem to be phantoms, smoothly surfacing and disappearing almost as fast as our eyes blink. Catching them in a photograph on the surface when they are traveling is not easy.

I had dreamed and imagined a moment like this but to have it be real – standing there with my camera ready, on the tripod, level, with remote cable shutter release attached. All I had to do was relax and see if I could get the timing down for moving underwater targets that were going to surface some place ahead of where they had just been. That was all. Breathe, Terrill breathe… shoulders down. Look. Relax. Look again. Okay. There. Right there! Got’em!

The whales are relatively close to shore but still a slight reach for my canon Zoom 70-200 mm 1:2.8 L IS II USM lens. I am going to have to trust its clarity and hope for the best. It seemed there was going to be no playing around either. This pod was relaxed and traveling with a purpose. In mid January there wasn’t a whale watching boat in sight. I liked that. Things are all natural and easy. The sea, the whales and David and me.

Oh look here is a cow and calf…

You can see how close they are to the far sandstone reef…

Then they are gone. David and I looked at each other and smile. Chilled but excited. What a moment. Pure magic.

I say “You know they are travelling towards Saturna Island. If we go back to Reef Bay maybe I can catch them in the evening light there.”

David seems slightly more resigned than excited about this idea. But he humours me. Such is love married to a photographer. Off we go.

I was pretty sure they will travel farther off shore and it might be too dark… and I might not see them at all. But it was worth the chance. David decides to wait in the truck and warm up. I am going to have to hand hold the camera as there is no time and limited space to put up the tripod on the reef with the current tide level. Well let’s see what we can do. Are you ready?

There is a fishing boat coming across the Strait.

The light is exquisite. I scan the waters looking from north to south – hoping.

Ah, I catch sight of the first one…

Then the three…

I love when they seem to roll up to the surface like this one…

Then a flip of a tail as if to say good-bye and they are gone to far to capture in a photograph.

I had forgotten all about waiting for a pink sky

and pink mountains…

Now I notice that I am cold, even with my down jacket. My hands are stiff and my arms tired from the weight of hand holding the lens for so long. It is time to go.

One last shot from Oyster Bay and we call it a day.

SPROUT: If you could have a conversation with an Orca what would you say?

SEED: Now I have to tell you the whole story. Orcas or Killer Whales are not really whales. They are the largest of the dolphin family. There are 3 different kinds of orcas: resident, transient, and offshore. I think these might be one of the resident pods but I am not sure as I know so little about them.

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

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

Meet me at the Salish Sea for Sunrise (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Mayne Island Dawn of 2012 (creativepotager.wordpress.com)

Meet me at the Salish Sea for Sunrise

January 15, 2012 / Terrill Welch / 12 Comments

I wish I had an easy way to settle us into this early morning adventure but the sun is getting up earlier and we are greeted immediately with a mauve Salish Sea sunrise.

(image may be purchased HERE)

Let’s get Miss Prissy stopped and get that camera out! Quick! We have some photographs to take. Careful though, there is frost and things are a might slippery.

Oh look now! Such a splendid pink.

(image may be purchased HERE)

The tide is high so we will have to stay on high ground. But it looks like there is just enough room to inch over to a comfy spot there and lean on a large sandstone rock. Ah yes, now the mauve and pink are together.

But it will change quickly again. Well, good morning! For a dawn like this, one must clean up don’t you agree?

(image may be purchased HERE)

And off he goes to test the morning air. Such freedom in this flight at dawn.

(image may be purchased HERE)

Circling around and coming back as if on angel wings.

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Breathe in, rest and give thanks for another day with a beautiful dawn on the Salish Sea. Now are you not glad you met me at the Salish Sea for sunrise?

Be sure to join me again tomorrow for a whale of a story.

SPROUT: What gifts of today’s dawn are you thankful for?

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

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

Mayne Island Dawn of 2012 (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
SEA AND CLOUDS original oil painting by Terrill Welch (creativepotager.wordpress.com)

A Taste of Morocco in Harira Soup

January 14, 2012January 14, 2012 / Terrill Welch / 21 Comments

Sometimes my creativity takes me out of the studio and into the kitchen. So how about we go from Mayne Island to Morocco?

A few years ago I found the most delicious Moroccan soup in one of the Moosewood Restaurant cookbooks. This Harira soup, in its many variations, is usually eaten to break the fast in the evening meal during the Muslim time of Ramadan which will begin on or close to July 20^th in 2012. Just the smell of this fragrant soup being prepared has me smiling with satisfaction and delight. It is a great addition any time of the year to inspire freshness and renewal.

I have made some adaption to the recipe, of course – as any creative person might.

