Art of the Drum
In my previous post I featured sketchbook pages done by my wife, Elizabeth Kanski. Besides being an art teacher, Elizabeth has been an artist in Elliot Lake for many years. Liz’s work has concentrated mostly on the animals found in our area of Northern Ontario. Over time she has gravitated to working on a unique range of material. She has been asked to paint animals, Northern Ontario scenes, and specific personal pieces on such materials as, mirrors, walls, milk cans, paddles, saws, and various sizes and shapes of wood.
Her willingness to experiment and adapt has allowed her to expand her range and expose her students to many types of media. As mentioned in the last post, she worked with leather & hides and introduced traditional First Nation art & artisan-ship to students who were unfamiliar with it. This also helped promote First Nation culture within the school, helping to raise the profile of our students who come from nearby First Nation communities.
While you would think that there would be a greater appreciation of these traditions in the Northern Ontario community, it has not always been the case. We have seen many gradual changes in the relationship between First Nations and non-native Canadian communities. Our native students have only recently formed a Native Student Alliance at the school with the support of staff and community elders.
Even Elizabeth’s early work with other materials was not always welcomed. Years ago she entered a juried art tour. Artist from outside our town were brought in from one of the nearby cities to act as impartial judges. She was not accepted . Her work included some painted cans and a table that she had constructed from local wood cut by an individual in town. The only critique given at that time was that she should try using more “traditional” materials. At the time, she was devastated. I was flummoxed. I suggested the next time she should paint on cave walls to ensure she met the criteria.
I suppose the lesson in this is that as the Stephen Sondheim song goes, “Art isn’t easy”. One person’s innovation is too “untraditional” to another. One person’s cultural worth is unrecognized by another. Society is full of assumed beliefs, values, and ideologies. They have unintended consequences on everyone., whether you are a local art teacher & artist, senior citizens or teenagers.
The pieces presented in this post includes some of recent work, as well as some older pieces. Elizabeth signs her work using her family name Braune.
Variations: Seagull in Flight
Seagulls are birds -
Closely related to the terns -
See how they turn .
The acrobats of the sky
Float motionless in midair.
Catching wind currents,
Like pieces of bread
Thrown in white clouds,
At just the right angle
Their bodies
Appear effortless.
Most gulls
With perfect timing and precision
Belong to the large family,
Larus.
“Ravenous sea birds” float above,
While positioning
Around the oceans worldwide.
Distantly related to auks, and skimmers,
Seagulls can be misleading inland,
At just the right angle.
Easing human-bird conflict,
Swedish city toilet train seagulls.
Impossible antics inland
Are so numerous.
Conflict appears effortless
At just the right angle.
White feathers bright with sunlight
Twist with ease in the air.
Ravenous white birds
Drink
Sea & Fresh water
Without conflict -
With the exception of some
Central Pacific islands.
White vehicles ,
See how they turn ?
See how they turn !
Droppings
At just the right angle
Catch the wind currents.
In Southern Ontario / GTA
Gulls in large numbers
Are Larus all year round.
Catching wind currents,
The CN Tower recedes,
As they await the Blue Jays.
Many people
Consider the gulls.
A Nuisance ?
Sanitation engineers with wings ?
See how they turn motionless .
Impossible antics are numerous.
Numerous Provincial and Federal laws
See how they turn
Without conflict ?
Note: This found poem uses several sources. Each link leads to location. The CN tower link leads to an earlier post about the tower. The bird on the wire link leads to a very interesting news photo from the Canadian Maritimes.
Pine Grosbeaks 2012
The Pine Grosbeaks have returned for another year. The males are bright red while the females are more subdued, but equally beautiful. To learn more about the birds and see last year’s shots by click Pine Grosbeaks.
I used a linen tone on the second image to emphasize texture and detail. You can click on the images to see them in larger format.
The Aggression of Small Birds
Before Aprill’s shoures soote
Entice the smale foweles to maken melodye,
Winter’s cold comfort turns
Small wings to a martial note.
The tiniest sweet voice
Turns harrier
In icy air.
Only the strong will survive to see
The tendre croppes & the yonge sonne .
A downy breastplate & the fiercest wings
Hold fast that delicate perch,
Where a capricious hand
Has spread bounty -
Even as Winter spreads
Her cold white grains.
Note: We have this stereotypical view of small song birds that is full of gentle romance. We forget that in nature that even gentle creatures must sometimes have to fight for survival ( finding food/a mate or protecting territory/the young).
