Art Blog for July:
July had been a month of extreme highs, followed by extreme lows for me.
At the beginning of the month my sister Tanya and I went on our 5th paddling trip together kayaking in the Georgian Bay area from the Key River (45 minutes north of Parry Sound) to Killarney. We paddle with a company called Black Feather. Tanya and I are both drawn to the beauty of Georgian Bay area and always feel like it doesn’t seem like summer unless we visit there at least once. Our step grandfather, Doug , used to have a house-type of boat docked in Parry sound when we were kids and we would often go out with him and my grandmother exploring the 30,000 islands.
This year while kayaking, Tanya and I hit a lot of rainy cool weather. We were relieved when the sun finally came out on around the 5th day of our paddle and we were able to lie on the hot rocks and take in the beauty of the rocky landscape with the wind swept pines and the almost aqua –looking water.
Following this kayaking trip, I headed up to the Laurentians to the Lake House of landscape painter, Gordon Harrison and his partner Phil Emond, in the little village of Sainte Marguerite de-lac-Masson. I participated in an art retreat and painted with 11 other artist for an entire week. It was heaven! I ended up painting two scenes from my kayaking trip the week previous. I painted one Georgian Bay marsh scene, and one scene from our sunny day near Killarney looking down from the warm rocks at the water and distant rocky shoals.
Unfortunately on my last day of my retreat, I got news that my beloved border collie, Charko had taken sick and had to be driven into after- hour care in Kingston. When they arrived to the vet, Charko could barely even lift his head up and it was discovered that he had a huge tumour that had grown on his spleen and it had burst and he was dying on the spot. They had to put him down. We had no warning. We all feel just devastated. Charko was my flyball dog and I was his mother.
I haven’t felt up to painting, but am thinking I should start up again as it might help me in the grieving process. Charko’s death has reminded me of my belief to always live each day to its fullest, as if it was your last.