Three weeks of Cod

Debbie and I just returned from three weeks on the road with Catherine Gibbon.  We spent three nights in PEI, three in Cape Breton and nine in Newfoundland.  In Newfoundland we spent most of the time in Winter House Brook which was five minutes from the Tablelands but Debbie and I spent three of those days in Francois which is an outport on the south coast and accessible only by boat.  It was an artists dream vacation.  We painted every minute of the day and discussed locations in the evenings.  I am only posting a few of my paintings.


Francois (pronounced Fransway by the 43 residents) is surrounded by either massive cliffs or water.  Our very warm and caring hosts were Doris and George Fudge who invited us into their home and treated us like family.  We ate with them at their table and spent evenings sitting in their living room chatting with them.  A truly remarkable experience.  These first two paintings are of the cliffs with a few of the homes tucked up against them.

The Tablelands is an area of flat topped cliffs where very little grows.  They are predominantly made up of peridotite which is a rock that lacks the usual nutrients required to sustain most modern plant life. The cliffs are 700 metres high and stained orange from the iron in the rock.  I wanted to climb to the top but became so inspired to paint them that I didn't find the time.  Next time.


 I am now excited by acrylic paint and I think that this very intense week has improved both my work and my attitude towards myself as an artist.  I am excited about where this is heading.  More of my Newfoundland paintings can be found at johnchristie.ca

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