Love Your Life...

approx. 5" x 7", pen, conte, sketchbook

Desideratum Art Studios, St. Martins, NB


*****9/27/12.. One day after posting this, I received heartbreaking news  ...  my dear blog friend, Richard T Swaim Herrington/ alias Old Fool at Old Fools Journal,
 had passed away from a stroke on Sunday Sept.23,2012.
 So suddenly, so unexpected... He was so full of life-giving energy... This Post is dedicated to him, for if anyone knew how to find joy and to Love his whole Life, it was him. Funny, intelligent, caring, inventive, full of good common sense.
I Miss You Old Fool....  RIP  my Friend.

The Spotted Salamander

Look who we found when we were stacking winter firewood a couple days ago. 

The bottom layers of the woodpile had sat on the ground for the past year and it had to be re-stacked... When I lifted a fairly big piece, there he was all curled up under a concave section of it.  It was damp and cool there,  just what he liked.

He was very well fed too from the look of him.

  There were so many earthworms, grubs and slugs hiding under there, it was a Salamander's paradise.

They can live up to 20 years.

His skin seemed very thin and delicate, bluish-black and moist.. with two stripes of asymmetrically placed vibrant yellow spots. 

 His eyes were big... better to see in the dark.

He had 4 little toes on his feet and was about 7"-8" long from nose to tip of his tail, which he  kept slightly curled. 

 He was such a gentle little thing.

We didn't keep him out of his moist environment for very long... just time enough to take these pictures... 

then sat him down by the woodpile again, out behind the house...he quickly climbed back into a new hiding spot.  

He was really quite striking.

and we felt very lucky to see him up close and hold him in our hands.

...Max Ackerson took all the photographs.... That's me in the work gloves....
 from up on the bluff at Desideratum Art Studios overlooking St. Martins and the Bay of Fundy.

At the Beach

... cobble beach stones worn and smoothed, at St. Martins, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick

The Cottage Mermaids Haven

in the beginning this was basically a tear-down but through all the following steps we rebuilt it into a painting studio and then into a cottage

 

 

  

click here for the  SEQUENCE of how we created the front entrance.. step by step  

The cottage has been sold.

***

 The famous St. Martins Sea Caves carved by the Fundy tides... easily reached  at low tide

***

photographs by   Gwen Buchanan,  DESIDERATUM Art Jewelry and Paintings
all Oil Paintings on display in the House are done by my partner, John Ackerson

Don't Worry About Perfect

Take it from a Fox.  

Even these foxes know they will probably never Stick-Fight perfectly but it's not stopping them from heading into the forest, cutting a long thin pole and brushing up on their Martial Arts.

 approx. 5" x 7", a bit of humor from my sketchbook using pen and colored pencil.

DESIDERATUM Art studio, St. Martins, New Brunswick

Hands 9

A Hand Not Working by Gwen Buchanan

Does blood flow differently through a moving hand... or a hand at rest?

Similarly perhaps, as a mind puzzling out an answer and a mind asleep?

Just wondering....

 This hand fell asleep as it stayed very still... while my other hand worked and searched for lines and shades.  After a while the resting hand felt as if it were someone elses.... something foreign on the end of my arm.

Approx. 5" x 7" conte, charcoal, drawing

Hands 8

Reach 2    by Gwen Buchanan

To reach out with purpose... whether arm's length or far as your mind can fathom...

For that shoulder to grasp, to turn around, to have them see what you see, fully in their mind.

...mind to mind....how much easier it would be.

I sure hope someone is working on this.

approx. 5" x 7" pen, conte, crosshatch, line drawing of my hand from my sketchbook

DESIDERATUM Art and Jewelry studio, St. Martins, NB

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.