Terrill Welch by herself - Issue #5 Night Paintings and Spring Mud
To be me by myself is most often an eclectic, disorganized, non linear, overlapping jumble of adventures that I allow to settle into a sea of possibilities for developing each issue of "Terrill Welch by herself." There is a rhythm to being a painter and gallery owner but there is never a defined order to things. My task each month is to pick out the most compelling bits for sharing and see where they take us. I have two night paintings that I am now ready to release. There is the story, Spring Mud, I want to share with you. I also have spent some time with a gorgeous great blue heron which reminded me of a few other recent bird photographs. There is a new seascape painting and a small painting sketch of the Japanese garden that is also now publicly available. Plus, I published my seven tips for collecting original art on a budget in a separate bonus article for paid subscribers. There is an announcement of a pending price increase and a summary about a new show by the contemporary painter Peter Doig. Shall we begin!?
NIGHT PAINTINGS THAT ARE READY FOR RELEASE
The night sky offers beautiful views of our connection with nature and it is something I hope to paint more often. These two are views from inside a cozy place looking out. The first is of the moon as seen through our bedroom window. The seconded is the stars from inside the car on our last ride on the Mayne Queen ferry. I wasn’t sure at first if I would release either of them. But a few months have passed and I am ready to put them out there for your first consideration before they are released publicly. Both of these have been added to the Thriving in Place private viewing room even though they were painted before I formally started focusing on this theme. These two paintings were like the seeds I planted for this current narrowing of focus.
"The Thief Left it Behind" by Terrill Welch, oil on linen board, 14 x 11 inches.
Some of you may remember when I painted this back in December 2021. I wasn't ready to part with it then and it has always been difficult to photograph because it tends to be shiny. I could put a flat matt varnish on it but I really do not want to do this either. So it stays as is...
Artist notes: The title of the painting comes from one of my favourite poems which has an equally favourite story to go with it.
The thief left it behind:
the moon
at my window.
By Ryōkan Taigu (1758 - 1831)
The Japanese Sōtō Zen Master composed this poem after a thief had come to his simple hut in the forest and stole his few belongings. Ryōkan discovered that the thief had forgot to take his meditation cushion and so he ran after the thief to give this to him as well. Any sort of theft of the very few possession of the monk were amusing to him because the only thing he felt he had of real value was the moon (metaphorically representing enlightened wisdom) which could not be stolen.
"Last Ride on the Mayne Queen" by Terrill Welch, acrylic on gessobord panel, 11 x 14 inches.
Artist notes: We got our own private goodbye with the Mayne Queen this evening. There was no cake but the Big Dipper was present and the steady rumble of that diesel engine gently lulling us across the calm water. I will miss this old gal and the views she offered up with humble assurance. Good night she whispers softly just ahead of the crackling of the announcement - This is Village Bay Mayne Island, Village Bay… and the deck lights come on. Safely home on this sturdy old ferry boat for the final ride. Thank you for your many years of service Mayne Queen as your November 20th 2022 retirement day draws near.
So there you have it, two night paintings that were both fun to paint and difficult to photograph. The one from the ferry is for sure way darker and more velvety feeling in person. But I do my best and then need to leave it at that!
SPRING MUD
On the southwest coast of British Columbia, spring arrives early and in a leisurely slow shift from our mild winters. There are special blooming bulbs and trees that mark the event. Mostly, it is a pleasant transition that is easily embraced. This is in stark contrast to my north-central interior childhood spring experiences in the same province of Canada. Up there, the four feet of settled snow starts to melt and dirt patches appear on the rural gravel roads in the troughs between the snow banks. The road ban (or more formally called - weight restrictions) are put in place to save the soft pothole-ridden surfaces from total destruction. These restrictions are posted by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (Formerly the Ministry of Highways) and it means heavy vehicles of a certain weight are restricted from using designated roads until the ground thaws and dries enough to more easily support them. All hauling of cattle, hay, logs, equipment, houses or anything else large and heavy needs to happen before this yearly inconvenience.
Dad clears back the snow to have enough room around the small barn for calving season. Mom watches and waits for the ice to let go on the river. Work in the logging industry stops until conditions improve. Spring is a series of dramatic changes punctuated by mud and then mosquitoes that has the most suitable reference of being called - break up.
For a while we lived in the Cariboo area. Though spring comes a few weeks earlier there, it is pretty much the same process as when my parents bought the farm during the summer I turned twelve along the Stuart River about 43 km outside of Vanderhoof. This is where they still live, off grid, with real snow winters, muddy break-ups and mosquito summers. The early autumn is the best season and my most favourite time of year. Up until very recently, the 3.2 kms of road into the farm from the main gravel road was a spring endurance obstacle course. The open stretch across the fields closest to the house and haystacks were the first to become a grubby, water saturated barrier.
