Tuesday 22 January 2013

Coping with a Cold


For almost a week, I have been sick with a rather bad cold. This means that I had to take a couple of days off work and lie around, blowing my nose constantly, huddling under a blanket, reading books. It made me think of a beautiful watercolour by one of my favourite artists, Carl Larsson. With apologies to Carl Larsson, I adapted his image of a woman reading to do a quick sketch of myself on my couch, coping with a cold.

Sunday 20 January 2013

A New Resident


It seems my back yard has a new resident. I was at my home in the country this weekend and several times when I looked out the window, I caught site of this wild turkey . (One time, I was pretty sure I saw two wild turkeys, so maybe a new family has moved in.) More than once, I ran for my camera and tried to get a picture, but he (or she?) was quite wary and disappeared quickly.

Finally, I managed to get a picture of him, but he seemed aware that I was at the window and was obviously camera-shy. He was a very large bird and left tracks in the snow longer than my hand.


This is the bit of bush where the turkey ran to hide. As you can see, we had a lot of snow this weekendIt was very picturesque but also treacherous for driving. I, for one, am looking forward to the snow all melting and the return of warm weather with the arrival of Spring! 

Wednesday 9 January 2013

Face in the Snow and Foggy Day


I saw this amazing face in the snow on a concrete wall today, as I walked to work. It was formed by the snow melting and sagging down in ways that made eyes and a mouth appear. There were other places along this concrete wall where the snow had melted to almost look like faces, but  this one was the clearest.


It was a really foggy morning because of the change in weather. The air was warming up but the ground was cold. As I walked toward the bridge, I felt like I was entering a strange space that disappeared in the distance.
 

People on the bridge were melting into the fog ahead.


When I turned around and looked back, I could see the Parliament Buildings emerging from the fog as the sun began to rise. What a beautiful, but eerie, morning.

Monday 7 January 2013


Winter is a great time to photograph children outside engaged in winter activities. I saw this little girl and her family recently at a skating rink. She was learning how to skate and was a bit wobbly, but suddenly she managed to push forward and seemed to be really enjoying herself. It was fun to watch!

Sunday 6 January 2013

Snowy Day in Ottawa


We have been having very snowy weather in Ottawa recently. Today, as the snow came cascading down again, I saw this woman in the Byward Market using an umbrella to keep the snow off.


This woman looked as if she was walking along a snowy forest track even though she was in the middle of the city.


Someone built a snowman under Louise Bourgeois' Maman, in the courtyard in front of the National Art Gallery. What fun!

Tuesday 1 January 2013

A Cold Beginning to the New Year


Happy New Year to everyone!
In Eastern Ontario, we had a very cold beginning to 2013, with temperatures around -15 celsius. The view out the window of my home in the country was fringed by these amazing long icicles.


The little sculpture that Peter made of our cat - Titi - was nearly buried in the snow (the steel pole is about 3 ft tall so you can see how deep the snow is). The image really stands out against the whiteness.


I dug a path out to my studio at the back of my property. The wind was blowing and it was unpleasantly cold. When I saw these dead grasses blowing in the wind, I felt like some arctic explorer, trekking across the vast wastes, or like I was walking through a scene in Dr. Zhivago. But I love the blue shadows on the snow. Bleak but beautiful!