Mayne Island

With Colour

/ Terrill Welch / 22 Comments

The grayness of our west coast year is already upon us. I have an interesting photo of some seals from our Saturday outing. But they are awfully dull for how I am feeling right now. So I’m digging through my massive tickle trunk of photo folders looking for some colour. Aha! June 4, 2011.

I’m resisting the rain-soaked weather with splashes of vibrant sun feelings. The seals shall be the postage stamp at the end of this post. We are celebrating!

We have a winner of the image-wrapped copy of a little coffee table book

 

PRECIOUS SECONDS – Mayne Island in paintings and photographs

 

Drum roll please Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-tttttta-T!!!…… I know you were expecting the bear from yesterday, right? No, not today either….

 

The winner is….. Artist Uma Sharma from Gurgaon, India. Congratulations Uma! Your book is on its way and is expected to arrive well before the end of October. Enjoy!

A little more colour? Well, why not….

Thank you everyone who participated in Creative Potager’s first Salish Sea Sunday Savings event. Your support is always deeply appreciated whether it is to purchase an original painting, photography print, calendar or card. Or to share my work with others. It all makes a difference in the life of a full-time creative being.

Also, welcome to new subscribers! Creative Potager posts generally come out on Mondays and Fridays with the odd extra post like the Salish Sea Sunday Savings event – which I have promised readers there will be three. The next one will be Sunday October 16th as next Sunday is Canadian Thanksgiving.  Welcome to our lively creative community. Please join in as you wish.

And now, here are those seals…

Did you notice the one on the left?  Every time a wave would come it would push its body down on the rock so as to not float off.

 

Sprout Question: What is the most interesting place you have ever mailed your creative work?

 

© 2011 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

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Be Still

/ Terrill Welch / 10 Comments

Chunks of forests uninterrupted by human travel are not always easy to come by. Most often even the woods in national parks look something like this…

However, every once in a long while I am sitting quietly off a beaten path and image – what if I was deer or a bear? Or maybe I am moose or a lynx? Maybe I am a wolverine, mink, marten or mouse? Of these animals only the deer, mink and mouse call Mayne Island home. But I once lived where I walked with the bear, moose, wolverine, marten and lynx. Sometimes I would be lucky enough to see these animals too. But a certain practice was required. I had to move through the brush quietly and at times BE STILL – wait without expectation.

 

Often the forest history is evident.

The eyes unexpectedly see through a sliver of clarity.

Burrowed holes from ants or other bugs are noticed in the big cedar.

While musing on a crumbling log a person might even look up and see ferns waving out of reach of the deer. Their long leaves still beautifully uneaten and curling towards the sky.

 

Remember: It is Salish Seas Sunday Savings this Sunday!

 

LINK your chances to win an image-wrapped copy of a little coffee table book

PRECIOUS SECONDS – Mayne Island in paintings and photographs

To qualify you must be subscribed to the Creative Potager blog and share this blog LINK to the First Thursday Teaser for the first Salish Sea Sunday Savings event anytime BEFORE the start of the event at 3:00 P.M. this Sunday, via any of these means – email, facebook, twitter, Google+ or on your blog.

Selected paintings and photographs of my work will be reduced 40% for ONE hour ONLY from 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm P.D.T. Sunday October 2, 2011.

To learn more read yesterday’s THURSDAY TEASER post.

Also, my good friend Leanne Dyck has asked me some intriguing questions and is posting the first part of her interview with me this Saturday at The Sweater Curse. If you have a chance come on over. And if you slip by today Leanne has another local author Amber Harvey as her guest.

Sprout Question: How do you incorporate a creative enhancing  practice to BE STILL?

© 2011 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 online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

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Saturna Island in September

/ Terrill Welch / 21 Comments

Even though the islands are neighbours with only a short distance of water between them, we had to take the Queen of Cumberland ferry, leaving at 7:20 am, from Mayne Island to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island and then transfer to the Mayne Queen arriving at Saturna Island by 10:30 am. But what an arrival!

Mist was rolling on the water as we approached with clear blue skies above.

