No sign of spring on the first day of spring

Pile of snow remain there on the first day of spring and it was forcasted that another snow storm was expected in the Westerman area.

In the bright street light at night

Painted this quick oil sketch when it was dark outside and I could barely see what I put on my canvas.

A flicker of light on a gloomy Sunday afternoon

Still cloudy and snowy early in the afternoon.

A glimpse of Brandon University from Lorne Avenue

20 years ago in the summer of 1991 when I woke up from my first night in Brandon , I stepped outside from an apartment on the corner of 15th and Lorne Avenue, I caught my first sight of Brandon University from this location. Can not believe that 20 years have passed since then! A quick oil sketch from this location when it was dark and cloudy  on Saturday afternoon.

A Quiet cornor in the backyard

It was going to rain or snow at any moment.

Looking across the bay late in the afternoon

The shadow from the houses started to encroach upon the snow still piling up high at the time of the year.

Another window view at noon

It was sunny and bright at the moment when the snow started to melt in the sunshine on the driveway revealing a bit to green grass under the pile of snow.

in the bright sunshine

A look out of  the bedroom window at noon.  The bright sunshine belied how cold it actually was! The young girl from our neighborhood started to take her routine walk around the bay. Met her parents a few weeks before while I was painting outdoor, and they said she was going to University this year!

A glimpse out of the window on Friday morning

A Manitoba Hydro service worker came to change our old gas meter at 11. a.m today. Painted this quick oil sketch to mark the moment.

From the back alley on a sunny but cold afternoon

It was sunny but rather cold. Standing at the back alley, I tried to hold brush steady against the cold air.

It was cloudy but quite warm in the afternoon. Holding my pochade box, and painting from our patio ,  I could feel the drizzle of tiny drops of rain on my face.

Driveway with melting snow

Really happy to see snow start to melt on the driveway! However, winter will not retreat without a flight at the end of March. I enjoy the drama played out visually at this particular time of the year, nevertheless.

Stretching outagainst warm afternoon sky

It is always exciting for me just to be able to step outside to paint without being worried about the elements. I Such a beautiful warm sunny afternoon! I did this quick oil sketch standing on the path that connects Balmoral Bay to McLeod Drive. There used to be more trees flanking the path. Now over the years they have been thinned out by the owners , and , the view is not as attractive to me as it used to be. .

Back to the Rideau Park looking for a visual "Pi"

Drove to Rideau Park after supper. With the daylight saving time, I gain an extra hour of painting opportunity at the end of the day. The water tower glowed in the evening sunlight , I  got out of my car and did a quick oil sketch there. It was Pi day today, and unfortunately my rough crooked sketch of the tower will never produce a near matching  ratio of its  circumference to its diameter, certainly not a pie for the eye!

glow in the evening

Stayed in bed right to the evening. Felt a little better before supper. Sitting at the table, caught a glimpse of the western sky lit up by the last glow. It looked so ethereally beautiful. Grabbed my pochade box and did this quick oil sketch in 10 minutes before it gave way to complete darkness.

In the glare of sun

My head hurt badly with migraine headache after lunch , and had to lie down in bed as soon as possible. However, managed to do this quick oil pochade of  a view out of the window. The strong intense sunlight around noon made me feel worse , and had to stop right now. Felt so bad to miss a wonderful warm day for painting outdoor.

In the warm sunshine

It was 4 p.m now , and what a  sunny and bright afternoon , and what a contrast to what we experienced this time yesterday! Hope that winter will soon be over with the switching back of summer day light saving time at midnight today. However, though I dread the long and cold winter, I have to admit how I appreciate the visual spectacle of the winter season. If someday I will find myself in a different part of the world where the seasonal change is not as dramatic as it is here, I definitely will miss the white expanse of sparkling snow in sunshine under the intense blue of a prairie sky.

Neighbor helping heighbor

Mark , our kind neighbor across the street came to help us remove the snow  on the street as well as on our driveway with  his snow sweeping machine at 2 p.m.  We always feel so blessed to have such wonderful neighbors as Mark. Thank you , Mark for always helping us on so many occasions over the past 12 years!

a glimpse of the intense blue sky from our backyard

Despite my almost frost bitten fingers, I came out again after a quick warming up, and did one more quick oil sketch standing in the backyard.

In the glaring sunshine at noon

Woke up to a beautiful sunny morning. Can not believe that less than 10 hours ago, it was a picture of raging blizzard outside. Using the garbage bin as my pochade support I did this quick oil sketch from our front yard at noon.

The street light on when the storm tapered off

Pulling up the curtain over the bedroom window, I was struck by a sense of serenity when the stormed tapered off and snow settled down. A quick oil sketch done by the window in the  flashlight at 8 p.m.

A flicker of light in the storm

Upon opening the door towards evening, I could see how ferociously  the snow storm was raging when all around it was ominously dark except a flicker of light from the house across the street. A quick oil sketch from the doorway at 6 p.m.

A raging snow storm is on its way

By 3 p.m this afternoon, a blizzard had reached  Brandon with blowing  snow and gusts of wind. A quick oil sketch looking out the window when the snow started to accumulate fast and thick on the car blurring  everything in sight.

Sign of spring?

Snow with drizzle marked the beginning of the day making me feel that there is sort of sign of spring when I saw the dim reflection of hedges on the wet surface of our driveway, not realizing then that a huge blizzard was soon on its way to hit Southwestern Manitoba. However  no matter how big the snow storm is , it  is just pale in comparison to the nature disaster Japan is experiencing now! Just pray that people in Japan will weather through and eventually rebuild their homeland.

Standing in full sunshine

Another beautiful sunny day! Sitting on a chair in our backyard,  doing this quick oil sketch before supper, and feeling the warm sunshine on my back, I just felt  maybe a bit too prematurely, that spring was just within reach now. 

Looking over the hedges late in the afternoon

It is quite warm today. Finally I can stand outdoor not feeling the biting cold , instead, can feel the warmness of sun beating down  on my back. A 20-minute oil sketch of the shed and side of our neighbor's  house on Balmoral Bay at 4 p.m.

A glimpse of late afternoon sky through the window

Looking out of the window towards the west, I got excited by how beautiful the sky appears at the moment. A quick 5 minute oil sketch results.

Looking east from our driveway

Fengping is not home yet with the car, which allows me to paint this view from our driveway. Notice how deep the snow bank is flanking our driveway, a accumulation of snow over the winter. It is a bit cloudy and hence, there is a diffused light condition. Still quite cold , and my hands and feet feel numb soon with the biting cold.

In the intense light before sunset

Half way through supper at the dinner table , a casual glance out of the window prompted me into painting mood again. Noticing  how the late afternoon sunlight intensified the color perception of the sky and trees across the street, I grabbed my brush and did this 10 minute oil sketch.

The fleeting sunset moment

Caught a glimpse of the sunset through the window and quickly opened  my pochade box and painted this quick oil sketch after supper.