In the receding sunlight

A view across the street in the early morning

In the morning light

In the last light

A quick sketch of our flowerbed

Peony

Roses by the name of Morden Centennia

Roses by the name of Morden Blush

Roses

A glimpse through the patio

In the middle of a summer storm

Again Ping's rock garden

Ping's rock garden

A glimpse from our patio

Our house in the morning

Standing across the street I painted this view of our house in the morning sunlight.

Crocus Plains Reginal Secondary School

It is only fitting to paint this building again of Crocus Plains High School since it will be the most memorable day for its class of 2009 students who will graduate formally at today's convocation at Keystone Center. Good luck and best wishes to all of you!

Crocus Plains Reginal Secondary School

Against Strong gust of wind I painted in acrylic today a view of Crocus Plains High School.

Last glow of the day

Painted in acrylic around 8 p.m when the backyard was in the glow of evening sunset.

sky brooding with an impending sunderstorm

Before the sunset

Painted this view of my house against the dazzling sunlight in the late afternoon.

Airing our laundry

Airing our laundry outdoor in our backyard means summer is here finally. It was quite hot in the morning and we switched on air conditioning today for the first time.

In the morning sunlight

In the dazzling sunlight

On Assiniboine River in the evening

After a storm in the evening

A pot of gerainium against evening sky

In the last light

An outdoor party

At the end of the day

A Brandon Skyline

18 years ago today, I bid farewell to my wife and then two-year old daughter , to the rest of my extended family and friends, and to a 30 years of my life in China, and came to Brandon of all the places in Canada! not realizing it would take me almost five years before I could reunite with my wife and daughter again! It was the most exciting passage of my life as well as the most agonizing one! Joy and sorrow mingled on that unforgettable day when the sadness of saying goodbye to the loved ones and leaving them behind and the excitement of looking forward to a brand new start in my life ahead converged in my heart. It is only fitting for me to paint this view today at this time of the day for it was precisely this time of the day 18 years ago I first set my eyes on Brandon when the Greyhound bus I rode on came to a stop at Downtown Brandon at about 8 pm, on June 13, 1991. The uncertain and unknown future on that day then suddenly is the history now.

Upon opening our door

In the morning light

The intense morning sunlight lighting up everything in its path was the subject of my first morning oil sketch for the day.

After a downpour of rain

After a downpour of rain, the sun came out. I was struck by the visual effect the wet street created in the intense sunlight.

The same corner

About 8:30 pm after coming back from students' art exhibition , the sun came out of the clouds transfiguring the whole view instantly.

A corner of our backyard

A small oil sketch made while looking out of the window from the dinner table shortly before supper when it was cloudy and rainy outside.

A window view on an early morning when rain stops and sun comes out

Again I found myself standing before the window spellbound by the view outside. It was so quiet early in the morning when the rain stopped overnight and the sun came out of the clouds briefly lighting up the rain soaked street and the new leaves on the trees. A lone teenage boy was walking by whose shadow was being reflected onto the wet surface of our driveway. After an hour and half, here was my painting for the day.

A brief moment when the sun light broke out of the clouds.

The curtain of evening was falling over our neighbourhood with the last light of the day briefly breaking out of the clouds lighting up the trees and part of the street. I found myself sinking so deeply into the view oblivious to the evening that was encroaching upon me.

A window view on a rainy spring afternoon

A window view in the afternoon out of our living room. It is still raining outside when I start this painting. Everthing in sight look so fresh and green. After a long and cold winter here in Manitoba, the color of green is such a welcome relief.

Blooming over the hedges

Wet and cold, the lone tree behind our hedges blooms profusely over our flower bed where a few dark red peonies start their brief annual blossoms.

Cloudy spring morning

My sense of the season is always sharpened by the timely rain which seems to have a cleansing power with it washing away the dirt and grime from a long and cold winter. In this part of Canada as in the far Northwestern China where I was born and grew up, spring always comes so late. I remember how Robert Browning's poem Home thought abroad helped me live vicariously with a British spring in the far and cold northwestern China. Here is the poem which I still can recall from my memory.
Home Thoughts, from Abroad

O, TO be in EnglandNow that April 's there,And whoever wakes in EnglandSees, some morning, unaware,That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheafRound the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,While the chaffinch sings on the orchard boughIn England—now!
And after April, when May follows,And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows!Hark, where my blossom'd pear-tree in the hedgeLeans to the field and scatters on the cloverBlossoms and dewdrops—at the bent spray's edge—That 's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,Lest you should think he never could recaptureThe first fine careless rapture!And though the fields look rough with hoary dew,All will be gay when noontide wakes anewThe buttercups, the little children's dower—Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower!

A busy street

Towards the end of the day, Academy Road was jammed with traffic and pedestrians, and there are people everywhere. I try to capture the mood of a busy street and the cheerfulness flowing down the street.

Alive with music

It is quite exciting to paint right on Academy Road on Academy Alive day when certainly there is an air of festivity all over the street. With a two -person band playing away right at the door of Woodlands Gallery I start to paint the first scene. It is also exciting to see my works being displayed in the gallery with beautiful frames and chat with people who have purchased my paintings before. There is certainly a sense of rewarding and accomplishment when people tell you how they enjoy your art works. It is a bit cloudy with the sunlight showing up briefly every now and then. Weatherwise, It is overall a very pleasant day to paint, for I do not feel tired at all.

A glimpse of spring light and color from under our doorway

A flicker of light--------- in memory of those who died 20 years ago

Today marks the 20th anniversary of Tiananmen Square massacre. What happened today twenty years ago will be forever seared into memory of people like you and me whose lives have been profoundly impacted upon by the event.

While listening to Johannes Brahms 'A German Requiem, I just want to pray for those Tiananmen mothers who lost their sons and daughters in the massacre and whose cry for justice have never been answered.

"Blessed are they that mourn,for they shall be comforted.They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.They that go forth and weep,bearing precious seed,shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,bringing their sheaves with them...." The stream of music flows , and the memory stays.

Looking across Maureen's front yard

Dazzling white blossoms

The white blossoms from the tree were suddenly caught in the setting sunlight which is dazzlingly beautiful. A quick oil sketch from our patio late in the afternoon.

Full bloom over the fence

What difference two days can make! The crab apple trees in John's garden are in full bloom now attracting lots of buzzing bees as well as birds with the air permeated with their perfume.

Looking across the street

The dazzling sunlight reflected off the wall of Irene's house across the street echoed by the bright pink blossoms from the tree on her front yard.