Foggy Day in St. Martins

Since July was such a hot month and I have been hearing locals and visitors alike Wishing for Fog,  I thought a few pictures from the St. Martins Harbour and the shore along the Bay of Fundy on one Foggy day back in June would cool things off a bit for everybody..

It is low tide and the fishing boats are sitting in the mud.. One of the covered bridges is in the background...  there are two at the harbour... also it has a covered walkway for pedestrians with cut-out window holes.

I love when everything disappears into the fog.. now you see it... now you don't...  it's Magic.

Views like this are an Artist's Dream.... anyone living here or visiting must feel they are walking inside a Painting.

 There is a wharf on either side of the harbour.

Most of these boats are scallop draggers and  I can't wait to have some fresh scallops.

Like the Boat's name, "Last Chance"... perhaps they mean it's our last chance to cool off.

As can be seen by the water marks on the wharf supports the tide has to rise more before they can go out.

6 hours in, 6 hours out.

This is The Caves, one of St. Martins landmarks, carved by the Bay of Fundy waves from the sandstone cliffs.

I was quite a distance away when I took this shot so the size of them does not appear as large as they really are.  I'll have to check for sure but I think the bluffs are 60'-75 'high plus the tall Spruce trees.

See my side bar for The Caves on a sunny day.

 The incoming tide has riled up the sand and made the water look dark. 

 The waves are beginning to hit on the red bluffs in the background.. They aren't very high today.. last year when a big storm went through.. the waves were crashing so hard that they were splashing well over the tops of the trees on the tops of the bluffs. Everybody always heads to the shore to take pictures when that happens.. On one occasion  the waves grabbed a car and started to pull it into the surf... but luckily with some help from some bystanders and ropes they  were able to rescue it.

Heading out to a day of fishing on the Bay of Fundy

 ... starting to clear a bit.

I see blue skies, so another beautiful day will soon be upon us.

Bead People

(background is a page from a book I made)

In the beginning..........

 there was a multitude of mismatched beads that kept tantalizing me to do something with.

...wire that begged to be twisted and bent...

...little folk that needed to be brought into being,

with character that wanted out..

 I gave in.

This is just after they were born... standing around, testing out their new little legs, stretching their arms..

 but really not knowing what to do with themselves...

  they couldn't even call out to one another as they had no names and all they could say was "Hey you with the Green head"  or....  "You with the Skinny legs"...   but that didn't always get the attention of the one they wanted  as more than one had a green head and they all had skinny legs....

Something needed to be done....

 since each one knew deep inside that they each had their own ideas and thoughts (yes of course, even bead people have their own ideas and thoughts) and  that they were each different...  they deciphered that each one had their own character... and with character they began to choose names for themselves.. and with that they got to know each other even better and they each found a friend that they wanted to hang out with just a little more than any of the rest..
 So here they are, ready or not...  for their introductions.

Beatrice likes ice cream and twisting at her naturally curly hair.

Daphne is a traveler.  Carl is afraid of flying....  She's working on him.

Edmond is the strong silent type... although he texts a lot.

Helene indulges in sweets but Gerard is so much in love he hasn't noticed.

Jasmine likes gardening, 'cause she always thought her head looked like a pea.  

Louise is a Go-Go dancer... Kevin is breaking out in red hot blisters over her.

Margaret is a clothes horse.

Oscar works out constantly on his physique.

Quentin and Rochelle are back-to-the-landers.

... and Sam and Tina are party animals... You'd never know it to look at them!

***

 I only breathe life into them....  when they grow up they do whatever they want.

***

 

 handmade by moi at Desideratum Art Jewelry studio  New Brunswick, Canada

** Update: Feb. 2019... not trying to sell anything on this post... as I am not making them anymore but they were fun to do at the time... although quite time consuming.

My Art on Book Covers

So pleased to show more books by talented author  KEVIN JOHN GROTE 

......with my  WATERCOLOR  paintings on the covers !!! 

...click if you would like to see the original Dragonfly post 

...  the original post on  The Little Red Fox

...the original post on the Spider

...the original post on the Deer Skull

...the original post on the Calling Crow

...the original post for the Human Skull

Yay.. I am simply thrilled to share more of my work with Booklovers everywhere.   Just the thought that people are holding something that I have drawn feels so.... I-Don't-Know-How-to-Explain.

I wish Kevin the very best and  I hope everyone reads his books.

 He even wrote in a namesake character for me in "1745" 
  She is a feisty teenager and possiblely her name is  "Gwenny Buck", not final on that yet. 
That is so Fun...    Thank you, Kevin!

Click on his name at the beginning of this post to see the rest of his book series with my watercolors on them.... 16 Covers in all in the series

DESIDERATUM Art Jewelry ... Whimsical Designs... 12 for '12

Cat and Kitten

The Crows

 Twisted Fish

 Twisted Men

Makin' Music.. horn and strings

 Primitive People

 Fishbones

 Little Birds

 Dancing Men.......... ar-tic-u-la-ted

 Cat and Bird

 Wow?!

