Blue Chairs and Three Inukshuks

I took this photo of something I tried to paint but failed at, or should say, didn't have the energy to keep going. It was a really hot afternoon, and standing on that grey stone beach with the light reflected all around me, under a white umbrella, and after having painted all day, I just gave in. It was the first day of the competition and our time to meet with the Palette Sponsors of the Festival. The color of the chairs grabbed my imagination. Once I started this painting, all kinds of subtle colors just popped in front of my eyes in the shadows of the piled up stones.

As I mentioned, I've just come back from Ontario, Canada. When we are there, we always visit the Gallery Indigena which features mostly sculpture by Inuit Artists, but also paintings, prints, and carved masks - in addition to cards, jewelry, moccasins, etc. This year there were many carvings of these stone piles, and I found a small card talking about the meaning. Evidently they represent "man". In the long lonely distances one must travel in the north, to place one of these tells someone that you are on the right path, that someone has been here before you. I small pocket token of this symbol could be carried for healing properties. I find them charming, and a bit mysterious. It was nice to see a few of these stone structures in gardens as we walked around in Stratford. Here is the gallery website address: http://www.galleryindigena.com/ - I haven't even visited it yet. I usually come home with a small carving that was talking to me. This year there were three asking to come and enrich my life. I couldn't decide, and so saved the money for India.