Terrill’s Taste of Morocco Harira Soup

1 cup chopped onions

4 cups vegetable Stock

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds or a bit of fresh fennel

1 large table-spoon finely chopped fresh ginger

A tiny pinch of cayenne

3 or 4 peeled or unpeeled and chopped carrots

2 finely chopped sticks of celery

3 or 4 medium chopped organic tomatoes

(you can leave the peal on if you like but be careful not to get too much tomato as it can overpower this delicate soup)

3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes washed peeled or unpeeled and chopped soup size

(any firm-meat potato will do as will no potato at all)

A small pinch of saffron soaked in warm water ahead of time to release its goodness

1 small (14 ounce) can of organic lentils

1 small (14 ounce) can of organic chickpeas

A good squeeze of Lemon Juice

A dash of Madeira if you have it

A bit of good black pepper and sea salt to taste (a sprinkle of cherry wood smoked rock sea salt is nice)

A nice clump of fresh cilantro chopped

(a must unless you hate it then use parsley)

Sauté the onions in large a soup pot with a bit of olive oil. Add in spices and ginger. Then add carrots and celery followed by vegetable stock and potatoes and finally the tomatoes. Simmer until potatoes are tender. Now add lentils, chickpeas and saffron. Heat through but do not over cook. The celery will tell you when it is cooked just the right amount for you. Add Madeira, lemon, sea salt and pepper very last.

Serve with fresh cilantro and lemon wedges and a smile. We had crackers too but you could have hard-boiled eggs on the side just as easily.

Please feel free to substitute many items in this recipe while keeping the spices consistent. Small amounts of meat can be added such as beef, lamb or chicken. This time I added a little cabbage and it was a nice addition. I didn’t have enough onions so I used a shallot. Tomatoes are not in season so I used canned tomatoes and so on. But always keep the cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, saffron, lemon, fresh cilantro and the tiniest pinch of cayenne.

Side note: this is one of the few soups that I make which tastes best on the day it is made. It is a large pot of soup so invite friends.

Today is my daughter Josie’s birthday and I know how much she loves soup and foods that fill her senses with their natural goodness. Happy Birthday Josie!

SPROUT: What foods fill all your senses with their natural goodness?

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

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

Reflections: Staying Warm During Winter… (eof737.wordpress.com)
Leek & Potato Soup – Vichyssoise (hopeeternalcookbook.wordpress.com)
Carrot Soup with a Squeeze of Lemon Juice (icanhascook.wordpress.com)
Hungarian Goulash Soup – perfect poured over mash! (tastyadvice.wordpress.com)
Wizard Soup! (ashleighgarmon.wordpress.com)

The Song of Waves

January 13, 2012 / Terrill Welch / 12 Comments

The waves – their energy sings to me as they come to shore. The melodies may change but the music is as recognizable as my favourite band.

Sometimes I just roll with it…

Rock or Sea

Seaweed or Wave

Swish splash!

Sing to me, I say – sing to me!

SPROUT: What sound in nature is as familiar to you as your favourite music?

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

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

The Coast is Clear (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Three Mayne Island photography landscapes go to Vancouver (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Mayne Island Dawn of 2012 (creativepotager.wordpress.com)

The Coast is Clear

January 12, 2012January 13, 2012 / Terrill Welch / 12 Comments

The last few days with stretches of sun have seen for many a photo shoot. Over the next few posts I will share the bounty. Today we shall start with a lovely and way to rare opportunity to focus on the B. C. coastal mountains as seen from across the Strait of Georgia on Mayne Island.

When the coast is clear the Mountains command our attention. It is like a huge surprise and hard to believe they have been their shrouded in clouds all along.

Vancouver high-rise buildings are dwarfed at their feet and compressed in the sliver of space between mountain and sea. If I learned how to “stitch” photographs together I could give you this outstanding string of pearly mountain peaks up and down the coast. But we shall just see it in sections today. Here a Freighter comes into view. This is something that is common for the Strait of Georgia as they head for the Vancouver harbour.

I tried out another black and white for the next image as I find the neutral tones more satisfying in being able to focus on the mountains.

Still, it is a struggle and I am not completely happy with the results yet. More learning is necessary I think. These grand beasts deserve the best I can give them. However, I enjoy this view of Mount Baker. Her soft profile now graces the background on my computer.

SEED: How does a photographer best capture mountains? This is my learning curve question at the moment. It is not as easy as one might think and I have not got what I am seeking in a photograph yet. So I went on a search and found this great article in the Landscape Photography Magazine by Darwin Wiggett “How to Photograph Mountains”

SPROUT: Where is your inner soft mountain grandness showing up today?

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

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

Abstract Sensing (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Mayne Island Dawn of 2012 (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
West Coast Shore Photo-study (creativepotager.wordpress.com)

Abstract Sensing

January 6, 2012 / Terrill Welch / 10 Comments

Sometimes nature delivers the finest abstract compositions such as yesterday late in the afternoon at Georgina Point on Mayne Island. We only had a few moments of sun but they were a nice reprieve from the gray and rain of west coast winter. I was glad I was there, camera-at-the-ready, to take this photograph.

