Thursday, December 31, 2015

Friday, December 25, 2015

O Holy Night full moon on Christmas night

It is so rare to see full moon on Christmas night.


In the receding sunlight on Christmas Day Balmoral Bay


In the path of early hour sunshine on Christmas Day Balmoral Bay


Noon hour sunshine on Christmas Day on Balmoral Bay

My second painting on this beautiful sunny Christmas Day ! I worked last night and came home this morning at 7 a.m. However, the beauty of the season just keeps me awake all through this morning with my easel in front of me and with Handel's Messiah on the air again. Looking out of the bedroom window , I just could not resist the intense emotion this plain view in front of me had evoked: a gentleman from our Balmoral Bay neighbourhood passed by with his dog , and the few scrawny looking elm trees on our front yard casting their long shadows across the snow with neighbours' homes cast in dark shadow across the street. Yet , despite the plainness of the view and despite the bone chill coldness of the air, the intense Christmas morning sunshine just instantaneously transfigured everything in sight into something almost magical. Is not it true that a painter's job is always to search and find beauty in everything so familiarly ordinary and yet be able to conjure up something more significant beyond their unassuming physical presence. In today's world where violence and hatred are becoming more of frequent happenings and nerve racking uncertainty of our future seems to be plaguing our vision of a future, I feel it so important to be able to create a shared sense of love , peace and beauty that will navigate us to a haven where our heart and mind can safely anchor

At the crack of dawn on Christmas morning

Christmas Morning at 8 a.m this morning when the street light remained and Christmas lights were still on from Balmoral Bay Brandon. Painted this quick oil sketch at the crack of dawn this morning while listening to the live performance of Hendel's Messiah on CBC Radio 2. Some distant memory flashed back to me from the Christmas Eve of 1989, 26 years ago. I remember it must be on a Sunday. I was teaching high school in China back then, and as a rule I had to go to class to teach that day as well. Facing reluctant class of over 50 students, instead of a normal routine class, I played to them from an old cassette recorder Hendel's Messiah telling them some stories from Bible using a copy of Bible Stories for Children published in Australia as a reference, the book which I had just translated into Chinese language then.The students so enjoyed it for never ever beofre had they heard anything like that. However, When the school principle who was also the Party secretary found out later, I received a server warning as a result. Maybe it just further firmed my will to leave China even at the price of leaving my young family behind. The urge of leaving was so strong , I remember, that I even wish to be able to spend the rest of my life in a snow-covered land where you could have a real white Christmas. That year, I started my two year long process of trying to get my passport, writing my Test of English as Foreign Language test , sending my applications to Canadian universities from coast to coast, and approaching Canadian Embassy in Beijing for my entry visa. I remember after my last visit to Canadian Embassy in Beijing at the end of March in 1991, I bid my farewell to my Praying Grandmother in her late 80s wheelchair bound who resided in Beijing with my Aunt then. . As I stepped outdoor on that unforgeable morning, it started to snow , and it snowed non-stop so heavily that the whole northern China seemed to be completely covered with snow as I was travelling down south by train. I remember vividly on that train how two passengers got into fist flight over the dispute of a seat, and how the rest of passengers cheered on. I felt so disgusted by the sight. I just started to pray that please God takes me out of this miserable place and take me to Canada so that I will have my first white Christmas. At that very moment, I just could not believe my ears, of all the places, right there and right at that particular moment, there came on the air via the speaker system of the passenger train, a children's choir of Silent Night and Holy Night! I remember tear streamed down my face , and I started to write to my grandmother a letter sharing the experience with her. When she received the later a week later, she wrote to me telling me that it was a sign that I would leave very soon for that far faraway land. A month later I received my visa from Canadian Embassy, and on Christmas Eve of 1991 I was found on board of Grey Hound Bus heading for Three Hills Prairie Bible Institute to attend Chinese Christian Winter Camp hosted by that college!

Thursday, December 24, 2015

On Christmas Eve 2015 Balmoral Bay


Canada post lady coming with her last delivery before holidays

It was cold but sunny this morning when I painted this first oil sketch looking out of our window at 9 a.m while the Canada Post lady was walking towards our house to deliver the mail braving the cold morning air.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Walking his lab on a snowy afternoon on Balmoral Bay

It was dark and snowy afternoon when I did the this oil sketch looking out of our window while a young boy in what appeared to be Brandon Wheat King jersey walked by quickly with his big lab.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Light from the season

I have painted so many window views throughout the years that I should have be left with no thrills of excitement and fresh perspectives by now. However, each time I stand by the window with easel in front of me and oil paint on the palette, there again comes that throb of finding something new, something exciting and something touching. There was no exception when I was painting this view looking out of the window the other night, when the light from our neighbours' homes and Christmas decorations was shining so brightly through what was a dark and gloomy winter night. It suddenly dawned onto me that window view after all is simply a metaphor of always finding something far away by looking at something close by. May the light of the season always shine brightly in your life!

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

A quick oil sketch from our backyard on Balmoral Bay

Standing outdoor in our quiet backyard painting amidst  of falling snow yesterday afternoon when cold and dark outside, I felt strongly a palpitating sense of serenity accompanies by a surge of joy through my heart as I was painting with hands and feet cold and numb.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

A magic winter moment----- a quick oil sketch of a back alley on Balmoral Bay

A quick oil sketch of the back alley with a shed on Balmoral Bay yesterday before the light faded away quickly at 5 p.m.

Monday, December 14, 2015

On a hoar frost night when street light is on

On this quiet and serene hoar frost night , a lady with her dog passes by while I am sketching by the window mesmerized.

Friday, December 11, 2015

A walk in the street light on a snowy evening


Hockey Under Prairie Sky


A painting created at the request of the Plainsman Hockey Team of Crocus Pains Regional Secondary School of Brandon Manitoba to raise money for a hockey play who was recently injured and paralysed.  

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Neighbour across the street

Our wonderful neighbour has already put up his Christmas decoration on his front yard. After a small chat with him, I set up my easel and did this quick oil sketch of his house on this record breaking warm December Sunday.

On a warm Sunday afternoon from Balmoral Bay

Such a warm Sunday afternoon in December. A quick oil sketch of a scene from Balmoral Bay.   A lady with her dog  came into my view. Her dog started to bark at me at the sight of me.