As someone with a background in English Literature, it reminds me of Chaucer’s reference to small birds maken melodye ( making music/singing) in The General Prologue ( from The Canterbury Tales).The links provide a glossary of Middle English words for those who may be unfamiliar with the language.
The poetic train of thought came while taking the photos of the birds at our bird feeder. At the time I just kept clicking away, never sure what was going to happen. In creating the accompanying images, some shots were kept in their natural colour while others got a B&W documentary treatment; the captured action reminded me of old boxing news-photos and WWI aerial battles. An old news clipping that my late mother had left in a bird book provided some of the text that has been incorporated into mattes.
( You can click the images to see them in a larger size.)
Book of Memories: Gifts, Travel & Birds
As time passes and the years accumulate, we fill our book of memories. There are gifts and knick-knacks that have been there since childhood. Memories are stored and unlocked by the anniversary clock, the magical green lantern, and the old coffee grinder that was full of news.
We travel about, through Necessity and Desire. We see a world full of the wondrously mundane, the strangely familiar, and the wildly exotic/ exotically wild. One day it is Nature’s stone crafted by man , while the next is Nature’s gifts, perfectly posed.
Note: The fountain is on the grounds Elm Hurst Inn & Spa ( Ingersoll Ontario ). The birds were photographed at the African Lion Safari .
Antique Impressions: Going Wild
Three more photos taken at the African Lion Safari that have gone through a few modifications. There was going to be a fourth one, but it didn’t work out no matter what I tried. I have Included a garden visitor to replace the planned fourth image. As you can see I have been monkeying about with texture layers once again. Enjoy the day
Impressions of Black Swans
These variations of the two black swans were taken at the African Lion Safari in late summer. To see a more impressionistic variation of the one photograph see my earlier post, Two Black Swans and a Crow.
As you can see, I am once again playing with some modified aged photo layers. I am getting a better handle on blending colours and creating flaws to modify the layers after using the ShadowHouse freebies as templates. Enjoy the Day !
Chinese Water Dragon 2
Another shot of one of our two Chinese Water Dragons. I guess this qualifies as a Macro Monday post. The glow from the lamps were creating a tinge on the colour and lighting of the original photograph, so I turned a weakness into a golden moment. Enjoy the Day !
Chinese Water Dragon
Another rendition of one of our two Chinese Water Dragons. They are beautiful and intriguing creatures. This image is a processed photograph that was taken a couple of weeks ago. Enjoy the day !
Safari So Good
Photographs were taken late summer at the African Lion Safari Park in Ontario. We can only wonder what the animals think of us as we drive through in our vehicles or on bus tours.
Old Time Television Impressions
The early age of television and the design of older television cabinets has a Gernsback Continuum and Raygun Gothic quality. I decided to explore this a bit using some animal photographs that I have taken. Takes me back to my childhood and watching Wild Kingdom , National Geographic Specials, and The Nature of Things. The Baboon was photographed during the African Lion Safari visit. The lizard is one of our two water dragons – more on our three lizards in a later post.
Antique Impressions: Dogs in Water
The original photos were taken at the beginning of September during the staff party at our principal’s camp on Lake Lauzon. Staff parties include the old & young, children & pets. The processing includes the use of a modified layer texture from ShadowHouse Creations , my own textures, and virtual Photographer .
Postcards Gone Wild
These postcards were based on photos taken at the African Lion Safari at the end of summer. The postcards are a little wild and a bit 1960′s . let’s see who gets the Canadian music reference in the second postcard. oh, remember to drive carefully, it is a jungle out there.
Ontario Lion
During our high pressure last week of Summer, before our high pressure first week of school, we set aside one day to take our daughter to African Lion Safari . The place first opened in 1969 and I have many memories of going there on annual family outings . The set-up is a nature reserve, 2 to 20 hectare (5 to 50 acre) . The animals roam and people drive through, in their cars or on the tour buses. Over the years we have seen some interesting sights and have had some memorable experiences. Living here up north in Elliot Lake means the visits to the Safari are less frequent, and as a consequence even more special.
Antique Impressions: The Squirrel
This is another set of images in my antique impressions series as you can see by the title. Once again I am emulating old style photograph and print processes with the use of a digital darkroom. My choice of subject matter came about thanks to Eden of Eden’s Captures. When commenting on my post Antique Surreal Impressions2 she mentioned that when she first read the title she thought it said Antique Squirrel Impressions. Well that was it for me; I suffer a pun and word-play addiction and right away I knew I had to make that post a reality. So thank-you Eden, here are the Antique Squirrel Impressions. I hope this post doesn’t drive anyone nutty in an antique way, …….. I think I have an idea for another post !