Good morning, happy Friday and the best of the weekend to you!

SPROUT: What natural abstract composition has recently caught your attention?

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 online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

PRECIOUS SECONDS – Mayne Island in paintings and photographs (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Mayne Island Dawn of 2012 (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
THE SEA TO ME original oil painting by Terrill Welch (creativepotager.wordpress.com)

A painting starts with a humble beginning – reminding me of Séraphine

January 5, 2012January 6, 2012 / Terrill Welch / 12 Comments

Darkness is settling heavily down on an already soggy afternoon. I have worked with my daylight lamp most of the day, finishing a painting and then touching up a new one and an older one. Now, I am roughing in a 30 X 40 inch oil on canvas tentatively called REACHING THE SEA. Each painting starts with a humble beginning, filled with hope and possibility. I love this stage. It is easy to put expectations aside. Later I will have to be firm about staying in the process but not now.

It doesn’t look like much yet and as I struggled to get quick shot of it to share with you, I wished for more light. For some reason, this reminded me of the French Artist Séraphine Louis, also know as “Séraphine de Senlis,” who would work during the day as domestic worker – and then she would paint by candle light late into the night. She also had to find and buy the ingredients to mix her own paints. At this moment, I hug my digital camera and give thanks for my daylight lamp, my prepared paints and canvas, and the luxury of being able to focus just on my art.

SEED: Who is Séraphine de Senlis? I first became acquainted with her through the 2008 French film Séraphine directed by Martin Provost. Sam Juliano from Wonders in the Dark was the first to bring the film to my attention. Yolande Moreau is brilliant as Séraphine and the film won seven French Cesars (Oscars). But who is Séraphine – the artist born in 1864 and who died in a mental institute in 1942? I am off to find out!

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 online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

SPILLING OVER original oil painting by Terrill Welch (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Begin 2012 with what you have – oil painting in progress (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
SEA AND CLOUDS original oil painting by Terrill Welch (creativepotager.wordpress.com)

Three Mayne Island photography landscapes go to Vancouver

January 2, 2012January 3, 2012 / Terrill Welch / 2 Comments

The year of 2012 has started out on a high note here at la casa de inspiracion. A new collector of my work will shortly be receiving three extra-large approximately 20 X 28 inch photography canvas prints to complete the remodeling of her home in Vancouver. Shall we have a look to see what she has chosen for her walls? Yes? I though you might say that.

MIST

(image is available for purchase Here)

ARBUTUS STRAIT OF GEORGIA

(image is available for purchase Here)

and the ever popular…

TRAVELING INTO THE MIST

(image is available for purchase Here)

SPROUT: If you could collect anything you wanted what would it be?

SEED: Have you ever wondered how I define “a collector of my work?” It is someone who has three or more pieces of my Fine Art. It could be three or more photography prints or three or more original paintings or a combination of both. Here is a link that I recently wrote for my Google Plus – Terrill Welch Fine Art page about buying an original painting https://plus.google.com/115927302973552189234/posts/aVAcdo661WE The same advice holds to be equally true for photography Fine Art. In addition, I would like to suggest this fantastic article by art consultant, advisor, author, and independent appraiser, Alan Bamberger, “How to Collect Art Like a Pro – Building a Collection.” It is like an advance course in learning how to buy what you love.

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 online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

Studio Tour Tomorrow (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
PRECIOUS SECONDS – Mayne Island in paintings and photographs (creativepotager.wordpress.com)

Mayne Island Dawn of 2012

January 1, 2012January 3, 2012 / Terrill Welch / 32 Comments

My first photograph of 2012 is taken before daylight as I scramble out over slippery rocks to the edge of the surf at Reef Bay on Mayne Island.

Unlike other favourite photography location in the world. I am the only one there. Not even a dog barking in the distance – just me and sea waiting to greet the day.

Sometimes a person must search for signs of dawn in order to be sure of the specific point of its arrival. It is not time yet but soon.

The lights of Vancouver are starting to fade in the distance from where it hunches below the cloud-covered coastal mountains. A softness surrounds the breath of this new day.

With each rolling wave the moments pass through my camera shutter. The sun has not quiet risen but with fingers stiff from the cold I press down to capture the first light on the sandstone shore.

Is this it? Could this be the moment we are waiting for – the dawn of 2012?

Possibly but let’s just wait a little longer.

Ah yes, there is a soft light starting to soak into the heavy clouds over the mountains.

A full dawn has come to Mayne Island.

Only twenty minutes have passed from the first rock we admired and we are now enjoying the richness of our first dawn in 2012 here on Mayne Island.

As we watch the brightness recedes into the soft reality of an overcast day January 1, 2012 here on Mayne Island off the southwest coast of British Columbia Canada.