Scissors and Thread

 Our DESIDERATUM Art Jewelry Earring designs are created using solid Copper and Sterling Silver.

 Every pair is manipulated into shape by John and my hands, here in our studio.

They are textured for character... hammered for strength... and forged to contour.

  Hope you like them... We think they are Fun.

We made extras so they are all stocked up.

 DESIDERATUM Art Jewelry,
  

  

 All the background drawings were done with pen, ink and washes

 and are from my sketchbooks.

What Did I Say About Waking Me Up?

Disturbed, Gwen Buchanan

Cats are their own bosses... 

Do what they want, when they want.. 

Independent.

They only tolerate us Humans.

We are here to serve.

They have us trained well.

8 1/2" x 11" White, Black and Sanguine Conte on colored card stock.

 Desideratum Art/Jewelry Studio, St. Martins, NB

Hand # 7

Hand at Rest, Gwen Buchanan

 ...very, very loosely done .. sketchy...  almost a doodle,

 exploring  texture, line, washes, cross-hatching, tone....

 This drawing was done earlier in the spring

'cause lately......

I've been working non-stop in the jewelry studio 

catching up, sending out, making more, pulling out my hair and drinking lots of coffee...

as a matter of fact my  hands really do look like the one above..   

rather worn out and wonky

but no time for resting hands at the moment,

 'cause I'm........ 

 "Making hay while the sun shines"

 John Heywood, 1497-1580, writer ... best known for his Proverbs

even if it's raining.

Cheers All  xoxo

Lily

Lily by Gwen Buchanan

 She tells me that her name is Lily... 

  I will always think of her that way.

She cautiously considers her path upon the morrow...

Forward...
Backward...

Come what may.

GB

"There is a Garden in her Face,

Where Roses and Lilies grow."

 Thomas Campion, 1567-1620, Composer, Poet.

 ...my drawing desk just after I finished "Lily"

... yes, cluttered, I know... but really, I need all those things.

Lily... approx. 7 1/2' x 9 1/2", Sanguine conte and charcoal, with matt and frame 16" x 18 1/2"

..  The Hand Series will return with my next post.

Hand # 6

 Accuse, Gwen Buchanan

"But alas to make me 

the fixed figure for the time of scorn

to point his slow unmoving finger at."

 Othello 4, 2, 54... Shakespeare

 

I rubbed away most of the red chalk  to give the background more subtlety 

 and used the eraser to expose the white of the paper as

 the highlights of the hand and the gauze of the sleeve.

 I outlined the finger with graphite to represent the darkness associated with accusation.

 This is my interpretation of  Leonardo's "Study of a Hand"  c. 1483, 

  His was done on dark grey prepared paper with black chalk heightened with white.

It is stored at Windsor Castle Royal Library, England.
also found in "Leonardo da Vinci, Sketches and Drawings", Frank Zollner, Taschen.

 6" x 8" , sanguine conte, graphite, eraser on card stock weight paper

 created at Desideratum Art and Jewelry Studio, St. Martins, NB Canada

Hand # 5

 

How do you like your coffee?  Gwen Buchanan

The Turks have a saying...

" Coffee should be Black as Hell, 

Strong as Death and

 Sweet as Love"

 ... I like mine with Foamed milk and Chocolate shavings... 

...a morning Ritual ...

 It got me thinking...

about how many people are taking part in this same morning ritual worldwide... 

...we are doing it Together... but separately,  in different places..  

and as a continual wave as the world rotates...

it's a huge communal Earthly coming together... even if we drink it all by ourselves. 

6" x 10", 140 lb. Arches watercolor paper, india ink, conte, brush, pen
...found a set of 4 of these heavy pottery blue and white mugs at a favourite thrift shop in Saint John last Fall.

...created at Desideratum Art and Jewelry Studio, St. Martins, New Brunswick, Canada

Hand # 4

Sanguine... Gwen Buchanan

"Will all great Neptune's ocean

 wash this blood clean from my Hand?

No... this my hand will rather
 the multitudinous seas incarnadine,
making the red one green "

Macbeth 2, 2, 60  .... Shakespeare

... experimenting ... something about the shade of sanguine...

6" x 10",  pen/ink, india ink wash, watercolor, sanguine conte, charcoal,chalk,  140 lb Arches watercolor paper

Hands # 3

 Reach... Gwen Buchanan

"Ah, but a man's REACH should exceed his grasp,

Or what's a Heaven for?

from Andrea Del Sarto  by Robert Browning... 1812-1889

The ring in the drawing is known as  "the Goddess"..
I made it from Silver and Copper years ago.. it's my favourite.

6" x 10", Crow quill dip pen, brush on 140 lb. watercolor paper in sketch book, india ink, sepia watercolor

...drawn at Desideratum Art and Jewelry studio, St. Martins on the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick