You are browsing the Blog for Canada and BC Archives - Page 33 of 35 - Marja-Leena Rathje.

← Previous Entries
Next Entries →
by Marja-Leena

Thanksgiving weekend

Thompson.jpg

As you may have guessed from my absence here for a few days, we took a little four day holiday over the Thanksgiving weekend. We had a lovely drive, enjoying the gorgeous fall colours and scenes of numerous mountains and valleys. The interior of our beautiful province with its rolling grasslands and sagebrush peppered with pine forests and colourful decideous trees are at their most beautiful this time of year.

We visited our eldest daughter and her partner who had moved to the country east of Kamloops a year ago. One of their neighbours raises llammas and goats, and we met them, fed them and fell in love with the gentle and friendly llamas in particular!

llama.jpg

We also visited a friend from Winnipeg who has retired to Vernon, another gorgeous area located at the north end of the Okanagan valley. He likes the mild climate and doesn’t miss the cold winters of Winnipeg!

Our final visit was to the waterfront home of former neighbours and dear friends who retired to Lac la Hache in the Cariboo region further north. Everywhere we had warm get-togethers with good food, sunshine, nature’s beauty and fresh air. On the way home, we stopped at farmer’s roadside stands for apples, pears, colourful squashes, and homemade raspberry pie.

squash.jpg

I’m slowly trying to catch up with blog reading. I really want to point to a very eloquent and moving post written by Jarrett at Creature of the Shade, notes of thanksgiving for all the wonderful things in Canada on the occasion of our Canadian Thanksgiving. This is particularly special because it comes from an American who recently moved to Vancouver, and whose blog I’ve been reading since then, thanks to Dave’s introduction.

October 12, 2005 in Canada and BC, Culture by Marja-Leena Comments Off on Thanksgiving weekend

by Marja-Leena

Vaseaux Lake pictographs

piccowboy.jpg

My own art work is keeping me preoccupied these days, especially with the exhibition coming up in November, so today I’m being a lazy blogger. May I point you to a link provided once again by reader Bill Knight in a recent comment.

Have a look at the pictographs of Vaseux Lake in the southern interior of British Columbia. They are beautiful examples of the rock paintings of the native peoples of these areas dating back about 1800 to 2000 years.

Best of all, I love what Bill wrote about his thoughts about ancient rock art:
I would like to edge closer to this mystery, communion and communication practice. To write upon the earth itself, that act is a focus for contemplation. It is to submit to the relative permanence of great stone mountains and bluffs, while facing how brief and transient a human life is. Painful perhaps, but sustaining as well.

I believe even contemporary stone sculpture carving disregards the rock’s age and connection to the great vast ages and spaces, favoring an involvement with distractions of process, illusion and conceit of design. Sculpture is worked out of quarry-stone with predictable and regular physical characteristics. The rock becomes stone; a material, a sort of plastic substance.

[…] There is an interesting difference, though between “rock” and “stone”. I had never heard of the term “rock art” before coming to your site.

Thank you, Bill, for expressing a feeling that I’ve long had about my strange attraction for rock art. (Oh, and the “rock art” term isn’t mine of course – it’s generally used by most people to speak about ancient petroglyphs, pictographs, petroforms, standing stones or megaliths, etc.)
(Edited Sept.22)

September 21, 2005 in Canada and BC, Rock Art & Archaeology by Marja-Leena 12 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

Labour Day

pots.jpg

Today I was scrubbing out dirt and those squatters of damp and dark quarters – slugs, snails, sowbugs, spiders and worms. No, not an art project, rather a gardener’s chore. I finally tackled the huge annual task of washing all the plant pots which have been hidden under a tree by the compost, a job I always put off until I’m desperate for clean pots for repotting. For some time now I’d been saying to myself that I must repot some of my plants that have been summering outdoors, to ready them for re-entry indoors in a few weeks’ time, as well as start taking cuttings of geraniums and such. It was laborious but satisfying in the end. Tomorrow I hope to do some of the repotting.

It’s the end of the Labour Day long weekend here, with a lovely sunny day too. The damper cooler nights and long shadows signal the coming of fall. It’s the last weekend of summer in a way, as most schools in Canada begin tomorrow. But our weekend wasn’t all labouring or puttering around home. The highlight was a wonderful evening last night over dinner in a local little restaurant with dear friends who came back to their old neighbourhood for a few hours to see us (they retired to Victoria a couple of months ago).

On this day, I also looked up the history of Labour Day and was surprised to read about the Canadian roots of Labour Day. You might like to also check out about Labour Day in different countries at Wikipedia.

September 5, 2005 in Canada and BC, Current Events by Marja-Leena Comments Off on Labour Day

by Marja-Leena

Spirit in the Stone

salmonman.jpg
“Salmon Man” on beach at Quadra Island – drawing by Hilary Stewart

I am slowly savoring Spirit in the Stone by Joy Inglis, a book that was recommended to me by reader Irene from Manitoba and which I recently found in our local library. The back cover describes it best:

Mysterious and impressive, the art of the petroglyph has intrigued people around the world. Petroglyphs played an important part in the rituals and ceremonies of Shamanism – the religion of many early cultures. The rock carvings of the west coast of North America are related in style and content to the rock art of the Far East and to the cave paintings of Europe.

