Linda Denis

Winter has arrived with snow, sun and comfortable temperatures. Sadly, we are entering into another lockdown here in Quebec. Omicron variant is now the dominant strain of Covid-19.

Great part about painting is it can be done in a crowd or alone in your home. Joined brushes on my WhatsApp each week presents an artist whom we might know or not with a brief background. An invitation is put forth for your individual depiction of a works. I have decided on sketches of a portrait this enhances my knowledge and strangely puts me in touch with each artist.

 Here are my interpretation of  Caravaggio, William Strang works.

To-day is winter solstice, this is what I see outside my window. Darkness around 4:30 pm today but tomorrow we start slowly back to more day light.

We are now in the 4th wave of Covid-19 here in Quebec. Good news as most of us have our two doses of the vaccine and our passport to verify this. Looking forward to group plein air painting, family gatherings and travel.

Autumn has been very kind- warm weather without a frost so our gardens were able to give tomatoes, squash, herbs, potatoes and leeks. Time to paint these gems of produce on my kitchen table

Today the leaves have almost all fallen to the earth, giving us the view to faraway hills, skeletons of trees and branches, rocks and moss. A big thanks to Mother Nature for her kindness and generosity.

Now we are green coded for COVID-19. I have started to sketch in the surrounding area of Vaudreuil-Soulonges.

First stop, Soulanges Canal built from 1892-1900 to provide a safe shipping lane to avoid Cascade, Cedar and Coteau rapids. I sketched the abandoned locks at Pointe-des-Casacade. Free parking and entrance.

Then, Coteau-du- Lac, a National Historic site, a place to enjoy the history of this encampment used as portage and military station in the past. Free entrance now for 2021, picnic tables, toilettes, parking and lots of shade to rest under.

Time to put forth a new outlook on my artistic life. The COVID-19 is still here in Quebec- we are in the red zone as many areas in Canada. Staying home is strongly advised so I will miss plein air here and in Mexico.

Today, this is a watercolour of waxed Amaryllis I received this Christmas. Sadly, this is a one time bloom and will not bloom again.

This watercolour will be my souvenir of this crazy pandemic year and I have understood the bulbs are heading for the compost when they stop blooming in about three weeks.

My best wishes for 2021.

The Covid-19 is with us still and persists into our daily lives. Luckily for visual artists, we are use to working alone in our studios and although we enjoy company on plein air excursions this too can be accomplished solo.

Here are two recent oil paintings completed from memory in my studio. One is my sister’s garden which she tends to daily cleaning out old vegetation and feeding her fish. Below this is my memory of fog lifting on a warm fall day as I painted with my friend and artist Margo Rivard on the road leading into Les Éboulements, Qc.

Ruth’s Water Garden, oil on canvas, 30×24, 2020

September Fog, oil on canvas, 36×24, 2020