A Wisp of Winter

November 21, 2011November 19, 2011 / Terrill Welch / 22 Comments

It is a painting day for me. It is an ordinary west coast November day with frequent weather changes from sun to rain. But as I looked up from the canvas, nothing seemed to warn me about what I was going to see in the valley.

(image may be purchased HERE)

A tree in snow – natural pointillism.

I wonder what tomorrow morning will bring?

Slipping out our door into the crisp air I pause. The tree dressed in a skiff of snow is decorated with morning light.

(image may be purchased HERE)

Now isn’t that lovely?

These photographs are from Friday and Saturday. But I think they still look fresh, even as late as this Monday morning.

Sprout Question: What is crispy and fresh in your creative day?

Happy Thanksgiving to our U.S. friends!

P.S. The 12 X 12 oil painting is coming along too but is “resting.” I hope to be able to share it with you on Friday.

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

Make the Most of It

October 7, 2011October 7, 2011 / Terrill Welch / 16 Comments

The morning had got off to a bad start. I went to put luggage in the truck parked on Arbutus Way after staying over night in Victoria. On the windshield was a $75.00 parking ticket because of… Alleged infraction 220. No Person May Park Or Leave A Veh in A Park Except For The Bona Fide Purpose of Visiting The Park.

The street sign did not say I couldn’t park in that spot overnight which was a through street from downtown at the edge of the park. The signage said nothing about park use parking only. The sign said I could park for 3.5 hours between 7:00 am and 6:00 pm. Like the other streets around it, I assumed the limit ended at 6:00 pm and night parking with no time limit until 7:00 am began. I was $75.00 worth of wrong. I felt like I had been unfairly tricked. I could likely argue the ticket but it just seems such a waste of my time. I decided I will pay and tag the City of Victoria in my post instead. After all, my arguing, even if I win, won’t help someone else from making the same mistake. But my blog post might.

Adding to this minor insult the day was heavy with cloud and gloom.

(image may be purchased here.)

But we didn’t let any of it get to us and spoil our fun. We made faces and laughed as we walked and took a break on the park bench for the baby to nurse.

You got it! We were visiting the newest grandson Isaac who is now 7 weeks old.

Now isn’t that a happy grandpa for you?

Giving him lots love.

Looking into this face who wouldn’t feel like the sun was shining and they didn’t have a care in the world?

Who cares about the City of Victoria and their silly old parking tickets or the heavy clouds over our head? Not us. It matters not one smidgen! We are making the most of it!

Sprout Question: When was the last time you made to most of it?

SPECIAL NOTICE: There will be no Creative Potager post on Monday. It is Canadian Thanksgiving and I shall be away visiting the other two grandsons while David keeps the home fires burning.

But we shall have an extra special post on Tuesday with a guest interview appearance with Jeff Stroud. Please do stop by then and say hello.

AND the second part of Leanne Dyck’s interview with me will be up tomorrow morning at THE SWEATER CURSE.

Best of the weekend everyone and happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers.

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

Creative Island Retreat Home for you?

August 12, 2011August 13, 2011 / Terrill Welch / 17 Comments

Every once in a long while I spy a home for sale and think “I could live there!” So when I ran into Annette at the Farm Gate Store and she told me her retreat house was for sale. I took her up on an offer to come have a look.

Off we went to an address within easy stroll to the lighthouse where I was painting en plein air last week. Or you could meander down to Reef Bay at David Cove where so many of my photographs and paintings have been inspired.

It is not the usual”for sale” sign we park beside. Annette’s young children have painted all the signs and posters that have been posted around the island. It has been one of their contribution to this creative family restoration project.

Doesn’t it look lovely.

Wood is so inviting. The new siding and much of the decking was milled from trees that were taken right from the property.

The yard is bright with a tropical feel. It can be low maintenance or a full-on garden – your choice.

There are lavish environmentally treated cedar decks to enjoy.

I particularly like the frames within frames at this vantage point.

Oh and there is the studio building with one room up and one down, completely separate and connected with a breezeway to the main home.

Don’t you just love it? It would be a great place to write, paint, make jewelry, or have a little home store for your wares.

It even has its own woodpile guard. It is not a very strenuous post (pun intended) on Mayne Island but the carving is great company just the same. There is a story here but you will need to ask Annette to tell you about it.

From the loft studio balcony you can even look down and see if your sweetie has dinner ready. In my case, I would be looking until breakfast the next morning but you never know…. This is a kitchen that will inspire gourmet delights.

As we climb the stairs to the spacious loft I admire the windows. What a nice glimpse of outside.

But that is it for my part of the tour. Now I am going to turn you over to Annette to see the loft and other photographs on the most incredible website she has set up for this property.

If you like, give her a call and chat further about this creative gem of a retreat. I know she would be delighted. And be sure to say “hello” from me.