Spirit in the Stone offers a worldwide background for rock carvings in art and religion, with a practical focus on the petroglyphs of Quadra Island, British Columbia. The 11 petroglyph sites (more than 100 carved boulders – ed.) on the island are described, with detailed maps and directions for finding them. West-coast rock art was often connected to the life-cycle of the salmon, the basic resource of coastal peoples, and this book discusses the probable meanings and uses of the awe-inspiring petroglyphs.

The wonderfully evocative drawings by Hilary Stewart, and the Foreword by native Elder Ellen White, will help everyone understand these treasures, and to appreciate the silent magic of ancient rock art.

Joy Inglis, an anthropologist, has worked for 20 years with the Kwagiulth people of Quadra Island, studying the locations and traditional functions of west-coast petroglyphs.

Reading this well-researched and rich little book made me recall a question from Beth in a comment some time ago: “why do you like rock art?” I couldn’t seem to find a satisfactory answer then, though obviously I was attracted to these beautiful, mysterious and very ancient art works with a mysterious feeling of connection between artists over vast periods of time. But I could not quite articulate a deeper reason. Reading this book clarified for me how the Shamanic spirit instilled into the rock art is what makes them even more compelling for me.

Spirit in the Stone, by Joy Inglis, was published by Horsdal and Shubart, in 1998, with 111 pages. ISBN 0920663583. It seems to be out of print now as I’ve only found two used copies on the web, one hugely and perhaps incorrectly overpriced and one Down Under. I’ll keep looking, for I want a copy for myself, as much as I want to go to Quadra Island.

And, here’s a book review.

August 31, 2005 in Books, Canada and BC, Rock Art & Archaeology by Marja-Leena 23 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

long weekend

We all like our long weekends, and we are having one now with the first Monday in August being BC Day in British Columbia. I was curious to find out if all our provinces have such a provincially designated holiday (ie. not the national statutory ones like Christmas). Here’s what I learned from CanadaInfo:

The first Monday in August is holiday in most of the Provinces and Territories. What you will often find, however, is that its name changes from province to province, and even amongst different regions within a province. On calendars, it is generally labeled as “Civic Holiday” as not to be region specific. No matter what it is called, it is a much needed long weekend to augment the short Canadian summers.

The only other provinces designating it as a Province Day are New Brunswick and Saskatchewan. Manitoba, Nunavut and Northwest Territories call it a Civic Holiday, while Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have Natal Day, and Alberta has Heritage Day. Ontario’s is designated as a municipal holiday with different names around the province. Quebec, Newfoundland/Labrador and the Yukon do not have a holiday on the first Monday of August but have other provincially designated holidays. Newfoundland and Labrador have six!

(Non-Canadian readers may find this map of provinces and territories of Canada of interest.)

So, after all these boring facts, you ask what are we doing this long weekend? After having had our floors refinished, we have now been vacuuming up the fine wood dust, patching walls and sanding wood window sills and trim, some of which have never been finished. After final sanding and vacuuming, we’ll paint the walls and ceilings, and varnish the wood! It’s hot and sticky so it’s early morning and evening shifts with afternoon siestas (or blogging)! It will look fresh and new again after fifteen years of family living!

Gotta go buy some more ceiling paint now! Hope you are having a great summer weekend!

July 31, 2005 in Canada and BC, Culture, Home by Marja-Leena Comments Off on long weekend

by Marja-Leena

island time

IslandTime.jpg

We’re back! We’ve had a wonderful little trip to southern Vancouver Island for a few days, visiting family and friends. The weather was in its very best Westcoast summer mode, and we quickly unwound to vacation mood on the beautiful ferry trip over Georgia Strait. We were especially fortunate to get on the ferries without waits in both directions, by traveling Sunday morning and Tuesday evening, thus contributing to the relaxed holiday feeling.

With this gorgeous weather, beaches and backyards were prominent settings for good times spent visiting everyone. We stayed in North Saanich with my husband’s sister, joined by niece and nephew – it was really wonderful to connect again with these very energetic and busy individuals. We also visited my favourite 82 year old uncle and his wife in their Victoria home.

Then there were our dearest friends who have just retired and moved away from our neighbourhood to an old cottage on the water overlooking Cordova Bay, just outside Victoria. We just had to see them and have a tour of their ‘new’ home – what a wonderful view across to the San Juan Islands and Mt. Baker, no wonder they fell in love with this community! It was delightful to stroll along the sandy beach, watch the birds feeding on sandbars and the kids skimboarding, comment on the many styles of homes from old modest cottages to architectural masterpieces (one was an almost windowless monstrosity I must add!) and stop for lunch at the popular beachfront restaurant. Time flies with good friends and dear family!

