Blog 40
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
It is raining and foggy, so that you cannot see the other shore. I do not mind.
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The Monadnock at Route de la
Grève,
oil, 11" x 14 |
We had another great
day yesterday. The sun was shining, even though it was quite windy
again. In the morning, Janis and I went to the Monadnock at the end
of the “Route de la Grève” where we spent the morning.
After our lunch at the house, we continued to St-Pascal. We tried to
find the waterfall we had painted years ago. At first we ended up at
the wrong falls. The “Sept Chutes”, is on a trail of plains and
farmland with views of seven waterfalls. However, you would need
really light painting gear to paint there. It would be great for
sketching and watercolour painting.
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| St-Pascal Waterfall, oil 11" x 14" |
On our way back to
town, we found the waterfall at the Kamouraska river that we were
looking for. Unfortunately, the dairy bar next to it was closed. It
would have been a nice refreshment in the warm sun. We had a great
time painting.
As it was too late to start another painting, we spent some time
scouting places in Mont-Carmel. We discovered the Cultural Hiking
Trail and hiked to the Place of Painting, a two floor pavilion that
once offered a great view over the fields and mountains, the St.
Lawrence River and the Charlevoix Coast However, in the years since
the pavilion was built, the trees grew, so they obscure most of the
view. Too bad!
Back at the house, Sharon waited for us with appetizers, chili, and
ice cream. We spent the evening chatting while I finished the felted
Santa for my November “Creativity & Me” workshop. Cute little
guy! Tonight it will be cold enough to think about Christmas.
***
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| Mountains in the Mist, oil, 5" x 7" |
Due to the rain,
Janis and I had set up our painting equipment in the winter garden
which has a great view of the St. Lawrence River. I created two small
paintings of the ever changing landscape. The first one shows the
landscape when the fog has just lifted, so that the Charlevoix Coast
became visible. The second one was done in the early afternoon when
the water had just such beautiful green and blue hues that I had to
capture the fleeting image.
Later, I also finished a painting of the garden behind the house
which I started in the fall of 2011.
I am quite happy with this productive day, even though I never left
the house except to onload my equipment.
Due to the fact that two of our friends had to cancel due to illness,
we had leftover day. What a feast!
We are all looking forward to tomorrow’s sunny day. It will be the
first day I have to get out my fall/winter gear as the morning
temperatures are forecasted only to be 6 degrees Celsius. However, it
looks like we can expect a calm day, which does not seem to happen
very often in this region, at least not during our trips.
Sunday, September 18, 2016
I am back at home. This time, I followed Sharon and Bill until we
reached the highway 17 when I turned towards Rockland. It was a
smooth drive in sunny to overcast conditions - perfect for driving.
Only the last stretch in heavy rain which started in the Hawkesbury
was not pleasant at all.
***
Thursday and Friday, we spent two wonderful painting days.
Thursday, Janis and
I decided to paint in St-Roch-des-Aulnaies, about 30 minutes west of
Kamouraska. Unfortunately, we had to go on a big detour as the exit
to St-Roch was closed. The next exit was St-Jean-Port-Joli, which is
about 30 kilometres west from St-Roch. As we ended up straight in
front of the tourist information centre, we stocked up on maps and
brochures about the area. One of my first ideas was to look for a
wool store. We were in luck! Only minutes from the information centre
was the “Boutique Alpagas de l’Ermitage”. Janis and I found
some beautiful wool and alpaca rovings for felting. It was so
exciting. After our purchase, we went to the Parc des Trois-Bèrets
and the Nautical Park with its many information boards about the
history of the region.
The park contains
many carved works of artists from around the world. Along trails,
magnificent carved benches honor the founding families of the city.
We were inspired by
the view of the St. Lawrence River that we spent the first part of
the afternoon painting from the edge of the park. In the early
afternoon, we continued to St. Roch where we first went to the “Havre
du Quai”. Wanting to satisfy our sweet tooth first, we made a
detour to the local “Seigneurie des Aulnaies”, where we did not
only buy some delicious cookies but also some organic gifts for our
families at home.
Back at the “Havre
du Quai”, I worked on a painting of the fascinating rocks that get
partially immerged every time the tide comes in.
At night, we enjoyed a very nice meal at “Mamie’s”, where only
local products are prepared and served.
Friday morning, Janis had to leave for an art show in Ottawa. I
followed Sharon and Bill to the Quai de Rivière-Ouelle where we
spent the whole day. When we arrived the water was a turquoise in the
back and slightly pink in the front. The tide was out so that Sharon
and Bill stayed on the rocks while I set up close to the quay. I just
had to capture the colours of the water.
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| White Roses, oil, 7" x 5" |
After our lunch on
one of the brand new picnic tables, I went to the beach and painted
the tide coming in. To clean up my palette of the many greens, and to
keep with the tradition of creating one wild rose painting a trip, a
set out to capture some beautiful white roses.
The three of us were exhausted when we returned to the house. We were
lucky to be able to witness another wonderful sunset. One of these
days, we have to make the effort and capture it on canvas. Perhaps
next September, because we are definitely going back.
***
While you are reading this travelogue, I am already on the next
painting trip, the fall painting trip with the Plein Air Ensemble to
Lake Clear in Eganville, Ontario. I hope I can tell you some
interesting stories when I get back next week.
