Mayne Island Christmas Arbutus Tree Visit

December 25, 2014 / Terrill Welch / 9 Comments

I have a large wonderful family. At the same time, Christmas day is often about taking a long walk and visiting with the arbutus trees. Like my family, they are quirky, intelligent, talented, fun and precious to me. Early in January and the first part of February I expect to be focusing my attention, canvas and brushes on these beauty. So today I set about doing a few photography sketches.

Notice how they have found enough support to secure themselves over the bare sandstone rocks.

In this soft warm south exposure winter sunlight my eyes scale their length.

I walk along the ridges on the backs of the large stone surfaces marveling at how they have made space for each other.

The leaning and reaching for the sun is so pronounced in the character of an arbutus tree grove.

I sense that these beautiful trees understand belonging in a most comfortable and companionable way.

These are my Christmas Trees, naturally decorated and lightly lit with sunshine.

What is putting a glow on your Christmas Day?

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

By the sea for no reason inspires west coast oil painting

May 21, 2013May 24, 2013 / Terrill Welch / 16 Comments

Sometimes we go down by the sea for no reason. There is no intention of capturing the perfect photograph. There is no intention of a meditative walk. There is nothing planned at all. We just go down by the sea at Reef Bay on Mayne Island for no reason at all…

I mean, if you had a choice to join us on a day like this, even or maybe especially for no reason, wouldn’t you?

As we watch, the sea seems to fold into the seagull-decorated landscape.

I sit for a long while just enjoying. Then there is this portrait view that eventually surfaces in my conscious awareness. I know it will be translated into a painting even before I pick up the camera to frame the scene. I debated with myself about whether to show you the photograph that became my main painting reference as it is just that – a reference which anchored my experience long enough to get to my paints, brushes and canvas. But I know how much you like to see these glimpses of inspiration, so here it is…

The painting has been released over on Terrill Welch Artist in today’s post

“NO REASON Canadian west coast oil painting by Terrill Welch“

However, here it is again for your viewing pleasure: Canadian west coast 12 x 10 inch oil on canvas oil painting study – NO REASON.

UPDATE May 24, 2013: This painting has SOLD.

What have you done lately for no reason?

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

Oil landscape paintings – three new releases and three to ship (terrillwelchartist.com)
More Canadian Landscape paintings by Terrill Welch SOLD! (terrillwelchartist.com)
The Edge and At The Beach Another Time – Canadian landscape paintings (terrillwelchartist.com)

The treasured Pacific Dogwood or Cornus nuttallii

April 21, 2013April 21, 2013 / Terrill Welch / 10 Comments

The Pacific Dogwood or Cornus nuttallii small tree or shrub is protected in British Columbia. It is actually not all that common except in the lower western corner of the Province but has the distinction of being the Provincial flower. I have been admiring one such specimen on Mayne Island for a few years now.

Isn’t it just grand? The flower or leaf petals are a stunning greenish cream-white. With some rather tame bushwhacking I was able to get up a wee closer so we can have a good study of these beauties.

The actual flower of this plant is the greenish ball in the center. I understand it is suppose to flower spring AND fall but I only seem to notice in the spring. Though the dark red berries are bitter they are the culinary delight of pigeons, quail, grosbeaks, hermit thrushes, and waxwings. Bears and beavers enjoy the fruit and foliage, and deer eat the twigs.

Some aboriginal people used the wood, which is fine-grained, hard and heavy, for bows and arrows. More recently, the Cowichan people on Vancouver Island made knitting needles from it.

The Straits Salish made a tanning agent from the bark. The Thompson people made dyes – deep brown from the bark, black when mixed with grand fir, and red from the roots.

The wood has been used for piano keys. Pacific dogwood varieties are attractive ornamental plant in coastal gardens.

But remember if you see one – British Columbia Legislation protects the Pacific dogwood from being dug up or cut down.

Reference and more about this plant: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/treebook/pacificdogwood.htm

Also, it has been a week of finding more homes for paintings and releasing some new ones for sale. Find out more on Terrill Welch Artist at “Oil landscape paintings – three new releases and three to ship”

Can you share with us the flower emblem of your Province or State?

Wishing a wonderful week ahead with many creative adventures!

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

The Story of the Swamp Lantern (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
More Canadian Landscape paintings by Terrill Welch SOLD! (terrillwelchartist.com)
Wabi Sabi Feng Shui Nature and Photography (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
West Coast Blues in photography and painting (creativepotager.wordpress.com)

The beauty of the lone Tree

January 28, 2013 / Terrill Welch / 19 Comments

There are several trees on the island that I photograph over and over with the hopes to someday catch their essence with my lens. One of these trees is the one in the daffodil field. The tree has set itself in a delightful corner of the world that is often privy to dramatic or at least interesting light. Like the other day when I spotted it with the fog starting to roll up behind its naked trunk and branches.

So I wiggled my lens in a little closer to see what we could see…

But then I got distracted by its sister tree by the gate.

By the time I looked back, the mist had really started to drift up behind the other tree.

It is lovely of course but is it just right? Can we glimpse the spirit of the tree as it is revealed to the viewer’s eye. No, I think not – not quite. Almost but still I am left feeling unsatisfied. Maybe it is time to tackle it with paint brush and canvas.

Speaking of which, I have several paintings to release this week over at Terrill Welch Artist. The first post went up this morning for a 12 x 16 inc h oil on canvas “Winter Afternoon West Coast Ferry Home”

Drop on by if it pleases you or subscribe so you are notified of new posts as they go up.

What are you attempting to capture this week with you creative tools?