Night Visitor
The night visitor arrives
Wearing the regular disguise.
So sure of the place,
As it moves
With a dancer’s grace.
No cat burglar
Compares with this masked
Set of paws.
Oh The Night has
Its own set of laws.
Impressions of Nature
Here are two impressions of nature. The first is based on a photograph of a view of Elliot lake. It was taken Easter Sunday 2011.
This second image is based on a photograph of a chipmunk in the bird feeder. The original photograph was taken a couple of years ago. I used a layer to add a paper texture to the original image. It also required some adjustment to colour and contrast.
Red Polls and Pine Siskins
In addition to the red polls, we have pine siskins visiting the feeders.
I managed to get a shot of the one bird while it was in flight.
Raccoon in Early Spring
The name raccoon is derived from the Algonquian Indian word arakun, meaning “he scratches with his hand.” Raccoons are omnivorous and will consume practically any food item, plant or animal. They prefer corn, crayfish, fruits, and nuts, but there is a seasonal shift in diet depending on availability of food items. The fall diet is extremely important for raccoons in northern latitudes because they must accumulate sufficient fat reserves to sustain them during winter denning. The raccoon builds up fat over its entire body, even around the tail bone. It may be 2.5 cm thick on the back. In fact, by late fall about half of the animal’s total body weight may be fat. In northern areas the raccoon lives on its stored body fat during the winter. Source - Hinterland Who’s Who.
Well the winter denning is over by our side of the woods this year. We had been wondering what had invaded our veranda in the last couple of weeks. The one door can not be locked because of spring heave. Most winters we can not open it at all, but this mild winter allowed us to use the door. Unfortunately, we’re not the only ones now. A bowl of compost was left further out, so the dining does not end up knocking everything out and about.
Redpolls come to Feed
We have had a new bird visiting our feeders. They are new for us anyway. These small finches are called redpolls. There are two varieties, the common redpoll or the hoary redpoll; there’s that H word again. From what information I have gotten redpolls are small finches that breed in the high arctic and subarctic and spend the winter mainly south of the tundra throughout North America and Eurasia. There are two species redpolls in North America, both of which breed in low numbers in northern Ontario and winter in southern Ontario in most years. Redpolls are irruptive during the non-breeding season, which means that in some winters there are lots of redpolls and other winters there are few or none. ( Hornemann’s Hoary Redpollfrom QUBS Opinicon Natural History ).
This is the first time we have seen them at our feeder( Elliot lake ON.) I think these are redpools are the common variety. The two subspecies will mingle and there may have been a mix. Here are some other links with information about these bird.
BirdWeb- Common Redpoll All about Birds- Common Redpoll Hoary Redpoll
I have a few more shots that I am saving for another post.
Cedar Waxwings Pit Stop
The flock of Cedar Waxwings makes their annual pit stop and fills the neighbour’s crab-apple tree. The cats were not around for the visitation.
Range True waxwings (3 species) inhabit subarctic and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere and are migratory. In Canada, 2 species occur, the cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) and bohemian waxwing (B. garrulus).
Description Waxwings are small passerines (perching birds), 15-19 cm long, that have very soft plumage dominated by rich fawn or soft grey coloration, with shadings of chestnut. Waxwings have a black throat and band across the eyes. The secondary wing feathers often have waxy red tips, from which the name is derived. Wings and tail are greyish. The bill is short, thick, slightly notched and hooked. The crest is prominent.
(from The Canadian Encyclopedia)
Hoar-frost and Waxwings
As winter and spring continue their March tug of war the morning mist turned to hoar-frost. As I photographed the neighbour’s crab-apple tree with its cover of white lace, the cedar waxwings arrived.
Cats are Purrr-Pared
Cats seem to have so much patience, perhaps because they can anticipate the outcome of a situation or they know how to direct things toward a desirable outcome. Maybe it is because they have purrr-pared the perfect plan.
Big Blue-Jay
Here is another experiment in digital manipulation. The bluejay was a little lost in the original photograph. The sky was an expanse of blue, while the bird was showing off its grey breast. After some transformations and layering adjustments, I arrived at this image. For those interested in the imaging software I used, I combined a layer of the original photograph that had been altered using Cybia- The Works plug-in. The free plug-in worked with Paint Shop Pro X effectively.
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