Linda Denis

Summer arrived with hot June days reaching 30C with all seeming well here in the hills. The turtles are off laying their eggs in the loose gravel along the chemin de la Rivière. The Baltimore orioles are nesting in the tall spruce trees along the bicycle& walking trail and my other favourite the red winged-black bird is happily sing « conk-a-réel » at the local turtle pond

A new generation of turtles taking a sun bath on the shared log.  The canvas is 20 by 28 inches, oil paint, 2024. Turtle are now crossing the road so please slow down and avoid them.

Farm Point turtle pond 2024

Traversée des tortues, Farm Point, Chelsea, Qc

One of my favourite spots to sketch here in the Gatineau Hills is the local turtle pond. Warm sunny days will be here soon and then the turtles will be surfacing to take sunbaths.

I like to take my watercolour paints and paper to sketch here. There is always red-wing black birds, frogs, dragonflies but no mosquitoes.

There is an abundance of scenery to sketch in the Hills- the  local Déry quarry, the Gatineau River, Wakefield village and in the background the “Hills” part of the Laurentian Canadian Shield. This winter I stayed in my studio and painted from my studio windows and sketchbook. I am always one to exaggerate when it comes to colour. Enjoying the sunset and early vegetation in March inspired me to create this landscape of the local swamp.

Déry Quarry, oil on birch board, 12×36, 2023

Winter is officially here in Quebec with a snowfall of 20 cm this past week. I took advantage of the milder weather today to paint my impression from the top of the quarry towards the Gatineau River and hills. It is amazing how digging and removing gravel can give a beautiful landscape. Perhaps I am embracing my professor philosophy «  there is a painting everywhere you look so stop and paint »

Bramble Bushes along the ´Fleuve Saint-Laurent’ , oil on canvas , 24×24, 2006

The above painting was completed at Les Éboulement along the shoreline of St. Lawerence with the tide receding towards L’lsle-aux-Coudres. Now looking forward to plein air painting this April 2024 in Charlevoix

We enter into the fall season with high day temperature in the low 30’s, bears on the roam breaking into unsecured garbage and the local river road under construction with dust and gravel flying. This is not catastrophic in comparison to the forest fires in other parts of Canada.
The above mentioned elements have limited by visits to the local turtle pond and quarry where I passed many hours sketching the landscape last summer.

Farm Point Turtle Pond, oil on canvas, 24×20, 2023

Turtle Pond in mid summer, oil on canvas, 12×12, 2023

Quarry from on top, oil on canvas, 20×20, 2023

My studio has become my space this summer. The above are a few of my finished works in oil on canvas  When someone like myself paints from memory and watercolour sketches it becomes an impression of the time and day not a realistic one. I am a daydreamer.

This summer has new ingredients- tornados, forest fire smog, with exceptional hot humid days. But still a beautiful summer here in Québec.
When we have unpredictable weather like this watercolour sketching is the answer. It’s compact and quick to pack up and move on quickly.

Turtle Pond, Farm Point, watercolour, Arches paper

Boathouse at Wakefield, watercolour and gouache on Arches paper

Locally, the Gatineau River and the adjacent turtle pond are always a source to find subject matter to paint. It’s now mid summer and the local turtle pond has 5 big guys taking a nap on their favourite log and the many babies from spring are off to better camping grounds. The Gatineau River has become a slow meandering stream offering boating and swimming to us but just wait to see who’s the boss this fall.