A winter woe

It was extremely cold with windchill warning. Yet it looked deceptively warm outside when I pulled up the curtain. Had to keep the car plugged in: one of the daily rituals for surviving in winter in Manitoba.

Song of a winter morning

After the first painting for the day, I moved my easel to the living room window and painted another view of this bright sunshine morning.

Song of a winter morning

It was just breathtakingly beautiful when I opened the door and saw the bright sunshine and trees with their long shadows across the snow-covered front yard. There is a surge of joy running trough my heart. After the terrifying ordeals my sister and her family went through just a few days ago, the news that she finally got reunited with her family and Liuhai, my brother-in-law all of sudden received his legal resident status across the border came with such a relief and joy. I just pray that Lord, with your all mighty hands you will protect them and guide them through any ardius and treacherous passages in their lives so that they know that night will give way to morning and darkness will always give way to the light.

Snow, hedges and shadows

The sun was shining brightly towards afternoon. It was such a beautiful sight, hedges with snow and long shadows across the snow in our backyard.

Looking out of the window

Cold and windy outside. Impossible to paint outdoor. Painted another view out of the bedroom window around noon.

Skating on the pond at Assiniboine Park

Had to pick up my sister tonight at Winnipeg International Airport. I took my easel with me , and stopped at the park to painted this view of the frozen pond with pavilion in the distance. It was freezing cold when I was painting with an unsettling feeling and worry about my sister's agonizing brush with US immigration.

A quiet corner in winter

With the shadow of evening encroaching quickly onto the groves of trees in our back alley, I painted this quick oil sketch. There was a such a tangible sense of serenity surround me and my easel that I could feel a surge of excitement going through my heart.

A quick oil sketch from our patio again

Another cold day found myself painting away from our patio in the afternoon. What attracted me today was the partially lit up junipers and the snow covered hedges with the casting shadow over the snow covered backyard.

Snow covered hedges again

I have lost count of how many times I have painted this view at this time of the day and at this time of the year. Again with it being so cold outside and with no time to waste, I had to paint whatever that came into my view. Today after coming back from work it was already about 4 p.m. I set up my old portable ease on our patio and painted this quick oil sketch sitting on a chair in subzero bone chill biting coldness.

At the crack of dawn

While having breakfast at the dinner table in the morning, I was attracted by how suddenly the first ray of the morning sunlight reached the trunks of two big trees behind our shed in the backyard. I put down knife and fork and painted away before the whole view was totally in the full sunlight.

Hedges in the backyard

Still unable to go outdoor to paint, I did this oil sketch looking out of the kitchen window around noon.

A bright and sunny morning on Valentine Day

Again it was extremely cold outside today. Out of our bedroom window the cool long shadows of the trees drenched in the warm sunlight were just so lovely and so visually exciting that I could not resit the temptation to paint this view once more.

Before dusk taking over

Again it was really cold outside but looking through the storm door it was nice and sunny. The lone ash tree in front was brightly lit by the receding sunlight. I did a quick oil sketch before it was getting too dark outside.

Sunny but cold 9"x12"

What a difference a day makes! I painted exactly the same view from exactly the same spot at exactly the same time of the day. Yet it was sunny and beautiful outside, cold though it was.

Heavy snow falling 9"x12"

Big fluffy snow flakes fell thick and heavy in the afternoon when I painted again through the door.

Another window view -light in the darkness 9"x11"

It was getting really cold again. After getting back from the bank it was too late to paint outdoor. Instead I did another quick sketch in oils through the door.

Under the street light

It was just so beautiful outside when the street was suddenly lit up by the street light where tiny snow flakes started to fall gently and silently.

On a rainy and foggy day

It was unusually warm today with the snow starting to melt and a drizzle of rain starting to fall giving a false sense of an early spring. It was really mesmerizing to paint on a day like this.

Back to the path again

Afterwords, I stopped at the path on my way home, and started this painting of the path where three big silver maples used to stand like sentries on the path from Mr. Gross's backyard, who had to have them cut down in the last fall owning to their age.

A view on Cornwallise Cresent

Always intrigued by the shape and form of the two white spruce standing in front of a property on Cornwallis
Crescent, I decided to do a quick oil sketch of it today. In the early hours of the afternoon the sun was shining brightly lighting up the top of the trees beautifully.

Looking across front yards in the morning

What started as a partially clouded sky was instantly transfigured by the bright morning sunlight breaking out of the clouds. It lasted only a few minutes before the sky was recaptured by the clouds again. What a refreshing experience to be able to stand outside painting again indulging myself in the morning sunlight.

Looking across front yards

It was partially cloudy when I started this painting from Maureen's driveway. The two big silver maples had been trimmed down significantly by the property owner over the past the year, yet they still had that dignified look about them.

Snow and hedges

Walking towards our backyard this afternoon I was so impressed by how bright and beautiful the snow and hedges appear in the sunlight. It lasted only a few minutes not long enough for me even to set up my easel to paint. However, I managed to get the oil sketch done in half an hour before this corner of our backyard was taken over by the dark and cool shadows.

My house on Balmoral Bay

Under the shadow of the house