Thinking about Water Colour from the top of PKOLS

The world full of colour

Sunday evening, I headed to the top of PKOLS  with the new camera in search of photos.  I have, over the years, taken hundreds of photos of PKOLS (known to some as Mount Douglas).  But this time, I went with a slightly different objective: to find source material to inspire some watercolour activity.  

Yep.  Watercolour, my most recent attempt to learn a new skill.  My Aunt Wyona jumpstarted things for me.  When she was visiting in May,  she went out to to the art stores to gather the materials needed, and spent a few evenings giving some lessons to me, my sister Bonnie, and my son Duncan.

Working with Wyona was fun.  She brought with her both her experience of Chinese brush painting (from all those years in Malaysia) and of watercolour. For photos of the masterpieces completed under her most excellent tutelage, you can check out this post over on the Larchhaven Blog.

Of course, once Wyona was gone, I was left with the business of trying to remember how to go about doing things on my own.   That was harder.   For sure, I will be signing up for a course in the fall, but it seemed that it might be fun to continue picking up the brush throughout the summer, to see if watercolour and I might become more intimate with each other. 

I continued in my quest to transform photos of "the lake" (which means "The Shuswap Lake") into a watercolour versions.   I am still a newby, but there is something satisfying in seeing what the water and paint could do.  

Today, I started to branch out.   My friends Stacy and Jess came over to spend the day painting in the back yard.  This time I used a photo from a recent trip to Arbutus Cove as a guide. 

As you can see from the original photo, below I am not exactly at the 'accuracy' stage. And there is much to be learned about how to draw a tree!   But how fun to have some new skills to learn.  :-). 

I am a beginner at the 'enjoying myself' stage, which is something to be celebrated. I have certainly been happy to at least get water and paint on the paper. 

And so, to return to the matter of PKOLS.   Having spent a day looking at a photo of a place I love, and trying to imagine it in watercolour, it seemed right to gather more photos of another place I totally love, PKOLS!

It was just after 8pm when I was at the top.  I knew that if I waited another hour or so, the sunset would drench the sky in pink, but as it was, I still got the gift of a stunning pallette of blues and greys.  I also got to spend sometime pointing the camera in all directions, zooming in and out, thinking only about finding shots that might be fun to reproduce in watercolour.

So, here are some of the watercolour ideas I came away with.

These first three three shots are basically the same spot, taken from the top of PKOLS looking out towards Sooke, but from a distance.

Same shot but zooming in to get closer.

Again, getting closer.

 

What I love about the above photos is the fact that they already look a bit like water colour paintings. Or, indeed, like they are the product of collage work using different coloured strips of paper. 

 

I just continued working my way around the 360 degree view that you can have at the top.   The pallet of blues just extended itself, as one looks in the direction of the Saanich Peninsula (where the important ȽÁU, WELṈEW̱ Tribal School sits in the shadow of the Mountains).  That school is doing the work of SENĆOŦEN language revitalization with their immersion programs.  Impressive.  Standing at the top of the hill, looking out over the water, I am reminded of listening to John Elliott tell the story of PKOLS, and of how the Transformer stood at the top of PKOLS, picking up people and throwing them into the water where they were transformed into Islands.  I think I also heard a version of this from Rob Clifford and from Nick Claxton.  The SENĆOŦEN word for islands, we were told, is "ancestors of the deep."  

In this account, each island has the name of a specific ancestor (and a name that links one to stories/knowledge about that specific island).  In this Origin Story account, once some people had been transformed into islands, other people were then picked up and placed on the different islands, and told that they were to take care of their ancestors, and their ancestors would take care of them.   

I find this story quite moving, and it gives me a quite different way of looking at the islands. If I understand them as ancestors, there are different questions about ways to better understand my obligations with respect to those ancestors (including such things as calling them by their proper names,  and understanding different ways of asking about how, when, whether one comes for a visit!)  [There are some lovely maps of the islands with their proper names starting on p.20 of Dave Elliott Sr's book, The Saltwater People]

In this image, I like how the land reaches out to the water in a way that looks like Raven's beak.

Returning to the moment at the top of PKOLS, since my focus was on watercolour, I also found myself looking up to the sky for inspiration.  

At that time of early evening, the blue of the sky was also tinged by swathes of golden shaded clouds. 

With a change of focus on the camera, it was possible to catch the 'sharp edge' on that particular cloud formation.

