September, 2002

Hello Everyone

It's hard to believe that fall is here again. The summer has passed by so quickly. We had all kinds of great plans for summer but unfortunately I'm still off work with a herniated disk in my back, so summer didn't go quite as planned. But, it has given me some time to think about a lot of things...which my wife feels may not be the best thing for me :-)

I love fall!

In fact I think God made fall for artists! I'm sure He must must have been chuckling as He said "here you go . Enjoy...this is especially for you!"

Paint it!
Smell its fragrance!
Feel its coolness!
Crunch its leaves!
Be a child again!

Yup!.....God made fall for artists....but he gave us the grace to share it with the rest of you! :-)

But this fall brings some saddness to Leta and I as well.

We have just returned from Edmonton, where we helped set up our son Scott set up in an apartment. He's going to study jazz at Grant MacEwan College, Centre for the Arts campus. He's our youngest son and now we join the ranks of some of you as "empty nesters". And I can tell you it's been "kinda tough". The feelings of deep sadness seem to come in waves...big ones! We'll miss him a lot. It's been so wonderful to walk into our home and hear him practicing or playing a new piece of music. We'll miss having his friends at our home all the time.We loved having them over and having the enthusiasm around us that youth brings.

We've tried to build some important values into him such as faith, intregity, and respect for others. And we'll miss some of his natural qualities that have blessed us as parents such as his gentle spirit, his quick wit, his "bitter love songs" and the fact that he just liked to spend time with us. And yet, this is what we've worked toward all his years with us. It's a natural and healthy thing to grow in life and be independent and to chart your course.

I think I must be grieving...not just that Scott is leaving... but I think that I'm also grieving for me. That time has moved on so quickly and this is just another marker that signifies a new passage for me.

Maybe fall is a reminder for me that it's a new season in our lives as well. Time to spend time with close friends whom we love very much. Time to spend with our parents who are getting older. Time to spend with our boys and get to know them as adults.
And time to spend with one another to grow deeper and stronger in our marriage.
I guess it's time to paint a new picture. Except this one isn't on paper.

What about you? Fall is definitely a time for reflection.

Go for a long walk with your spouse or a special friend. And talk! Share how you feel. Fall is great for that.

Pack a lunch and just go for a long drive somewhere into the country with no destination in mind.

Phone a friend who you haven't talked to for a while. Life moves quickly and they won't be here forever.

Take your spouse, children or grandchildren and crunch through a pile of leaves! Remember what it was like to be a kid again!

And watch the sunsets! Stop to really look at them with new eyes! They are incredible at this time of year! I could paint all my life and never even come close to the blazing beauty brushed across the sky.

Take time, slow down, and don't miss the gifts you're given each day.


The Tip of the Brush

I'm very excited to tell you about my latest group of watercolors. I've always enjoyed flowers. I "get that" from my mother. Our house was always full of every kind of plant imaginable. It used to drive my father crazy because some friend or relative was always bringing my mom a "slip" from one plant or another. She has quite a green thumb and our house was always full of color. When spring arrived it just carried over to our yard, and it looks beautiful.

I enjoy groupings of flowers but I'm equally drawn to the beauty of a single flower. I get a chance to study it's color and shape and continue to be amazed at how lovely each one is. In fact I'm enjoying this bold style of painting flowers so much that I hope to explore painting many more types of flowers in this manner.

The other two areas that continue to appeal to me are our prairie landscapes and unique looking buildings or pieces of architecture...some hidden stairway, or window or who knows what. Maybe I just like old buildings! Who knows. I'm not prepared to go into analysis on this one.

There's also one more subject that I'd love to paint but that's kind of a "future dream". Someday I'll do that painting(s) and you'll be the first to know. ;-)

But....keep checking back to my website because as I finish a new watercolor I post it under New Watercolors or Watercolors

Pretty In Pink

To me a rose is never a rose or a lily a lily! They all remind me of something. This rose reminded me of a friend whose favourite dress had pink and lavender tones. Her husband's eyes would sparkle when he saw her and he would always comment that she looked pretty in pink. I agreed totally, and it seemed fitting to name this beautiful flower in that manner.

I had a great time doing this painting. This piece was a study in glazing to get the colors I wanted and yet keep them as transparent and as delicate as I could. I was pleased with the results I got. What do you think?

Sundancers

If I would have had any idea of what I was getting myself into in this watercolor, I'd never have started! Not that I don't like the flower...I think the bird of paradise is one of the most beautiful flowers out there and intend to do more. It was the study of greens that almost drove me crazy. Any of you who are watercolor painters know exactly what I'm talking about. Keeping them bold and fresh and keeping them transparent. For two weeks it was like a love/hate relationship. I'd paint for a bit..all was well...then I'd "lose" it. Wash the part out and try again. Then I'd get so frustrated that I'd leave it for a day or two and start again. Then one day it just worked and I was done! I actually sat there and laughed as I looked at the flowers. They seemed to be dancing around saying "Catch me if you can"! Typical of my relationship with this painting! :-)

Blazing Glory

What fascinates me about poppies is not only how vivid they are, but how delicate they are...like colored tissue paper. Wherever the sun hits there can be such an endless variation of color. They have so many twists and turns and folds. What fun it was to paint and watch it come to life. They almost scream out at you "look at me"...a proud flower if I ever saw one.

Amazing Place

This country church located near my brother-in-law's former farm north of Beausejour Manitoba.

Many a countryfolk came there to find peace in its day. Sitting there amidst the hay harvest it still soothes the soul to this day.
I love the serenity in this painting.