Each with a small backpack we planned to spend the first day strolling the 1 km down into Narvaez Bay. My backpack carried my camera and two lens. The new lens is huge and weighs as much as a medium size puppy. Thus, it required a change from a shoulder camera case to a full-on backpack. David had water bottles, lunch and small first-aide kit.  We intended to spend time at the smaller bays of Echo and Little Bay then finish up with a hike up to Monarch Head in the late afternoon.Missionaccomplished. It was absolutely splendid! During this whole time we met two cyclists and one hiker with his dog Molly on our way out. Following are a few images so you can join us in one of our favourite magical places.

 

Though this path takes us to Echo Bay we opted to go out to the point.

From here I wandered over to the side and looked at the cliff side and took this image which will be familiar to some of you from a previous trip.

However, each visit is a little different and with the cliff in the shade I was surprised that this image came out so well.

Through the trees on the other side of the point I spied my favourite mountain.

I did take a photo of it all by itself but have opted to show you later on the ones I took of Mount Baker from Monarch Head instead. Going back along the trail, I was attracted by patterns again through trees.

What amazing water.

There are a couple of purple starfish swimming in here. Can you find them?

More trees with the sun coming through by Echo Bay.

This will likely be a reference for an oil painting that I will do over the winter.

Then of course there are these ladies of the arbutus waving their fancy apparel in the air.

Are you ready for a break yet? We sure are. There! Lunch! Water! Alright, pack up and let’s head for Monarch Head.

Ahhhh, the view.

And there is Mount Baker with a teeny tiny sailboat sailing by.

To give you some perspective on where we are here are a couple of shots that include part of the cliffs.

And then on the other side.

Now back we go and tuck ourselves into a most excellent B&B – Saturna Lodge.

Thank you for joining us as we celebrate our tenth anniversary of the day we met September 20, 2001 at a breakfast meeting when we both worked as seasoned bureaucrats for the Province of British Columbia. Seems so long ago in a different world of briefing notes, meetings with Ministers, urgent rush folders and a ridiculous amount of emails topped with a pile of documents that needed signing which seemed to have no bottom. How did we ever manage such a delicious courtship with lunches, long walks and quiet dinners together? But we did and here we are today still enjoying such a splendid time in each other’s company.  Glad you can share it with us.

Sprout question: What magic are you taking with you into the weekend this week?

Stay tuned, more images from our time on Saturna Island will be posted on Monday.

New: Check out my coffee table book PRECIOUS SECONDS – Mayne Island in paintings and photographs

© 2011 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 online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

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West Coast Shore Photo-study

/ Terrill Welch / 14 Comments

I wonder, has anyone mentioned that being a nature, land and seascape photographer is an expensive slide into professional shooting equipment? I have had good Cannon semi-professional DSLR equipment for a few years now. My EOS 40D with an EFS 17-85 mm lens has served me well. I think that PRECIOUS SECONDS – Mayne Island in paintings and photographs has shown us that, wouldn’t you agree? However, I knew that to take the shots I next I wanted capture I needed to add another lens.

(image may be purchased here.)

It is also time to move up into professional level equipment but there is a cost attached to this decision. The best glass for the scenery and sturdiest equipment suited the rugged terrain I am usually navigating comes at a price.

After careful research I took the profits from the sales over the summer of both prints and original paintings and I went shopping. It reminded my of a line in an Ian Tyson song “she’s gambled and gone like summer wages…”

(image may be purchased here.)

A perfect song actually for this west coast shore study.

(image may be purchased here.)

With a new camera Flipside backpack, I am off with David on another photo shoot to Saturna Island this week and will put this new puppy – Cannon’s 2010 EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM – and me 🙂 to a real test. For now, I hope you enjoyed my west coast shore study. We shall see on Friday’s post how I made out.

(image may be purchased here.)

Sprout question: What creative subjects are you poised to study?

New: Check out my coffee table book PRECIOUS SECONDS – Mayne Island in paintings and photographs

© 2011 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 online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

The Good, The Green and The Ugly

/ Terrill Welch / 11 Comments

Have you every noticed that things are not usually as they seem but more like what we make them out to be? Such is the story of these three tomatoes shown with the last of our peas and carrots.

The orange tomato on the left fooled me. I was waiting for it to turn red. Finally, slightly puzzled that it was taking so long to ripen, I reached under the plant and found its tag – Hillbilly (heirloom) Plant produces good yields of large orange yellow beefsteak tomatoes with read and pink streaks. Very flavourful. Excellent for salads and sandwiches.

It was ripe after all – just not red. It was also absolutely delicious.

