Snowy outside

A look across the street, on a warm winter afternoon

Cloudy and Snowy a glimpse into backyard

A beautiful home on Percy Street Brandon

Drove out to the east end of Brandon to paint on Percy Street Darlene Paquette's beautiful home! It was sunny and warm when I started around 10:20 this morning, however, it turned cloudy with drizzle of rain less than two hours later. I am so glad that I was able to capture the sunny moment before it rained when the rain drop started to accumulate on my palette ! Never had I painted in rain in Manitoba winter yet!

Before sunset -- a look out of the window into our backyard

The wife making Dim-sum food for supper

A quick oil sketch of Fengping making dim-sum for supper today

Over her cup of tea

A stroll in winter sunshine

In the evening light

A glimpse out of living room window in the afternoon 9"x12" oil on cavas

Always intrigued by the beautiful hues of winter snow in the sunlight as well as in the shadow.

Standing in the receding sunlight a glimpse out of our bedroom window

A sunny morning on New Years Day

Our backyard in the intense morning sunlight is the subject of my first plein air painting of the new year.

Preparing dinner for New Year's Eve

A quick oil sketch of Fengping cooking with Sarah observing attentively.

In the late afternoon sunlight backyard with hedges and flowerbed

Quiet Street of Balmoral Bay early in the morning before the street light goes out.

Standing in the last light of the day behind the snow covered hedges

Upon opening the front door in late afternoon sunshine

A glimpse of our snow covered patio with juniper in the backdrop

Upon opening the front door this morning

Hedges with snow from our backyard in early afternoon sunshine

A Glimps of our backyard

Moon remaining in the morning sky

Aloft in the morning sky

Sunset moment

A glimpse of our backyard early afternoon Boxing Day

Full moon in the early morning sky

O Holy Night full moon on Christmas night

It is so rare to see full moon on Christmas night.

In the receding sunlight on Christmas Day Balmoral Bay

In the path of early hour sunshine on Christmas Day Balmoral Bay

Noon hour sunshine on Christmas Day on Balmoral Bay

My second painting on this beautiful sunny Christmas Day ! I worked last night and came home this morning at 7 a.m. However, the beauty of the season just keeps me awake all through this morning with my easel in front of me and with Handel's Messiah on the air again. Looking out of the bedroom window , I just could not resist the intense emotion this plain view in front of me had evoked: a gentleman from our Balmoral Bay neighbourhood passed by with his dog , and the few scrawny looking elm trees on our front yard casting their long shadows across the snow with neighbours' homes cast in dark shadow across the street. Yet , despite the plainness of the view and despite the bone chill coldness of the air, the intense Christmas morning sunshine just instantaneously transfigured everything in sight into something almost magical. Is not it true that a painter's job is always to search and find beauty in everything so familiarly ordinary and yet be able to conjure up something more significant beyond their unassuming physical presence. In today's world where violence and hatred are becoming more of frequent happenings and nerve racking uncertainty of our future seems to be plaguing our vision of a future, I feel it so important to be able to create a shared sense of love , peace and beauty that will navigate us to a haven where our heart and mind can safely anchor