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

Greetings Fir Tree and Your Simple Goodness – poem by Terrill Welch (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Evening and the Arbutus Tree – a large west coast oil painting (terrillwelchartist.com)
Keehner Park- Tree Art (sethsnap.com)
Trees. Home is within you. (davidkanigan.com)

Autumn Sliced with a Tear

October 19, 2012July 14, 2013 / Terrill Welch / 15 Comments

Just the highlights from a painter and photographer’s last five days…

Sunday – Today is one of those slow-baked, melancholy west coast Sundays, so moist and tender you can slice it with a tear.

Autumn Sliced with a Tear

(available in my redbubble store at HERE)

Monday – new painting.

To see at a glance the cliffside, the sea and the movement of light across the canvas. This unframed 16 x 12 inch oil on canvas is a studio-finished plein air impressionist painting of one of the most beautiful location on the southern most gulf Island off the west coast of Canada.

Fiddlers Cliffside Saturna Island – oil painting

This painting is now in a private collection.

Tuesday – After an appointment this morning I slipped off to the sea – for no reason other than to say “hello” to the sea, the sun and today.

Here is Today

Wednesday – Perfect for today…. Moroccan Harira Soup

Every time I make this soup I do something a little different. Today it was 1/2 cup of dried organic French du Puy Lentils instead of the ready-to-go canned ones. Just add the dried lentils at the same time as the carrots. Enjoy and feel free to add and delete veggies… it all works. No potatoes or cabbage in mine today 🙂

Thursday – Seagull Cry Mayne Island

These gray days are as much a part of west coast life as the gulls. Loneliness and aloneness are so close that they whisper to each other and can be heard above the wind and pelting rain.

There is a Haiku poem by Alexis Rotella that came to mind as I closed in on framing this image….

The Gull
giving loneliness
sound.

SPROUT: What are some of the high lights of your creative week?

P.S. I left out the event of locking my keys in the car over by the daffodil garden. It was not a highlight. Thankfully, because the kindness of one of our Mayne Island residents, it was only a minor bleep in the week.

Today I have a long list of tasks in preparation to leave for the big city Vancouver B.C. on Friday morning. I wish all the best for today and the weekend.

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

Early November Sea oil painting by Terrill Welch (terrillwelchartist.com)
New homes for Art and other studio musings (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Mayne Island en plein air painting morning (creativepotager.wordpress.com)

Mayne Island Backyard Bandit Capers

August 13, 2012 / Terrill Welch / 8 Comments

Mayne Island is a quite rather bucolic southern Gulf Island off the west coast of Canada. But this island has also been known to have its share of mischief. There are roving masked bandits during the night that frequently get up to no good. It is worth keeping an eye out for them just to be on the safe side. Let’s see if I can assist you in knowing what you are looking for. Ah yes, here comes one now…

“Who me?” she says.

Yes you! We are talking about you Miss Curious Cat.

“Well how interesting” she softly growls.

But then she thinks “what else could I possibly expect with such frequent trips through their property?”

“Lovely evening isn’t it?” and she almost smiles before looking farther up the tree to make sure the children safe.

Three of these are hers and one is the baby of a good friend of hers who is guarding the bottom of the tree and too hidden by the underbrush to get an identifying mugshot. The tree is like a raccoon hotel at the moment with the guests swinging from the rafters.

I suspect that they stopped at the compost fruit and salad bar before coming up because they sure know how to be entertaining and silly. Raccoon tail hat anyone?

If you do see any of this masked bandits do keep your distance. These photographs were taken with a telephoto lens so you can get good look at them. They may look cute but are fierce and can be aggressive if cornered. If you note those powerful back legs it is easy to see why they can spring a good distance to attach if they feel threatened or their young are in danger.

SPROUT: Who have you recently caught roaming around your yard at night?

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

European Fallow Deer Mayne Island (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
An Evening on Brown Ridge Saturna Island (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
An interview with Terrill Welch by Charles van Heck (creativepotager.wordpress.com)

European Fallow Deer Mayne Island

June 11, 2012 / Terrill Welch / 5 Comments

We had a nice surprise visit late yesterday afternoon on the valley floor below our house. These two buck Fallow Deer stood long enough for me to photograph when we whistled at the them. You may wonder what European Fallow Deer are doing on Mayne Island off the southwest coast of Canada and it is a good question. Sometime in the 1990’s they were brought here to farm and eventually a few got away which has led to the foreign immigrants becoming wild inhabitants on the island. Though they are extremely pretty they are not favoured by locals as they compete with the native deer for limited food. They are also much more fearful and wary. This is the best photograph I have been able to get in five years. Enjoy!

SPROUT: If you could see anything you wanted out of your favourite window in your home what would it be?

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

Second Hanging – this time at the Green House Bar and Grill (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Hanging at the Bennett Bay Bistro (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Spring Studio Sale – Art is not ART until it is SOLD (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Mayne Island May Day Celebrations (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Mayne Island Super moon on May 5 2012 (creativepotager.wordpress.com)

Sometimes a photographer’s life is for the birds!

April 19, 2012 / Terrill Welch / 6 Comments

I am not a bird photographer. I am mostly a sea and landscape photographer – mostly. But those darn birds! They just keep getting in the way of things and what is a photographer to do? Take for instance this young Great Blue Heron refusing to stop stalking his fish no matter how close I sat beside him.

Then there were those bathtub toy-duck sounding squeakers – the pretty little Harlequin Ducks…

But it was the Red-wing Blackbird singing in the rain that really distracted me from the sound of the surf…

The clouds were waddling their heavy bellies slowly across the sky as the first drops fell. This red-wing blackbird just kept singing as I moved closer to capture his silhouette against the rain-laden clouds.

Those darn birds! 😉

SPROUT: What pleasant distractions have you found in your creative adventures of late?

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