Avocet Dream

"Avocet Dream"

The unveiling of my latest acrylic painting which is now hung in "Mirror Lake Art Club" group show at Chuck Macleans Art Center in Camrose AB. I started this painting a few years back with the idea of placing a chickadee in the composition, but upon discussion with Gerald he suggested I place an exotic bird instead, Thank you dear one, the idea worked. 

With heritage as a theme for this years show I found delight in once again painting the church on Mirror Lake in celebration of the building being one hundred years old. And, to give a unique twist from the over painted church and swans images that people tend to favor, I placed an elegant shorebird flying past like fleeting thoughts of spring that warms the soul during the cold harsh winters. This female American Avocet in breeding attire is headed for its nesting ground at the nearby reservoir. In alternate winter plumage the head and neck of the avocet is white or grayish color. The male and female are similar with the difference being that the female has a more re-curved bill than the male. It is a true North American species that winters in California and New Mexico and breeds from eastern New Mexico north through the plains where there are shallow lakes and north into Alberta and Saskatchewan. 

  The Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church that overlooks Mirror Lake is a building that gracefully denies its age. The 100 year old structure has become a well known scenic landmark as the subject of many painters and photographers over the years. The church was initially “constructed in 1909 by St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Parish.”  In 1927 the building was “sold to the Grace Lutheran Church” then  later “sold to the Bethel Lutheran congregation” whereupon it was moved to its present day site in 1953.  Then in 1986 this quaint little church was sold once again, this time to the Ukrainian Catholic congregation. This little church may have many tales to tell as it has housed both western and eastern Catholic and Evangelical ceremonies through out its centurion history.

“Quotes and dates” exerted from WCR sept 26/05

Road-tripping-shutter-clicking day

Its 30+ degrees c outside and 29 degrees c in, tad warm an sweaty this weather. Yesterday was a road-tripping-shutter-clicking day that was as equally hot, so hot that heat waves blocked taking clear pictures in the afternoon. So we had jam buns in the shade of trees sheltering a graveyard. By evening we were lucky to find a small gravel roadside pond near Camrose with some tree shade in which to escape from the heat. Actually a sweet passerby stopped to tell us where to find beavers so we headed there to see them, took a few photos of the beavers, listened to the kits meowing in the den which was right beside the road, saw the butt end of a fox or coyote moving through the brush which caused a big hula-buloo with the birds who took to squawking. In all it was a nice enjoyable place to stop with little traffic. We took numerous shots as Gerald is learning his cute lil mini-cam and I attempted to learn to use manual focus on my SLR. I captured a lot of noise, but joy-o-joy I also captured nice clear detailed small birds which I cannot yet post as my computer cannot handle the load, so I downloaded them on a friends machine till I can put them on disc. so keep checking back to see when I will be posting, but as a visual person I cannot write without posting something so here is an inquisitive squirrel that was watching me photograph birds one day last month. Oh ya and to top off yesterdayday I saw a "Moose moose moose," well, thats what I said as I got so excited, but he was headed for the trees and with traffic coming both directions there was nowhere to stop to pull off a shot,  I was just happy to be out adventuring and seeing new sights and new birds. Ah life is grand when we can stop an smell the flowers, and view the birds. Hugs to all.