Of course we took numerous photos, mostly typical holiday pictures of gorgeous scenery and family and friends, but I was really pleased to find and capture some images of interesting weathered rocks that may be useful in my current series of prints, and I might post some later. But for now, above are some highlights of this Westcoast beauty that we are so grateful to be able to enjoy.

July 27, 2005 in Being an Artist, Canada and BC by Marja-Leena 2 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

Canada Day

redcurrants.jpg

Happy 138th Birthday Canada!

In honour of the day, the Canadian and inestimable mirabilis has posted a wonderful link to the origins of “O Canada”. Calixa Lavallée composed it in 1880 in Quebec City. It remained a French only anthem for some 20 years before it was performed in English Canada in 1901. Several translations later, Stanley Weir’s was published in 1908. It wasn’t until 1980 that it was officially made Canada’s official anthem! I remember singing it as a child in school, along with “God Save the Queen”, so I suppose it was an “unofficial” national anthem for many years.

There are more Canadian links from the other inestimable Canadian wood s lot. He’s also posted some wonderful Lauren Harris paintings!

More…

Oh, and a happy new month, too! My youngest daughter, when she was little, would always cheerfully call this out with the turn of a calendar page. Tonight she is off to the fireworks with her boyfriend.

July 1, 2005 in Canada and BC, Culture by Marja-Leena Comments Off on Canada Day

by Marja-Leena

Canada’s visual artists

Statistics Canada reports 15,000 artists in Canada.
The direct impact of culture on GDP was $40 billion.
78% of BC artists earn less than $10,000 per year making art.
There were 2400 applicants for 220 creation grants last year.
The visual arts section of the Canada Council has the smallest budget (3.5 million/ 150 million).
Post secondary institutions are graduating 8000 fine arts students per year (double 5 years ago).

These shocking numbers are excerpted from BC president Femke van Delft’s front page article in Visual Arts Voice, newsletter of CARFAC BC, Spring 2005 issue, concerning Canada Council’s proposed changes to grants. Unfortunately it’s not online.
This was published just before Canada Council for the Arts announced their new program.

Links for further reading:
– The story on CBC
– Chris of Zeke’s Gallery keeps on top of all this and has put together a bunch of links on the subject.
– CARFAC (Canadian Artists Representation)
– CARFAC BC affiliate (sadly not updated)
– my older post about CARFAC

May 31, 2005 in Being an Artist, Canada and BC by Marja-Leena 2 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

weather

When you can’t muster a post about anything else, there’s always the weather!

Yule Heibel, who lives in Victoria, over the water southeast of Vancouver, beat me to it, that is, a discussion of our unusual Westcoast weather. She’s said everything I wanted to say and better than I could, even mentioning Winnipeg, where I grew up.

All I can add is that around 3:00 pm today our outside thermometer was 32C (about 90 F), which is a July heatwave, usually lasting about two weeks. Doing the spring gardening has been tough, with very cool and wet weather last week (more than Victoria as usual), and this week I have to be outside very early, while the dew is heavy on the lawn and do what I can before the heat. By this time the house is also hot, so my brain is fried trying to work at the computer or anything else. If this is a sign that we are in for three or four months of hot weather, you will be looking at one miserable person – I wilt and turn into a cranky, headachy, non-functioning vegetable. My northern blood may start telling me it’s time to move to the Arctic, hah!

Talking about climate change, in today’s Vancouver Sun (link will be short-lived), the front page headline is “Climate change threatens future of B.C.’s famed red cedars: Warmer, drier summers lead to tree fatigue”. Our trees have certainly been dropping their mess a lot more than usual the past two years, and end up blown into flower beds, eavestroughs and decks.

On a lighter note, go to the last page (courtesy of Finnish artist blogger Cholegh).

Oh, and to my American friends and family, have a great Memorial Day long weekend!

May 27, 2005 in Canada and BC, Environment by Marja-Leena Comments Off on weather

by Marja-Leena

Westcoast retreat

westcoast.jpg

We returned refreshed and relaxed last night from a short holiday, a retreat to our favourite rustic little cabin on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, on Vancouver Island. We were lucky to enjoy the last lovely sunny days of a record-breaking sunny February. March roared in like a lion with some heavy rain on our last night and morning, but it was thrilling to see the wild waves crashing on rocks and sandy beaches. The winter storms actually attract many tourists to this area. The ferry trip across to Vancouver Island, and the drive from east coast to west is always very enjoyable too.

We first visited this part of the Pacific Rim coast in 1992, fell in love with it, and have gone back a few times over the years, last in May 2004 as a special anniversary celebration, and now for my husband’s new-decade birthday. As I wrote last year, this place is a treat and a retreat for us.

We did have a few thoughts of “what if?” regarding potential tsunamis, being at the edge of the wide open Pacific. And it was interesting and good for both of us to be without computers for several days. Many thanks to everyone who sent emails and wrote comments here – I will catch up in a day or so, as well as reading your blogs.

March 2, 2005 in Being an Artist, Canada and BC by Marja-Leena Comments Off on Westcoast retreat

← Previous Entries
Next Entries →