Now the green tomato really is green. It accidentally came off with the other Hillbilly. But look at that big Ugly tomato – what happened to it? I can only guess that it was double pollinated. Let’s have a read of its tag – Carbon (heirloom) Flavour is exceptionally rich yet sweet and the essence of delicious summer tomato flavour. Medium to large, tomatoes are flattened round and smooth, without the cracking or blemishing that seems to plague some black tomatoes. They are dark purplish-brown on the outside with deep brick red interior.

I can tell you it did lived up to its flavour description but was maybe a little off on expected appearance. We had to eat it in three sittings. That was one monster tomato.

Speaking of descriptions our dear Laurie Buchanan received her birthday present copy from Len of PRECIOUS SECONDS – Mayne Island in paintings and photographs. Here is the comment she left on the Blurb publishing site under her penname Paden Plume:

This evening I sat down with a glass of wine to enjoy Terrill Welch’s new book. The description on the wine label said:

“This wine shows a heady nose of chocolate, deep rich blackberries, red fruits, and a creamy mocha finish that is unmistakable in its intensity and length. It’s reminiscent of a blackberry chocolate cupcake with a mocha coulis.”

If that description sounds good to you, let me say that turning and savoring each page of PRECIOUS SECONDS was an even more delicious treat! One that I will indulge in over and over again.

Thank you Laurie and thank you to everyone who purchased a book this week. Some of you I know who you are and others are friends in the universe who I greatly appreciate supporting my work. Thank you, thank you and thank you.

PRECIOUS SECONDS –Mayne Island in paintings and photographs now has its own facebook page HERE. Please feel free to come “like” its page and share your own “precious seconds” adventures.

And speaking of Laurie, she has brought the bubbly out to celebrate a blogging milestone. Speaking from the Heart has received over 50,000 views since February 2010. There isn’t a blogging party over there yet but we could always start one! Congratulations Laurie! I wish you many more views to your rich and engaging blog over the months and years ahead.

The weather has cooled and I have harvested the garden and the rest of the tomatoes are ripening up for dinner over the weeks ahead.

 

Sprout question: What do you have ripening for your creative dinner?

 

New: Check out my coffee table book PRECIOUS SECONDS – Mayne Island in paintings and photographs

© 2011 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 online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

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Early September Walk

/ Terrill Welch / 12 Comments

How about a long walk? We haven’t been on one together for awhile. It is a warm afternoon and getting close to dinner time so it should be peaceful out on the point. Doesn’t that sound like a great idea?

I knew you would be game. Shall we?

(This image is available for purchase here.)

The arbutus trees are particularly intriguing this time of year….

as their bark splits and peels back to another layer of beauty underneath.

Then there are David’s trees.

“Oh look at this. Have you taken a photo of these yet?”

I hadn’t. So I did.

A quiet ledge. Now this seems to be perfectly designed for a Creative Potager moment. Ahhhhh.

(This image is available for purchase here.)

Then there is this particular arbutus tree! I don’t know how many times I have tried to get it just right in a photograph. Maybe this time. What do you think?

(This image is available for purchase here.)

Well that is it for the sunny west side of our late afternoon September walk. Time to cross over to the dark side. Can you hear the surf through the trees? It won’t take long.

  (This image is available for purchase here.)

The air is still humid and warm with hardly a whisper of relief off the water. The sky is clear. Yet the sea is dark and hugs the shadows along the shore.

(This image is available for purchase here.)

A bit of a puzzle isn’t it?

Time to head for home. We have been over an hour and a half. It is a good thing we brought our water bottles.

———–

As long fingers of fog are blown into our open windows this morning, I shiver and begin closing out the cool dampness. Then I remembered the sea from our walk on the weekend.

(This image is available for purchase here.)

Remember that the late afternoon was warm and humid with hardly a wisp of breeze off the water? Yet, the sea frothed and boiled as it slammed up against the sandstone shore? Now we know why. Fall is here.

Sprout question: What signs of fall are blowing in your direction?

New: Check out my coffee table book PRECIOUS SECONDS – Mayne Island in paintings and photographs

© 2011 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 online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

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Moon path and other wonders

/ Terrill Welch / 14 Comments

I am awake early for no other reason than the moon has finally gone to bed. She shines in the big windows keeping me company on her passage across the sky. For some reason when she is near full, glowing brightly for hours and then slips over the hill leaving the room in pre-dawn darkness, I wake.