Best of the weekend everyone… and you will not be seeing me around next week. I will be in Mill Bay and on Saturna Island while David minds the peas and carrots in the garden on the home front. After that things will pretty much get back to normal as I start to ramp up for the fall and more time with all of you. Until then!

Sprout question: If you are seeking a creative retreat what must it include?

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.

FromMayne Island,British Columbia,Canada

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

Good Morning En Plein Air (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Why I hung a $2,420 original oil painting for sale at our local Farm Gate grocery store. (creativepotager.wordpress.com)

Being With What Is

July 21, 2011July 21, 2011 / Terrill Welch / 18 Comments

Waking quickly, I glance out through the big window next to the bed. I can see the sun streaming its warmth across the valley floor. After being up until two hours past midnight, I have slept in. It is 8:00 am. Feeling panic, I do a head-rushing leap onto the cool tiles. It is summer. We have the heat off. I had wanted to water the garden. Then I remembered it was raining hard when I went to bed. That job is done. I can relax and be with what is rather than what I had planned. This is my summer so far. I had planned to do a lot of plein air painting. It is not yet happening. Either it is raining or I have another commitment to take care of. So today I am going to share with you a few images that have come about because I have just been with what is – and mostly I have been out and about on Mayne Island with David and my camera.

It stormed all day but the evening was grand….

(this image is available for purchase here.)

with the sandstone shore turning to gold.

(this image is available for purchase here.)

A sailboat sailing a sacred sail as the light catches the surface of the water.

(this image is available for purchase here.)

Just for a moment Georgeson Island is caught in the evening sun’s brilliance and we happened to be there… being with what is.

(this image is available here. There is also a beautiful new poem that poet Bat-Ami Gordin is inspired to write about this image posted in the description.)

Night is coming. The tide is high… a boat house with mist rising.

(this image is available for purchase here.)

Sailboats anchor in the soft edges.

(this image is available for purchase here.)

Night settles in.

Only to have another day begin in a tangle of Arbutus and sun.

The trail ends but my desire continues… off across the sea, over the hills and into the distance.

(this image is available for purchase here.)

Then, without complaint or longing, I am squarely back to the summer grasses beneath my feet, being with what is.

Sprout question: How are you being with what is?

STUDY OF BLUE solo exhibition open until Wednesday July 27, 2011.

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

Art Opening (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Interview with Terrill Welch by Bill Maylone (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Rainy Summer Day in Navy Channel (creativepotager.wordpress.com)

Summer Crossing

July 18, 2011 / Terrill Welch / 15 Comments

I know I said I was only going to post as I chose this summer but it seems as if I choose to post frequently. Maybe it is the good sales of my work last week. In addition to the medium size canvas photography print, I also sold another original oil painting from the STUDY of BLUE solo exhibition. The 8 x 10 inch painting of SALISH SEA THREE is going to buyers from Vancouver B. C., Canada. This means there are only 10 paintings left to choose from so if you have been mooning and musing over a particular piece, now is the time to act.

In the meanwhile, let’s do a summer crossing starting at Tsawwassen across Georgia Strait.

When I look back towards the ferry terminal I realize that it is no wonder I have done a study of blue.

I often feel that I am wrapped in time when at sea.

There is an openness

and a containment when traveling across the straight on a small vessel like the Bowen Queen.

Ah yes. One more stop at Galiano Island while I admire the Mayne Island lighthouse with Mount Baker looming in the background.

I shall be home soon.

Sprout Question: What creative crossing might you traverse this week?

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

Be Patient (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Rainy Summer Day in Navy Channel (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Beyond Blue mixed-media painting (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Port of call – Mayne Island (creativepotager.wordpress.com)

Rainy Summer Day in Navy Channel

July 15, 2011July 16, 2011 / Terrill Welch / 15 Comments

Another medium size canvas print of “Witness in Georgia Strait” has sold from the Green House Restaurant where I share wall space with another Mayne Island creative being Barbara McIntyre. It is the second of this image I have sold. Summer is the time when our island doubles in size and we share this beautiful island with weekenders and tourists.

But in all honesty it has been a rather wet and dreary summer so far. Yet, it is the wettest and mistiest days that often find me leaving the house with my camera. It is like I must connect, I must be close to the earth’s surfaces taking in her breath as if we are one.

The day is hot and humid. My bare arms feel the moisture in the air and I leave my raincoat draped haphazardly around my waist. With the tide out, I scramble along the small beach and over the rocks in Navy Channel.

While noticing a straggly molting heron feeds in the shallows

I almost step on the most magnificent huge purple starfish.

(this image may be purchased here)

Looking west it is hard to make out Salt Spring Island in the distance.

