Nova Scotia

Any time of the year is a treat to savour the prettiness of Purcell's Cove. This spring view focuses on a bright red fishing shack but frankly by turning my gaze to the right or left reveals another set of patterns that delight me. Perhaps some of the appeal of this place is that it fulfills every romantic notion of this landlubber. I am reminded of a theatre revue that I saw in Britain from the stage show, Promises, Promises. The newspaper columnist simply wrote, "Fulfilled, Fulfilled".

Portuguese Cove is rather small and not well protected from the open water. Just down highway #349 from Purcell's Cove, this tiny bite out of the Nova Scotia shore is just one of the pearls in the necklace of jewel-like fishing harbours. This is the home to Lady Di, the boat that I painted here.

On a road out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, there is a line-up of small inlets and coves. These places are small and of use to commercial fishermen with only small boats. As we drove along this road, I was stunned by the beauty of these tiny fishermen's shacks, each in a distinctive colour ... how strong the naive tradition. Viewed from the road that is well above the water, these marine establishments could not be more conveniently arranged for this painter.

I only visited this small Newfoundland community because a customer of ours suggested it. This tiny fishing village was a great find for me because the ring of buildings around the cove has not been upgraded or modernized. Working ports such as this provide a wealth of subjects. See Image #0725 Preparing the New Boat, (Salvage) Newfoundland.

I was attracted to the dramatic patterns of the boats as we ate lunch in a restaurant perched just above this Vancouver Island harbour. From a series of photos that I took after lunch, I composed these marine patterns.

Riding by on my scooter, I could only catch a fleeting sight of this busy little boatyard right on Hamilton Harbour. I went back and took a number of photos and used a line that has served me well. People are sometimes reluctant, possibly embarrassed, to have me take photos of their activity, so here is my approach. I say, “My brother-in-law thinks that he is a carpenter (or painter, policeman or whatever) but I would like to take him a photo of what a real carpenter looks like.” A lie to be sure, but not an obvious one, I hope.

Just under the castle, small fishing boats are pulled from the water to be unloaded of their cargo. The caterpillar (shown back left side) then pushes the boats back into the water. I had expected, after watching these men unload the beached boats at this famous seaside resort, that a feed of fish and chips was appropriate. We had at that lunch unfortunately the worst fish and chips that I have ever had right on the beach looking over this scene. Hey, you never know.

This sketch was inspired by a stroll along the quay in Stockholm. Even in the less than wonderful weather, people from the city flocked to the main harbour to purchase fresh seafood from the boats that tied up there. It was clear to me that people had favourite seafood vendors, just as we have preferred stands at the Waterloo Market.