arrived in the yukon in the thick of winter a few days ago
out for a walk at twilight the next evening, crunching snow under foot, we walked the streets of my childhood
snow sparkling under the streetlights as if a hand had strewn a thousand tiny diamonds across the surface
i hadn't forgotten the crunching snow but the sparkling snow i had
what a delight to see that again
a friend who lives here still has always sent me photos from her daily walks - the two below were taken last November
she graciously allows me to crop and edit them and use them in my work if and as i choose but mostly i just edit them to zero in on the qualities of the landscape of my heart
rocks and water were a first love - the image below is of the yukon river shore as it winds it's way through the city
below, a cropped version, zeroing in on those rocks and their ice formations
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next is the view from the same point as above but looking across the river instead of alongside it
the clay cliffs that run the length of the downtown area, a silent sentinel, the backdrop of the city
seeing green plant-life in November here, north of 60, is unheard of
a cropped version below - focusing in on the water
I do love the water here, the lakes and rivers - the ever-changing colours that i can't choose a favourite from
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i do plan to centre some of my creative time here on the landscape, especially the wildflowers, but these two images will also play a part
i also brought a few other things to work on whilst i'm here
i've a hankering to do some small stitcheries with little animals, along the lines of this small bird embroidery i did a few years ago using a painting from the book 'A Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady"
there's an owl, a fox and a rabbit that caught me eye that i'll use as a jumping off point
as well, i want to make more tags similar to these from a couple of years ago
same size and shape but perhaps not as "fussy"
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a small handful of scraps and some strands of embroidery thread left over from previous work for whatever comes to mind
small things, easy to pick up and put down
a stitch or two here and there as time allows
i'm here for a couple of months i think but looking after my little grand-daughter as her mama returns to work so the days will be busy, busy but in the best possible way
3 comments:
That you are in the place where your heart belongs is so evident in your writing here. It sounds like you may not have the time to be prolific in your creative output whilst you are there (due to other, just as delightful, preoccupations) but I know that each piece of work you do manage will be full of your feelings for the place and I also know that you will carry home many ideas to pursue. Keep your notebook at the ready to capture thoughts as they occur. Have an amazing two months!
Plans expressed so beautifully are a creation in themselves. I am sure something will develop from your time..
How fortunate for your artistic heart to be 'forced' to spend a couple of months in a place you love so much - and getting little one cuddles, what could be better than that.
Taking note of the green plant life and the fact that it's mostly unheard of gives credence to the effects of global warming I suspect.
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