Here is another version of the same shot, different zoom, and after the wind and continued blowing, stretching the cloud even further across the sky.

The question now is what these moments of beauty might look like once I have had some time to sit in front of a piece of paper with water and paint. I am looking forward to the exploration (or even just an extended period of time staring at the images).

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ADDENDUM - July 7, 2021

photo from top of PKOLS

Wyona came for a visit, so I got to have another lesson.  

Here is the photo we chose to copy.

Here is my version of the photo:

Rebecca's interpretation

And here is Wyona's interpretation of the same scene (which she managed to do in between all the work of walking me through the steps). 

Wyona's interpretation

I love it that she added in the boats as a detail (and then coached me through doing one).  No, they are not in the original photo, but I think they anchor (forgive the pun) the image.  I do have some work to do on colour-mixing (I was in fact TRYING to use the same colours as in the photo), but Wyona keeps telling me it is fine for the colours to be 'ideas' and not simply 'copies'.  Well there you go.   I love looking at both versions together, and thinking of the fun of painting alongside her.

A table of delights!

The table is still covered with paints today, so we can use the same pallet for another painting (I only have her here for another day or so). 

 

Funny that this photo does not look 'messy' to me; it looks like a landscape of possibility and adventure!

An afternoon by the water with crows

It has been just over two weeks since Arta passed away, and about one week in a house without at least one of my siblings or aunts here.

 
Feeling both a bit lonely, and like it is time to get my body moving again, I decided to head down to Arbutus Cove, a place Arta loved, and that I introduced the sibs to last months [they did a great photoessay of their visit on Arta's blog here].

  
Arbutus Cove is not that far, maybe only an 18 minute walk from my house, but it is downhill all the way.  That, of course, means uphill all the way on the return trip.  

I have no one to blame but myself, but exercise has completely been off the radar for the past 6 months.  During that time, if folks came to visit, I drove them there, and then walked the 65 steps down to the beach with them (and sucking oxygen like crazy on the way back up the stairs).

So, today I "screwed my courage to the sticking place" [nod in the direction of Lady Macbeth], and decided to walk there.  To get me motivated, I decided to take the new camera with me.  Doral picked it out for me, and it has a fancy-pants zoom lens.  I am still learning how to use it, so thought this would be a good excuse to distract me from the 'exercise-pain' ahead. 

So... here is my "photo-essay-while-wishing-excersize-came-naturally-to-me."

I begin with two shots taken of the view approaching the stairs down to the beach.   I do like how this first shot hints at the view ahead, while still holding out some mystery.

Standing in the same spot, the zoom lens pushed through the trees to capture something of the beauty of the water's edge.

Next, I walked past a big patch of Oceanspray to get to the top of the stairs.  

the flip side of the card

A brief meditation on oceanspray is in order.  

A few years ago, I went on a guided walk up PKOLS with Earl Claxton Jr, and Nick Claxton, and learned that in Salish communities, it often goes by another name, Ironwood. On that walk, standing by that shrub, we heard a story about the Wild Woman in the Woods (origin of the mosquito).  I never see the plant anymore without thinking about that story, and how many times I have found myself reflecting on some of its teachings.   I got a set of Pacific Northwest Plant Knowledge Cards last year, and I love all the info it has on the plants [you can find them at Strong Nations if you want your own set]

So, passing the Oceanspray, one arrives at the stairs.  There is something magical in pathway through the forest down to the beach.  You can catch small glimpses of the Cove below, but the predominant feeling for me is of being wrapped in a blanket of green and dappled forest light.

65 stairs is not so bad....on the way down!

And then the stairs end, and the colour palette switches from green to blue.

The tide is out

From there, and easy stroll along the beach to find some Beachwood to perch on, and take in the scene.

The driftwood is bleached from years in the sun

For those who enjoy video [or just a bit of time for meditation], here is a short sweep of the cove from one side to the other (did I mention that groovy new camera pivots easily from photo to video?)

https://youtu.be/fgUaSMSLJ0w (1:30 minutes)

The crows were very busy (and talkative) today at the beach.  So here are three offerings, each a doubling:  that is, first a photo then a video of crows doing what crows do.

