two weeks on the east coast
Resilience
Dimensions: 12.5 x 15" (32 x 38 cm)
Custom frame: Outer is genuine leather, inner is oxidized metal
Burned by hand on maple, sealed with a clear satin finish
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To purchase, inquire here
In 2019, I vacationed with my family in Nova Scotia. It was my first time out East &, being born & raised in Calgary, with the Rockies for my backyard, I was in awe of this province!
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One day, we'd driven South to Cape Forchu to see their apple core-style lighthouse. Of all the gorgeous heat & sun we'd been spoiled with so far, today at the Cape it was foggy & misty. It was pretty awesome actually. I felt like I was in a Stephen King novel. At one point I imagined The Mist. I was standing on the shore, looking out at the ocean & there was only a wall of grey clouds. Breaching the shore & crawling up the rocks onto land. And it was quiet.
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At the base of the lighthouse, I stood on a dock. There was a lonely sailboat floating in the still waters being swallowed by the fog.
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Once home from the trip, I was brimming with inspiration & couldn't wait to start a collection of artwork based on my trip. And of the mountain of pictures I took, the lonely boat was at the top of the list. I used a zoomed in version of my reference & only traced the boat onto the wood.
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I started off thinking I'd replicate the photo, but I wasn't long into burning that a vision came to me: a scene of storm clouds, pouring rain & choppy water.
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Flowerpot Island
SOLD
Dimensions: 28 x 16" (71 x 40 cm)
Custom frame: Outer is genuine leather, inner is oxidized metal
Burned by hand on maple, sealed with a clear satin finish
This is the 2nd in the collection & was inspired by the amazing time I spent at Burntcoat Head National Park, location in Noel.
I had no idea what to expect from this day trip...naughty Canadian, I hadn't heard of Burntcoat before. We timed the trip to arrive during low tide.
Upon arriving, we passed a charming lighthouse (which we explored later), & began following a path. This path turned into a staircase...a staircase which at the bottom were steps carved from the stone themselves. As far as adventuring goes, we're off to an amazing start!
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What lays at the bottom is Flowerpot Island, one of the coolest things I've ever seen in my entire life! As someone who loves to explore this was my Disney Land.
We spent 2.5 hours walking around the island. We would've stayed longer but there are strict rules because of the tide & everyone has to leave safely ahead of the tide coming in. Fun fact, Burntcoat has the highest tides in the world.
It goes without saying this was the inspiration for the artwork I created. As a self-taught artist, this was a big learning curve & untertaking for me. But I love a challenge & making this artwork took me back to Burntcoat every time I worked on it. It was wonderful.
I pieced together 3 photos as a reference & was fortunate to have taken so many photos to ensure I got all the nooks & crannies as accurate as possible.
I am also proud to say that this piece was featured in the 2020 edition of Pyrography Magazine. So greatful!
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Gilbert's Storm
Dimensions: 24 x 13" (62 x 34 cm)
Custom frame: Outer is genuine leather, inner is oxidized metal
Burned by hand on maple, sealed with a clear satin finish
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To purchase, inquire here
Gilbert's Cove Lighthouse in Plympton, Nova Scotia is the first lighthouse I'd ever been to & it was so enchanting! During our visit in 2019, the house was 115 years old. It's open to the public as a charming heritage site including historical photographs & artifacts. I was delighted even by the - what I think - were original doorknobs & the incredibly steep stairs that led to the lantern room.
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While I took a lot of photos during our exploration, the one I chose to use as reference for this artwork was looking across the water of Gilbert's Cove.
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Even though the lighthouse is no longer operational, I immediately knew I wanted to portray a moment in time of what I think it would have looked like during it's glory: lantern shining strong in the throws of a massive storm.
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Bringing this idea to life came with it's own puzzles to solve. Sometimes trying to get the lines & angles right on the lighthouse made me feel like an architect which was fun but eye-crossing. The sky was the doozy though. I had never done clouds before & while I had a cloud style in mind, I didn't have a technique to execute it. So there was significant trial & error that involved over 30 hours of work getting erased by my sander so that I could start over. There was no way I was abandoning this piece.
In the end, it all paid off & I am so happy with how this piece turned out. Another beautiful tribute to wonderful experience & lasting memories. This is the finale of the series Two Weeks on the East Coast.