For a few weeks every year, only the tractor could cross on the morning frost. Other than this, we walked in and out until Dad decided it was dry enough and we would leap into the back of the truck bed to provide extra weight so he didn’t get stuck. Splattered with mud and water we would mostly make it to solid ground. Then the pipeline hill and up into the trees would start to go and the whole procedure would begin again on a different section of the road.... with us trying daily to guess the weather and decide where to park the truck to meet the tractor. Because of these yearly challenges, I can honestly say that I have never, ever, had any desire to go off roading and getting stuck in mud holes. Nope! Not the least bit interested.
My teenage spring mornings were memorable for my lack of ability to keep the mud off the calves of my pants as I stepped in and out of the pick up. This and the rubber-boot-upside-down-stacking strategy under the pine trees beside the bus stop at the top of the hill so that my boots would still be dry inside when it came time to go home. My “town shoes” had to be packed back and forth each day all spring if I didn’t want to wear my rubber farm boots to school. Believe me, I didn’t!
The good news about this muddy season is that there were no mosquitoes - yet! They would arrive on snowshoes before the last of the snow melted on the north side of our farm house some time around the end of the first week in May. I knew they were coming because of the roar that they made dive-bombing in for a landing from greater than half a kilometre away. With fear in my eyes, I would look up and see a clattering snowshoe-removing mosquito about the size of a small elephant becoming airborne. I knew from experience that this beast was heading straight for any of my delicate exposed skin. While I waved a large stick and hoped to knock it out of the air before it could land, another mosquito would take advantage of my preoccupation. There it would be - gliding in for the kill on the other side.
Whack!
I look at my hand that is still stinging from the force and speed used to try and save my neck.
Too late.
The blood-filled mosquito may be dead but the bite had happened already.
The truth is that, after the first few bites swell up a little, you started not to notice unless they are getting in your eyes or up your nose or inspecting your earwax. But they are not pleasant spring and early summer company. The outdoor quietness along the the southwest coast is mostly because there are only a few very wimpy mosquitoes that are often, rather fatally, asking for permission before they bite.
Yup! These are my childhood memories of spring. I like to keep them as memories and prefer to visit my parents in the autumn before the fall rains.
Note: Special thanks to my niece Stormy Welch for these recent pictures of my parents during break-up this spring.
BIRD ADVENTURES
I do not seek out taking photographs of birds. They just happen to be present when I am out on the trails or down by the sea. The other day I spent several minutes with a great blue heron and almost had to wade back off of the reef through the rising tide. But it was worth it!
The early evening reflected light after the rain and wind allowed for some nice captures of this magnificent bird preening on the sandstone at Reef Bay.
I was glad I stayed for a long while even if I came close to having very wet feet.
This heron isn't the only bird that found its way in front of my lens during the past few months. There has been a pair of eagles.
An ordinary everyday Robin...
As well as a Northern Flicker...
These bird captures are outside of my usual body of work and I am never quite sure what to do with them. Generally, I keep them just for me... and now for you.
BRAND NEW WORK READY FOR RELEASE
"A Bright Blustery Day at Reef Bay" by Terrill Welch, walnut oil on birch board, 11 x 14 inches.
Artist notes: The wind had picked up but the light was extra bright and clear. I gathered reference and took them back to the studio to capture the mood of the day - light and invigorating!
"Spring in Japanese Memorial Garden" by Terrill Welch, acrylic on gessobord, plein air, 8 x 10 inches.
Artist notes: Warm sunshine circles the sheltered bowl of the Japanese Memorial Garden on Mayne Island in British Columbia. As I painted, the plum blossoms open up just a little more. I can think of no better place to be than placing loose brushstrokes on a yellow grounded gessobord.
The painting is slightly softer with less contrast in real life but the strong sense of early spring with cool shade and hints of warmth in the sun are very much present. This work has gone into the next ISLAND TIME ART "Spring to Summer" show that opened yesterday.
Here is your link to all eleven paintings included in the private viewing room for "Thriving in Place." Seven out of 11 of these have been painted since January 1, 2023.
STILL ON THE EASEL
This next painting is still on the easel all shiny and wet and will need a final photograph and edges painted when it dries.
That said, this is your paid subscriber early access if you are interested...
Shiny, wet, loose and lively with the most modest amount of detail as I could manage - “Spring in the Neighbourhood” by Terrill Welch, 20 x 30 inch walnut oil on canvas.
Artist notes: In our neighbourhood there is the most beautiful formal garden with roses and box hedges. But it is the more random patch outside the fence of that garden where the plum trees bloom each spring that gets my attention. I love the rather wildness of the plum trees with the splashes of red on the door and roof of the buildings in the background.