1.  Crow walking in the sand

I love the sparkle on the water.... and a crow who knows where she is headed!

https://youtu.be/K4vWlz_lJa4 (2:54 minutes)

2.  Crows walking in the seaweed

What is hiding in this pile of leafy greens?   Bugs? Little crabs?

https://youtu.be/P0HwHFfEOpE (44 seconds)

3.  Crow party in a tree

So many places to perch in the branches of this dead arbutus tree

https://youtu.be/Y5SZcvblGtM (55 seconds)

That was it.  Twenty contemplative minutes on the beach, and then it was 'uphill all the way'.  It is only 65 steps back up, but I was grateful for the bench at the top, which gave me a chance to catch my breath (for the rest of the walk home) while watching the Oceanspray sway in the gentle breeze coming in.  It was sweet (and yes, I can see there is going to be plenty of room for learning how to hold the camera still while filming!) [and yes, the rest of the walk home was torture!  I will try it again tomorrow]

https://youtu.be/cjmr4zD80tM (6 seconds)

A drive to Sidney by the Sea with Arta, Wyona and Bonnie

Wyona and Arta (a scarf to keep off the breeze)

On Thursday, the forecast was a for a beautiful day, with showers ahead for the weekend.   

Given that both Bonnie and Wyona were here, it seemed the perfect day to try out the new wheelchair (thanks, Red Cross!) and take the crew out to Sidney by the Sea.  

We drove the slow way out, taking West Saanich Road all the way out to Lands End, and then doubling back to downtown Sidney.  That road is just glorious...like taking a bath in forest green.   I wish in hindsight that I had stopped to take photos along the way, but you will just have to trust me that it was so beautiful. 

One bird per perch!

And after an adventure in green, it was time for an adventure in blue.  Here are some shots of our adventures (which really involved me taking photos of the water, Wyona taking photos of seagulls, and Bonnie taking photos of Arta and Art (the waterfront is marvellously populated with public art). So... in no particular order, her are some photos from our trip.

I note here that I have a new camera, with an actually zoom lens, and so it was possible to get a better picture of Mount Baker looming in the background (yes, it is a stratovolcano, which last erupted in 1880). 

Can you see Mount Baker in the background?

I like the bird checking out the mountain

Even if the mountain is huge, it was also somewhat misty against the skyline

Now the next photos were taken by Wyona, as we were walking along the pier.   She was busy sneaking up on the seagulls, to get some action shots.

As always, one of us is always taking a photo of someone taking a photo!

I wondered what the two birds were both looking at.  something tasty?

Wyona got some great action shots.... mostly because she was busy sneaking up on the birds.

Bonnie and Rebecca are missing the action going on behind them

Both Bonnie and the bird turning their backs on Wyona's shenanigans

One highlight of our trip came at the very end.... when our next door neighbour pointed out that there was a rainbow 'splatter' in the sky above our house.  He was right!   I am sure there is a name for this phenomenon, but this is the first time I have seen something like this in a sky with no hint of a raincloud.

the rainbow seems to have almost emerged from our chimney

I also like the while cloud 'combed' overtop of the rainbow splatter

Perimeters and Parameters - thinking about words and ideas with Arta on April 24

 

In the evenings, sitting in the hospital, Arta has been engaging in concerted acts of.... poetry!

Yep.  

Sitting there, thinking about words, wordplay, and the ideas and possibilities embedded in these words. 

The other day, in the context of a conversation about some great TikTok videos created by a student in the Inuit film class, videos reflecting on questions of nation and identity, Arta started talking to me about her latest poetic meditations, meditations circling around (forgive the pun) the terms PERIMETER and PARAMETER.

I told her that she had to tell me again, but that I would record to share with others in the family, simply because...

Thus, a little bit of video to share.

I decided NOT to edit it.  This is raw footage (i just did not have the energy to edit out the first few minutes) For those who want to get to the substance of her thoughts, skip forward to minute 2:50.

If you are in no rush, then you will get to see a bit of preliminary ramblings, incuding Rebecca's attempt to close the blinds, Rebecca's bad handling of an exact-o-knife, more of Arta's room at the hospital, including all of her scarves hanging off the gantry, the flowers delivered to our house by Deb Curran, Arta's lunch tray, and even Arta brushing her eyebrows before we start.   Such treasures!  :-)  Enjoy.

A Day in the Palliative Care Ward with Arta - April 21

Arta about to be taken down to the operating room

April 20, Dr Svorkdal the anesthesiologist did a nerve block procedure for Arta!  Exciting.   

