While most of my sketches and paintings are fairly light in look and touch, this one takes a different direction. It’s inspired by the contrasting light and shadow in the alley way in Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas USVI. I worked hard to create the darks in this painting of the Royal Dane Mall, but when the brushwork was done it still lacked something. So I grabbed the chisel point Pigma black ink pen and went to work.
I’m pretty happy with the lively result and thinking I might take this approach again. Hope you enjoy the image.
Caribbean Good Times
February 8, 2011
Well, we’re back after a 10 day get away from frosty Saskatchewan to the toasty Caribbean. Quite the shift to leave Florida at plus 27C and arrive back in Saskatoon at minus 23C.
My top five vacation experiences rank up like this:
1. Time away with my sweetheart.
2. Feeling the warm tropical air and watching the coconut palms swaying in the cool ocean breezes.
3. Snorkeling off Grand Turk where the vibrant sea life just off shore shares the drama with a sea wall that reaches down some 7000 feet. On your right sponges, coral and schools of colorful fish. On your left, nothing but the pure azure blue of the deep blue sea. Spectacular!
4. Painting beach and tropical scenes – getting to use the most beautiful blue pigments.
5. Sailing on a catamaran, sipping a rum and coke, bopping along to the reggae music, watching the sun paint the sky as it drops into the sea.
Ah, sweet memories! And now, back to work!
PS – For a peak at a few more paintings from the adventure, see the Colors Of The Caribbean Album on my facebook page.
People In Places
November 26, 2010
One of the fun things about traveling is watching the people you meet along the way. What is even more fun is surreptitiously sketching them absorbed in the moment. Caught this fellow working his morning crossword next table over at the Cosmic Diner in New York City. He was clearly into the task at hand. You can catch a glimpse of a few other sketches in the Facebook People Portfolio gallery posted today.
Maritime Sketches
November 19, 2010
Winter has definitely arrived in Saskatoon. An Alberta Clipper blew in yesterday and left about 4-5 inches of snow in its wake. I’m not a huge fan of winter. Autumn is my favorite season – mostly because of the colors.
That’s what made flipping back through my sketchbook so much fun this morning. It was a treat to be reminded of the brilliance of September and October – as captured along the Atlantic in New England and the Maritimes. A bit of a seasonal antidote to the whites of winter.
You might enjoy flipping through the images, too. Here’s a link to the Atlantic/Maritime images as posted to an album on my Facebook page. You don’t have to be a FB friend to take a peak. Enjoy! And, if you’re in the snow zone like me, stay warm!
More NYC
November 14, 2010
For Pause Blog followers who are interested in travel adventures and art, here’s a link to a collection of sketches from our week in New York City. These are posted to an album on my Facebook page, but you don’t have to be a FB friend to take a peak. Enjoy!
PAUSE -10.31- Along For The Ride or Deeply Engaged?
October 26, 2010
REFLECTION: It was a sunny clear October day, and my husband, Dave, and I (along with another 20 passengers) were enjoying a sailing adventure on the Mar, a 65 foot tall ship that plies the Halifax Harbor. About a half an hour into the trip, we made our way to the stern to check out the view from aft and chat with the crew.
After a few minutes of conversation, Captain Tim looked at me and asked, “So, do you want to steer the ship?” Of course this prairie flat-lander jumped at the opportunity. For the next 30 to 40 minutes, I found myself at the wheel, taking instructions from the Captain: “Line up to the second pillar on the bridge. Hold her steady. Shift a bit – one spoke to starboard.”
Wind in my hair. Sun on my face. Excitement in my blood. I’m pretty sure my Norwegian Viking ancestors were bursting their buttons to see one of their own as a deckhand. Although I made no navigation decisions, only followed instructions, I turned the ship around in the harbor, sailed between two offset marker buoys, came around the other schooner cruising the harbor, and headed the Mar to dock. Thankfully, the captain took over before we got too close to land. Steering is one thing – braking quite another! (Can you actually brake a ship?)
Anyway, the adventure turned out to be one of the highlights of my vacation. As I’ve been reading this week about motivation and engagement in the workplace, my brief sailing experience has morphed into a learning lab of its own. (more…)
Times Square
October 26, 2010
Nothing says New York more than Times Square – unless of course it’s the Empire State Building or Statue of Liberty. Well, come to think of it, there are a lot of things that say New York!
We walked through Times Square many times during our visit to New York. The Square is central to Manhattan and the Theatre District, and it’s a great place for people watching.
Aside from the people, the other thing you can’t escape in Times Square is the advertising. Every surface that can be turned into a billboard, marquee, or projection screen has been nabbed by corporate America eager to promo the latest and greatest. The displays are dizzying – up, down and all around. In my opinion, it’s worth a look, but not a linger!
Here’s my take on the commotion that is Times Square. Quickly sketched from my sidewalk perch looking south down Broadway from w50th (Gershwin Way).
A Taste Of Maine
October 24, 2010
Although I took lots of photos and painted many sketches while visiting New York City and traveling the coast of New England and Atlantic Canada, as you will have noticed, the blog remained silent throughout the vacation. I found myself too absorbed in the experience to want to spend time at the keyboard. So, now that I’m back to the everyday world again, I’m planning to post a few treats from my days away throughout the next couple of weeks. Here’s an appetizer – a sketch done at the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor, Maine. Wonderful landscape views and vibrant colors. I ate it up! Hope you enjoy it, too!