Here is a room view to give us a little more distance and feel for the work in a loving space.
This painting was extremely invigorating to paint from within the warmth of my studio while our cool spring weather continues.
SEVEN TIPS FOR COLLECTING ORIGINAL ART ON A BUDGET
This is my first time trying the option of using a separate article post right inside our new Ghost platform. I think it will ge useful though as it will allow you to find information more easily later on rather than trying to remember which issue it was shared in. We shall try it anyway and see what we think....
Terrill Welch
ADVANCE NOTICE OF PRICE INCREASE
Since June of 2021, I have gritted my teeth and held my painting prices constant. As you know, the cost of most everything has inflated during this time. I wanted to hold prices in place until I had a sense of where the economy was going because it made no sense to be reactive in a fog. During this time, I have scrambled to secure new gallery space and purchased art supplies six months to a year in advance to try and keep ahead of both supply and inflation. I offered a once-in-a-life time savings on my paintings in order to purchase my new gallery pod and I am still overwhelmingly appreciative of art collectors who took advantage of my special offer. Even beyond taking this special offer into account, paintings continued to find homes at current listing prices during this past two years. The areas of inflation on canvases, show frames, paints and shipping costs are not likely to decrease anytime soon and they are called areas of “sticky” inflation in economic terms. Keeping this all in mind, I shall begin the work to carefully and thoughtfully increase painting inventory prices. I should have this task completed by the end of May or early June. So if you are interested in something that is currently available let me know and we can use the current inventory price before it increases. A quick reminder that I do offer interest free purchase plans, if this will be helpful.
You may also decide this just isn’t the right time for purchasing original art and this is okay too. I recognize that current prices of most everything is a delicate tension to be acknowledged and navigated. Economic times will get better again because they always do. I think of my paintings as “money in the bank” and I can keep them for a very long time by continuing to lower my overhead costs. It means there will still be plenty of paintings for you to consider in the future. That said, there is a limit to the supply of new paintings. I am approaching semi-retirement this year. If I was to guess, I would say, all things being equal and depending on size, I am likely to only paint another 100 to 150 paintings in my lifetime. This brings me to a beautiful note and gift I received from one of the artists that has shown with the gallery for several years and is anticipating the closing of ISLAND TIME ART in August this year….
A BEAUTIFUL NOTE OF APPRECIATION
I received two new paintings from one of the gallery artists for the next ISLAND TIME ART show. Inside the box was a card with a beautiful note and a brand new brush that is one of my favourites of all brushes!
These kinds of connnections and comradery are the fruits of living fully. I feel the same kind of connection with art collectors. If it was all simply business transactions, I would have stopped doing this along time ago. However, being an artist and a gallery owner is a way of being and showing up in the world. I meet and get to spend time with the most amazing people! Bonds and friendships are formed that transend the work and exchanges of goods that we do together. For me this is priceless and makes every hard decision worthwhile.
WHAT I AM WATCHING
My most recent favourite art video is one with Peter Doig where he shares about his new show in London. You will need to open the link below on YouTube to watch but it is worth the extra click - https://youtu.be/zhVnemcQKmA
This beautiful and engaging video is by The Courtauld who are also presenting Doig's show. You can learn more about the show at:
Founded by collectors and philanthropists in the 1930s on the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to engage with art, The Courtauld works to increase understanding of the role played by art throughout history, in all societies and across all geographies – as well as being a champion for the importance of art in the present day. The Courtauld’s ambition is to transform access to art history education, by extending the horizons of what this is, and ensuring as many people as possible can benefit from the tools to better understand the visual world around us.
I found it was well worth a deep dive into their website and Youtube videos.
As for Peter Doig, although he spent his childhood in Canada, he was born n Scotland and has spent most of his life between England and Trinidad. Canadians sometimes claim him as a Canadian artist. I feel this is a bit of a stretch even if we include his snow paintings influenced by his Canadian childhood. Regardless, Doig's work, both of landscape and figurative subjects that are often combined in the same canvas, are signficant to our understanding of contemporary art and creates a familiar passage and passport to our western art history that becomes easily accessible in the curation of this current show by Dr. Barnaby Wright and sponsored by Morgan Stanley.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
I treasure our connections and having this special "Terrill Welch by herself" publication to more fully share with you. That you choose to join me in this space is something that I do not take lightly.
As the light changes and I move along the shores at different times of day and continue seeking solitude and comfort, I can feel you looking over my shoulder.
May we continue in this shared space for a long while yet!
You can now press the comment button at the end of the issue right in your email and it will take you to the online version to share your thoughts. Also, as always, you are welcome to email me directly at tawelch@shaw.ca
I wish you the very best from my art studio and gallery pod and the trails down by the sea!
Until next time!
Terrill ❤🎨
Terrill Welch
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