It is Friday, September 9th and my interview with Fiona Robyn of “Writing Our Way Home” in Malvern Worcestershire is up. You may want to stay awhile and browse through other posts as well. Take your time and enjoy. A special thank you to our very own Daisy A. Hickman from Sunny Room Studio for referring Fiona to me.

Now, getting back to wonders and mysteries the of nature, what about this moment I captured earlier in the week?

Can you guess the mystery?

Maybe this photograph taken the night before will help…

Yes, the first image is a reflection that I have turned right-side up.

The Pacific Ocean in a small bay on the Strait of Georgia was unusually calm.

It is not something we get to see very often.

Sprout question: What natural wonders are you noticing?

Oh! I promised to tell you about my fall Creative Potager intentions. Posts shall be Monday and Friday except on holidays. Plus, for the first three weeks of October I will be hosting Salish Sea Sunday Studio Savings. This will be a special Sunday post at 3:00 pm PST which will include redbubble photographic print specials on featured images, and an original painting either reduced or by auction (I still have to see what it takes to set up an account on eBay so this may or may not work). The event with savings will only last for one hour. Yes, one hour only for three Sundays in a row. What do you think? Does it sound like fun?

Best of the weekend everyone!

New: coffee table book PRECIOUS SECONDS – Mayne Island in paintings and photographs.

© 2011 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 online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

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PRECIOUS SECONDS – Mayne Island in paintings and photographs

/ Terrill Welch / 19 Comments

What is this? You guess it. I am announcing the release of my coffee table book PRECIOUS SECONDS – Mayne Island in paintings and photographs is now available through Blurb self-publishing. You can view the first 15 of the 50 pages of paintings and photographs that you know and love.

You may make your order today. Isn’t that fun?

The material quality of Blurb books is excellent. However, they are a wee bit pricy. Therefore, I will not be carrying this publication as inventory so that I can keep the purchase price as reasonable as possible. Online in the Blurb store is where you shall find this latest addition to my printed work. Enjoy.

Sprout question: What creative surprise do you have to share this week?

Happy September New Year!

I will be sharing more about my fall schedule and offerings on Friday. Best of the week to you 🙂

© 2011 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 online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

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Five new plein air oil paintings by Terrill Welch

/ Terrill Welch / 21 Comments

Have you been wondering when I will post my summer paintings? Well here they are!

For more information and purchase price on each painting, click on its title below the painting for the gallery link.

The first you may have seen in an earlier post when it was almost completed.

AT THE BEACH 12 X 12 original oil on canvas.

Next is the last of the three I did together on a summer morning.

A SUMMER DAY 8 x 8 inch original oil on canvas (No longer available).

Then there is the middle one.

SKY CLEARING 10 x 10 inch original oil on canvas.

And here is the first one from that morning.

GRAY ON GRAY IN BLUE 12 X 12 original oil on canvas.

Finally, there is this latest one I painted on Shell Beach at East Point on Saturna Island.

SUMMER MORNING MIST 10 x 10 inch original oil on canvas. (No longer available)

The new series has a working title of “Squared to the Sea” and I am poised to start on a bigger 36 X 36 inch canvas. Working with square dimensions are difficult to keep the composition interesting and I am enjoying the challenge.

Painting on site is mostly a nice weather activity. I might get a few more done before our fall rains but for the most part, this aspect of my creativity is reaching completion for now and I will be working in my studio again until next summer.

I do have another surprise for you that will be completed by the first week of September. I think you are going to like it. A hint – works best if you have a coffee table.

Sprout question: What is reaching completion in your creative world?

© 2011 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 online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch/art/7681425-end-of-summer

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End of Summer

/ Terrill Welch / 11 Comments

I begin my day by arranging a huge bundle of fresh-cut flowers I received as a thank you for a photo shoot I did earlier in the week. I thought I was going to take photographs of the finished results. Which I did. But the most stunning image was on the cutting table where the morning sun had edged its way in. A reminder to always take the photograph that is there to be taken.

(this image may be purchased here.) 

I am grateful today that hurricane Irene was less than anticipated. I am grateful for so much love from my family and friends. I am grateful to celebrate one more year on this planet.

 

Sprout question: What are you grateful for today?

 

© 2011 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 online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch/art/7681425-end-of-summer

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