Manitoba is not a place of obvious beauty. There are a lot of wide open spaces filled with agriculture, and you can drive through it without noticing anything striking about it. It's pretty easy to roast - it's cold, boring, too many mosquitos, too windy... etc. There are other Canadian provinces that are known for their beauty and culture. Good ole MB ain't necessarily one of them.
As an artist, I consider it my pleasure and challenge to endeavour to point out the seemingly hidden beauty of my home province and show it to you!
"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." ~Edward Degas
Last April I took a walk by Beaver Creek and photographed the trees sprouting out of the frozen ice, as if they were breaking away from the shackles of winter and getting ready to wake up, warm up and live again. I loved the icy bubbles that had formed around their trunks! I can imagine that it was like a held breath - air literally arrested in ice. When the weather warmed soon after, the whole creek was released, burbling and trickling away - the melody of spring! I'm so glad I got to capture the breath before the song.
I think I was the only one who saw this particular copse of trees frozen into the Beaver Creek that spring. I am so glad I went out and opened my eyes to see them. There's beauty all around us!
If you are visiting Manitoba for the first time and are thinking "gosh, what a boring province this is!" I would challenge you to leave the No. 1 highway and go south or north just a little ways. You'll probably end up in some pretty charming locations! And if you really want to see something special, look just a little closer. There's hidden gems all over the place - the ever changing skies, the wetlands filled with ducks and swans and pelicans, the lichen gilded trees, the surprise encounters with wild friends - deer, foxes, snowy owls, ducks... It's like a treasure hunt.
It's amazing the amount of hidden beauty there is in the world! I hope you get to see some of it this spring!
P.S. This painting will certainly be for sale! I definitely need to set up a proper store on kylart.ca. It's on the agenda, for sure. But until that happens, I'll just say here that the painting is 10"x13", watercolour and gouache, and I'll sell it for $260. If you're interested, shoot me a message or contact me at 204-595-4566.
The painting is stunning. Also, your reflections in written form is very appropriate for this work. You are one talented person whom God is using to bless others through your artistic work.
Gorgeous painting! I've always thought of Canada as vast expanses of rainforest, and this post just confirms that idea.