PAUSE – 10.26 – Buddy Up
September 7, 2010
REFLECTION: If you had some time off over the summer, chances are you returned to the workplace feeling a bit more relaxed and at ease. If the work that piled up in your absence hasn’t kicked the stuffing out of your mellow, you may be wondering how you can hang on to a bit more of that zen-like calm as the fall revs up.
Could be that the person working next to you or just down the hall shares the very same concern. Here’s where it make sense to team up to calm down. (more…)
Vacations Essential
August 19, 2010
Thought you might be interested in the contents of my letter to the editor of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix that was published today in response to a recent article on vacation carry over and pay out. Here’s what I had to say:
In Friday, August 13th’s article on vacation pay for health care executives, Saskatoon Regional Health Authority chair, Jim Rhode, is quoted as saying: “It’s always great to see an employee that is concerned about their job more than they are about their vacation in terms of being there enough to get things done.”
While I agree with Mr. Rhode that commitment to your job and profession is laudable, his admiration for those who sacrifice personal vacation time for their work is misguided. Sadly, he is not alone in his point of view. This kind of self-imposed and peer-admired pressure to keep slogging at all costs creates significant problems for employees, leaders and the organizations they serve. Those costs go far beyond the fiscal liability of accrued holidays.
According to two studies on workload, the average person has a backlog of between 50 and 200 hours of work at any given time. The fact of the matter is, we will never be done again. Those who wait until the work is done to take a vacation will rarely give themselves permission to get away.
And, there are consequence for not getting away from the office. In an American study of 12,000 middle aged men at risk for coronary disease, those who take annual vacations are nearly 20% less likely to die during the ensuing nine years than those who skip holidays. A 20 year study of 749 women aged 45-64 found that for both employed women and homemakers, tension and a lack of vacations were two key predictors of heart attack.
The last thing we want is for our health care leadership to be damaging their own health and wellbeing in the interests of serving ours.
Taking time for renewal is not a reward for being done, it is an investment in being able to continue. It’s far wiser to encourage people at all levels of an organization to take their vacation and come back to the inevitable and ongoing workload refreshed and renewed for the challenges ahead.
—
In Friday, August 13th’s article on vacation pay for health care executives, Saskatoon Regional Health Authority chair, Jim Rhode, is quoted as saying:
“It’s always great to see an employee that is concerned about their job more than they are about their vacation in terms of being there enough to get things done.”
While I agree with Mr. Rhode that commitment to your job and profession is laudable, his admiration for those who sacrifice personal vacation time for their work is misguided. Sadly, he is not alone in his point of view. This kind of self-imposed and peer-admired pressure to keep slogging at all costs creates significant problems for employees, leaders and the organizations they serve. Those costs go far beyond the fiscal liability of accrued holidays. (more…)
While most of my sketches and paintings are fairly light in look and touch, this one takes a different direction. It’s inspired by the contrasting light and shadow in the alley way in Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas USVI. I worked hard to create the darks in this painting of the Royal Dane Mall, but when the brushwork was done it still lacked something. So I grabbed the chisel point Pigma black ink pen and went to work.
Well, we’re back after a 10 day get away from frosty Saskatchewan to the toasty Caribbean. Quite the shift to leave Florida at plus 27C and arrive back in Saskatoon at minus 23C.
One of the fun things about traveling is watching the people you meet along the way. What is even more fun is surreptitiously sketching them absorbed in the moment. Caught this fellow working his morning crossword next table over at the Cosmic Diner in New York City. He was clearly into the task at hand. You can catch a glimpse of a few other sketches in the Facebook 
Winter has definitely arrived in Saskatoon. An Alberta Clipper blew in yesterday and left about 4-5 inches of snow in its wake. I’m not a huge fan of winter. Autumn is my favorite season – mostly because of the colors.
For Pause Blog followers who are interested in travel adventures and art, here’s a link to a 
REFLECTION: It was a sunny clear October day, and my husband, Dave, and I (along with another 20 passengers) were enjoying a sailing adventure on the Mar, a 65 foot tall ship that plies the Halifax Harbor. About a half an hour into the trip, we made our way to the stern to check out the view from aft and chat with the crew.
Nothing says New York more than Times Square – unless of course it’s the Empire State Building or Statue of Liberty. Well, come to think of it, there are a lot of things that say New York!
Although I took lots of photos and painted many sketches while visiting New York City and traveling the coast of New England and Atlantic Canada, as you will have noticed, the blog remained silent throughout the vacation. I found myself too absorbed in the experience to want to spend time at the keyboard. So, now that I’m back to the everyday world again, I’m planning to post a few treats from my days away throughout the next couple of weeks. Here’s an appetizer – a sketch done at the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor, Maine. Wonderful landscape views and vibrant colors. I ate it up! Hope you enjoy it, too!
REFLECTION: If you had some time off over the summer, chances are you returned to the workplace feeling a bit more relaxed and at ease. If the work that piled up in your absence hasn’t kicked the stuffing out of your mellow, you may be wondering how you can hang on to a bit more of that zen-like calm as the fall revs up.
In Friday, August 13th’s article on vacation pay for health care executives, Saskatoon Regional Health Authority chair, Jim Rhode, is quoted as saying: