Friday, March 21, 2008

Notes from my Barbados Journal: Part 1

Arriving at Barbados' Grantley Adams Airport, fresh from the Canadian Music Week 2008 conference. Still grinning from getting to snap Alanis Morissette at her presser, I was delighted to get out of Toronto's white-out conditions.



The flight was late, and wild. I was SO GRATEFUL to have brought Dimenhydrinate, as turbulence plagued us for most of it. Roller coaster - like drops and highs. Comforted by the thought of P's tracking the trip's progress on her laptop from Bongolia , I slept for two hours like a stone. We were lucky to get off the ground. My fellow passengers and I were cringing in unison that the pilot would come on the horn and say we were turning back because visibility was nil. Instead, the pilot ordered a double de-icing of the entire airplane, and we took off on a wing and a prayer. Ha.

Upon debarking the aircraft, the pilot chatted me up when he saw my portfolio. He escorted me to the customs gate, and explained that, while he did not want to die, he very much wanted to get the plane here today because it was HIS VACATION, too! His grin was as big as the ocean.

A twenty minute drive (on the “other” side of the road, eek) gets me to my destination. A generously loaned sofa in a suite at this heavenly place! I love the palm shadows dancing on the walkway to the room.



Palms and their shadows, sounds and shapes will captivate me for the whole week. That, and sea turtles. The place is stunning, vivid and drenched in sunshine. This is one of the cliffside pools at The Crane Residences.

Down below, the beach stretches endlessly...

... while eyes of shelter watch the waves.


We enjoy a lovely light dinner of Salade Niçoise, a fine bottle or three of Pino Grigio, terrific conversation, and these dramatic skies after a killer sunset.




I fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing and tree frogs chirping. My Mom always jokes it is a cassette tape they play so I will have to paint these sounds to be certain they are real.

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The next morning, I drink a cup of coffee in a garden at 6 am, gazing over the cliff to the sublime teal sea.

I spy this! A cat in a palm tree, stalking the doves. (He got down safe and sound.)





I spend the day painting at Foul Bay , which is anything but. I used an overturned skiff as an easel.




WhereTF is my signature pink hair? I took it out for this trip. Last time I went swimming in the Caribbean sea, the semi-permanent colour ran in magenta runnels down my body as I sashayed out of the water. Think Carrie, at the end, when she gets doused with the bucket of pig's blood. I had a good time with that! But it was not worth a repeat performance.

I leave you with this, from Foul Bay. Listen….

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Painting and Photo Schedule, 2008

Just back from another gloriously productive stay in Barbados with lots of new creations to catalog. There are several new paintings in the web site's galleries, notably new winterscapes from Lake Louise. Although the snow still fills the hammock out back that I was too busy to take down, I can smell Spring in the air here at Quinte's Isle. Here is my painting schedule for the coming year. If you are interested in a special piece from any of these areas, or if you are a fellow traveler and can offer some location tips, by all means comment below or drop me a note!

March, 2008: Documenting Barbados paintings. Continuing work in studio on large canvases for January 2009 show in Barrie.

April, 2008:
Painting on site in
San Diego, Laguna Beach, Oceanside, (yay!) and Palm Springs, California. Doing Coachella Music Festival as well!

May 9-25, 2008:
Join some wonderful fellow artists and me for
"The Art of Flight" in the lower gallery at Black Prince Winery.

May 14 - 18, 2008
: I will be painting and photographing on location in
British Columbia. Hoping to get up to Quadra to see Nanci at Firesign B&B!

Summer, 2008:
Gananoque and Hill Island, Upstate New York, Monheghan Island, Maine, and Maritime Canada

Autumn, 2008:
Germany and Austria (pending)

Winter, 2008: Arizona and Utah, where some incredible canyons are calling my brush.

As always, I offer my sincere thanks to my dear friends, beloved family, fellow artists, galleries, mentors and my treasured clients: I could not accomplish my goals without your continued support!