Musical Notes

Every issue of my newsletter will have a little information on musical artists whom I enjoy. Many are friends, who are talented folks and who work hard at their artform. If you get a chance to see them perform or buy their CD, do so. Because I like their work and I respect them as people, it gives me great joy to tell you just a little about them.

This Issue:

Jaylene Johnson

I could give you all kinds of glowing descriptions of this Christian singer/songwriter but none would come as close as putting it in a simple way. She is just extremely talented...period!! Not only does she a lovely distinctive voice, but the music she writes is insiteful, moving, and shows an understanding of life that just way beyond her years. I'm listing her website below for you. Please take the time to check it out and learn more about this fine performer. If you don't have one of her CD's in your collection you are missing out on some excellent music. But... the good news is that you can order it from her website. Also check out her performance schedule to see her perform in person. You'll find it a treat.

www.jaylenejohnson.com


Another bit of exciting news: Tom and Lori Neufeld who were featured in my last newsletter have had their Lulu & the TomCat's CD, "All the Cats Were Playin' " nominated for Outstanding Children's Recording at the 2002 Prairie Music Awards. This years the awards nite is September 29, in Winnipeg at the Burton Cummings Theatre (formerly the Walker Theatre)
Congratulations Tom & Lori! We all wish you well !


Chuckle Chuckle!

I've told you that I really enjoy good clean humour. Here's a few bits and pieces that will hopefully bring a smile to your face.

Being of Ukranian heritage I thought this one was cute.

Two Ukranians were walking through the woods one day when they came upon a hole in the ground. One guy, wanting to see how deep it is, throws a rock in and listens, but hears nothing. "Let's get something bigger", he says, so they find a bigger rock and throw it in, and still hear nothing.
"We need something even bigger" he says, and so they look around and find a railroad tie. They pick it up and throw it into the hole. A second later a goat comes running up and jumps into the hole.
"Stupid goat!" remarks the second Ukranian.

Just then a farmer walks up and says "Hey, have you seen my goat?"

The first Ukranian answers "One just jumped into this hole here"

The farmer says "No, that can't be mine...I tied mine to a railroad tie..." :0)

Okay...I couldn't resist a blonde joke

A blonde is terribly overweight, so her doctor puts her on a diet.

"I want you to eat regularly for two days, then skip a day and then repeat this procedure for two weeks.
The next time I see you, you'll have lost at least five pounds."

When the blonde returns, she's lost nearly 20 pounds.

"Why that's amazing!" the doctor says "Did you follow my instructions?"

The blonde nods. "I'll tell you though, I thought I was going to drop dead that third day."

"From hunger, you mean?"

"No...from skipping!"

Finally...I can't help myself...a true story about a lawyer...

This is an actual exchange between a lawyer and witness as published in the Texas Bar Journal.

Lawyer: "So doctor, you determined that a gunshot wound was the cause of death of the patient?"
Doctor: "That's correct"
Lawyer: "Did you examine the patient when he came into the emergency room?"
Doctor: "No, I performed the autopsy."
Lawyer: "OK, were you aware of his vital signs when he was at the hospital?"
Doctor: " He came into the emergency room in shock and died a short time later."
Lawyer: "Did you pronounce him dead at the time?"
Doctor: "No, I am the pathologist who performed the autopsy. I was not involved with the patient initially"
Lawyer: "Well, are you even sure then that he died in the emergency room?"
Doctor: "That is what the records indicate."
Lawyer: "But if you weren't there, how could you have pronounced him dead, having not seen or physically examined
him at that time?"
Doctor: "The autopsy showed massive hemorraging in the chest area and that was the cause of death"
Lawyer: "I understand that, but you were not actually present to examine the patient and pronounce him dead, isn't that right?"
Doctor: "No sir, I did not see the patient or actually pronounce him dead, but I did perform an autopsy and right now his brain is
in a jar over at the county morgue. As for the rest of the patient, for all I know HE COULD BE OUT PRACTICING LAW SOMEWHERE!!!"


And the print winner is...

With every issue of this newsletter I will have a draw for one of my limited edition, hand colored prints. I had to chuckle when this month's winner was picked because I'm not quite sure how to get it to her. Our winner is Rene Ammundsen, and she and her husband and family are in the unique occupation of being lighthouse keepers on an island in British Columbia where mail comes in by helicopter only once a month. Hummm...I guess courier is out of the question. :-)
Congratulations Rene. We'll get it to you somehow.

One last thing...Christmas!

There are some of you out there who strike terror to us last minute Christmas shoppers...you are either well on your way or may even have finished your Christmas shopping! I could suggest therapy but it's probably too late. :-)
But for the rest of you who prefer to fight the crowds just for the sheer joy of it, I send this message. Any of my Memories of Manitoba prints make wonderful Christmas gifts for even the hardest to shop for person. We will send them to you double matted and shrink wrapped ready for you to just put some Christmas wrapping on, and your gift giving is off to a wonderful start.
Also as of Sept 30 two of my watercolors will be available as Limited Edition Giclee prints..."Pretty In Pink" will be available in an edition of 125 Prints with a selling price of $125.00 each and "The Windmill On The Island" in an edition of 100 prints with a selling price of $85.00 each. Please contact me for sizes and further information.
These Giclee prints make such lovely gifts for someone special. (even for you!)


Until next time....

...feelings have been touched
and hearts have been moved,
all by the stroke of a brush!
Jerry Maksymyk

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