Cold , rainy and cloudy

The vibrant color of the tree  stood out against an otherwise rather gloomy sky. Sitting on our patio, and using the back of a chair as an easel , I did this quick oil sketch before supper. I will start my first painting class tonight at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba. It is always a joy to share the joy of painting with people who have the same passion and desire.

Ablaze with colors

Always find it amazing that few groves of the trees tucked behind the hedges in the back alley could have such mesmerizing power at this time of the year. It was a bit cloudy today when I started this oil sketch, however, half way through it, the sun came out briefly and the view was just amazing!

Suddenly the sun came out only briefly

After supper, Fengping drove out for an evening meeting. All of a sudden, the rain stopped , and the sun came out of the clouds lighting up everything in its path. A quick oil sketch  before the sun disappeared behind the thick clouds.

From our living room window again

It was again raining heavily today. Could not go outside painting. Could not tear myself away from  the window view . A quick oil sketch for today before supper.

The colors of the season

What a treat to paint at this time of the year ! Nothing could beat the nature's palette ablaze with its inexhaustible resource of  rich colors. A quick oil sketch before heading out for dinner again.

Reading

Fengping started to knit a sweater for me today on her birthday by reading a "how to"book with variety of patterns and designs ,which she brought to Canada with her 15 years ago. A quick oil sketch of her reading in the dim light on the couch.

From our living room window

Listening to the drizzle of the rain in the fall is a very mesmerizing experience. I also somehow so enjoy looking at the surface of our driveway simmering in the rain. It was raining heavily today. Could not go outside painting.   A quick oil sketch for today before heading our for dinner with Fengping to mark her birthday.

From around the corner of our house

There is somehow a sense of expectancy when you look at the corner of a house, expecting any moment the arrival of an unexpected visitor. It was cold and cloudy when I painted this view before supper.

A corner of our patio

The dangering Virginia creepers have changed color , dazzling in the warm afternoon sun. I enjoy looking at the shadow pattern on the wall savoring the special moment of the season.

Backyard Again

There is always a sense of reluctance lingering in the air by this time of the year. Reluctant to see summer gone ? or reluctant to prepare oneself for going back to the old daily routine? or reluctant to see the fading away of even your own summer garden?

From our front yard

The street in front  glared in the sun with trees starting to change colors. I could sense the sudden passage of time sweeping over me . Could not believe that it was already in the thick of the fall when I still could feel the tangible hot and humid summer air in my face back in China. It was 9 years ago today when two passenger planes flew into New Yorker's World Trade Centers.  A defining moment in the history of the world ; life from that moment on would never be the same again.

From our backyard

So many days have passed before I pick up my brush again! I have not had such a long break yet from painting on a daily basis. Came back from China early September after almost three month stay there over the summer. Each trip back to Canada from China will somehow dilute  my sense of having my home here a bit. It is always hard to say goodbye to your aged parents, leaving them behind and, not knowing if you could see them again. They are the only reason we just can not  sever our emotional ties yet to that distant land with so much of our memory which , though dimmed with time but constantly refreshed by  our visits back.Today I found myself standing in the backyard in the warm autumn sun as if trying to regain my sense of home. Backyard is a kind of metaphor for our sense of being at home , for being at ease with your own self, for accessing a retreat to a comfort zone. We all need a backyard to go back to in our life. The color started to turn with the approaching of the fall season. I felt myself enveloped by peace and serenity , and all of a sudden the din of the boisterous way of daily life of China started to fade away.