There is an entire post to be written about Arta's adventures during that procedure. 

It includes her asking to be told stories to distract her from the pain of the surgery, specifically, stories about bees, and having Don the Nurse let her hold his hand while he told her that he was also a beekeeper, and had been stung 5 times just the day before!  Now that was unexpected.

Making lists of things to do

But to continue with THIS story, April 21 was 'Day 1 Post Nerve Block' for Arta.  We are all crossing our fingers for the best-case outcome (a 60% reduction in pain). 

Dr. Saiger reminded us that we would need to wait a couple of days before assessing how things had gone.     

Gantry transformed to a scarf holder

So this was Day 1.  Mary did the night shift before me.  I had some some appointments scheduled for the morning, so I arrived back at the hospital a bit later in the afternoon (and perhaps a bit tired already).  

By that time, Mary (who had been there the previous 18 hours) had phoned me to say, "Come save me!  Mom is being manic!"

I took her to mean that the block must have been working, and that the Arta we know and love (and sort of fear) was re-emerging from the deep fog of pain and nausea that had marked the last 2-3 weeks.

Arta looking to find the double-decker bus

I arrived to discover that Mary was right:  in the euphoria of some combination of drugs and pain reduction, weeks of suppressed activity re-emerged.  

Arta was making list after list of tasks that needed doing, stories that needed telling, conversations that needed to happen,  emails that needed writing, surfaces that needed tidying, silver that needed polishing. And each activity needed doing immediately!  

one way to get her face and braids in one shot!

In some ways, no big deal.  Sort of like business as usual for her.  

But if you take all Arta's energy, and lay it overtop of some extreme drug-related confusion, you do get something of an ADD energizer-bunny on drugs.

In some ways, so much fun!  

In other ways, a terrifying nightmare.  

Her new Klimt scarf goes well with the hallway art!

Recall that she is still attached by tubes to a subcutaneous fentanyl pump.   

So, imagine Arta racing off in all directions (as she is wont to do), but forgetting that she is attached to tubes.  

You can well imagine Mary and I trying to keep up to her, and encourage her to NOT suddenly head over to the couch to look out the window.  

Arta points out that if we stage the photo right, you can't see her mask and it looks like she is a patron at an art gallery opening, rather than a patient in the hospital.

Of course there is nothing wrong with looking out the window.  But a person needs to remember that the pump needs to come with!  :-)

So many colours in the sky

She also needed to put on a new scarf for her walk around the ward, leaning on her walker. 

It is important to look good when you go out (aka 'leave your room')!

It probably is a 1 minute circle at regular walking speed around the ward, but much slower with a walker and a subcutaneous pump! 

I love how the horizon blurs away.

Of course, the return to the room is also wonderful.  The room is lovely and spacious, with its own bathroom, shower, sink, cupboards, foldout couch and more. 

The Palliative Ward (which has a truly exceptional team of people) is on the 8th floor of the Patient Care Centre at the Royal Jubilee Hospital, and the view from the window itself a work of art.

There is always a beautiful scene worthy of contemplation. 

We kept wondering if those clouds would bring us rain.  They didn't.

AND NOW, FOR SOME 'FACE-TO-FACE TIME'

For those who have made it this far, here are some video clips from the last day.   They are uncut, and a bit raw, but you can at least get some sense of what a gift it is for Mary and I to be able to stay here with Arta during this strange mixed up period.   Yes, the drugs do create some word loss, jumble and enthusiasm, but they have kicked back some of the pain, so we get to enjoy some of the deliciousness that is our mom.   We are still keeping our hopes up that she might be able to come back to my place sometime next week.

Video 1: In which Arta reflects on what should be done with her books.

Video 2: In which Arta and I try to give an update as the sun sets.  It is in two parts:

This first part is interrupted by a break for Taryn to give Arta her evening shot of Nozinan (another item in the toolkit of medications to address the pain and nausea).  Our video exploration then continues for another 12 minutes, with much disjointed jumping from thought to thought (thank you fentanyl).  As you will see, Arta stays entertaining even as she rides the tide of opiates!  :-) [and it is clear that we both really need some sleep]

Video 3: In which an exhausted Rebecca wonders why her mother will not just go to sleep rather than demand a midnight snack of cream of wheat porridge (is this payback for my own behaviour as a young child?!)