But it is two large boulders to the east that have captured my attention. Huddled, as if braving the grayness of the day alone, they squat on the shore.

As I draw closer I can see that they are now separate and each holding a space of its own.

However, I opt for an image that has a stronger connection to their oneness, my oneness and our oneness as we experience being separate.

(this image may be purchased here)

The magic of summer rains and mist defies our capacity to mistakenly dwell on our separateness.

Sprout Question: What clarity comes from your today?

Terrill Welch’s STUDY OF BLUE solo exhibition is up until July 27, 2011. At this time, there are still eleven paintings to choose from. Your personal favourite may still be available and can be purchased today online.

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

Port of call – Mayne Island (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
An invitation to buy a painting (creativepotager.wordpress.com)

Poppy Opening

June 21, 2011June 21, 2011 / Terrill Welch / 23 Comments

Poppy Opening

Poppy petals unfold,

their crinkly wrinkles.

Laundry on a summer line.

Sun-kissed and fresh.

Moving gently with the breeze,

these frocks of orange.

(image is available for purchase here.)

Happy Summer Solstice.

Sprout question: How might you celebrate summer solstice?

STUDY OF BLUE solo exhibition opens Thursday June 30, 2011.

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.

FromMayne Island,British Columbia,Canada

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

Promise of Summer (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Port of call – Mayne Island (creativepotager.wordpress.com)

My Grand Studio

June 17, 2011June 16, 2011 / Terrill Welch / 26 Comments

I have had this idea since last fall that I would like a most grand studio, one as large as the whole outdoors. What do you think?

Will this do?

I have painted en plein air over the years but not so much recently. And not so much since returning to oil painting. It is time.

Not having taken the time to put a ground on the canvas and being that an underpainting is impractical, I adapted a few squiggles for use to guide me into the painting.

As usual in my painting process, I can feel the image starting to take shape early on.

I search for patterns.

With my water miscible oil paints becoming deliciously warmed by the sun, I work. I puzzle. I work some more. Hours pass and the morning slips away. I stand back.

The light has changed. My body and mind are pleasantly stiff from my efforts. I am done for now. It is time to pack up and take the canvas back to the studio where I can get a good look at it.

I shall let this 12 x 12 inch original oil painting, AT THE BEACH, rest for awhile and decide what, if anything, I want to do to it.

While we are musing I have an announcement. It is almost the longest day of the year – no, that is not it. It is just that, well, I need to wallow in these summer days. I need to whisk away as many routine commitments as possible. It feeds my resilience, a kind of adult playing of hooky…

I hereby give notice that Creative Potager has gone to the beach – wooden French box easel in tow. If you wish, proceed with a subscription. There will be unpredictable and sparse blog posts between now and the beginning of September. Summer speeding is prohibited and shall result in going directly to winter.

Okay, I’m a responsible hooky player. I give notice and I let you know where you can find me. If you have a few spare minutes, feel free to wander down.

Sprout question: What might be unpredictably irregular for you this summer?

STUDY OF BLUE solo exhibition opens Thursday June 30, 2011.

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

Port of call – Mayne Island (creativepotager.wordpress.com)

An invitation to buy a painting

June 13, 2011June 13, 2011 / Terrill Welch / 14 Comments

I am as giddy as a bee nose-first in a newly opened rose. Only 18 more sleeps.

Yes, I am inviting you to my art opening on June 30^th at 7:00 pm. Yes, I would love to see you. Yes, I will give you a glass of wine, slivers of local cheeses along with dozen other tasty nibbles and a personal tour of my work. Yes, I have made it possible for you to buy these paintings online without coming to my solo exhibition STUDY of BLUE. It is a big world. Not all of you can travel the distance to arrive here on Mayne Island. I do this because I am selling my paintings. This is my personal invitation to you. I am inviting you to buy one of my original oil paintings. There you have it – right smack dab between the eyes 🙂

No matter how carefully a gallery or artist dresses up an invitation to an art exhibition, the price tag always seems to be visible. Yet, we both know the paintings must be sold, if not today, then someday. This is the practical side of Art.

To be practical something must be straight forward and if possibly – easy. Therefore, I am going to make it as easy as possible for you to research and decide on a painting to buy. I have prepared a special post on my gallery site which includes an essential link to all of the painting images with a “buy button,” a link to the price list, a link to tips for buying original paintings and a link to directions. If you need anything else, let me know and I will be glad to assist.

Ah! There! It wasn’t so bad was it? At least I hope it wasn’t. It had better not have been. Maybe it was? Oh heck Terrill! Just click post.

Please feel free to share with others who love and collect art, in particular original oil paintings.

Sprout question: What creative reality is hitting you smack dab between the eyes?

STUDY OF BLUE solo exhibition opens Thursday June 30, 2011.

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.

FromMayne Island,British Columbia,Canada

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