CHALLENGE TO PAINT FROM PHOTO OF PEGGY'S COVE

After posting my photos from my cruise on Facebook, my friend Arthur Anderson came up with a wonderful idea. He chose one of the Peggy's Cove photos and made a deadline date (Sept. 30, 2011) for as many artists as we can get to paint it (or draw, collage, whatever medium). I posted it as an invitation to an event on Facebook. So far, some of the fans of my Fan Page (Paintings by Linda https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Paintings-by-Linda/365237511760) have accepted the challenge.
www.PaintingsbyLinda.net


First a little history of Peggy's Cove:

Peggys Cove is about 50 miles southwest of Halifax and comprises one of the numerous small fishing communities. The community is named after the a cove of the same name, a name also shared with Peggys Point, immediately to the east of the cove.

HISTORY:

The first recorded name of the cove was Eastern Point Harbor or Peggs Harbor in 1766. The village may have been named after the wife of an early settler or taken its name from St. Margaret's Bay as it marks the eastern beginning of the Bay and Peggy is a nickname for Margaret. Two versions of the popular legend claim that the name came from the sole survivor of a shipwreck  near the cove. William do Garthe, Artist and resident said she was a young woman while others claim she was a little girl too young to remember her name and the family who adopted her called her Peggy. In both versions, the young shipwreck survivor married a resident of the cove and became known as "Peggy of the Cove" attracting visitors from around the bay who eventually named the village, Peggy's Cove, after her nickname.

Many artists and photographers flocked to Peggys Cove. The first lighthouse at Peggys Cove was built in 1868. More than 400 million years ago, tectonics movement of the Earth's crust allowed molten material to bubble up from the Earth's interior. This formed the rocks we see today and are part of the Great Nova Scotia . The unique landscape of Peggys Cove and surrounding areas was  carved by the migration of glaciers and the ocean tides.

CHALLENGE:
This is the photo that we are basing the challenge on. I am looking forward to all of the different takes that I hope we see from this picture. Thank you Artie for coming up with such a brilliant idea.

As the paintings are posted on my Facebook Fan Page, I will add them to this blog, along with any titles and information the artist would like us to know.

I tend toward to see paintings in a mystical fashion. I like to look into the depth of the way the Artist paintied the picture. You will see from my comments that perspective. Of course, not knowing what the Artist aimed for, if te painting is not accompied by an explanation from the Artis of what they wanted to portray, I will lean toward a surreal interpretation.

The first one to post her rendition of the photo was Renu Kristin Kvalfors, from Norway. She used colored pencil and gel pen to create a very spiritual picture. Renu said " I was thinking this was the house where all the lost souls from the sea can come. Violet is the spiritual coloure...correct me if I'm wrong ♥" She also stated the drawing was at night.

Here is the wonderful mystical spiritual drawing created by Renu Kristin Kvalfors.


 I am the second person to complete a painting from the same photo. I used Acrylic paint on an 11X14 canvas.  I painted my rendition of the photo, the way I remember it, when I  visited Peggy's Cove, in Halifax, Canada. It was a foggy day with no shadows cast. I took some liberty with the rocks making them almost liquid in movement, creating their own lively shadows.

"Moving on the Rocks"
11 X14 Acrylic

I chose to do some of the people contained in the photo-also taking some liberties with the color choices of the outfits, sky and rocks. I enjoy adding a bit of mysticism to my paintings, giving a Surreal touch.

"Lighthouse"
16 X 20
Acrylic

How about this wonderful painting by Artist Arthur Anderson.
I see this rendition of the lighthouse as dramatic and free flowing. The lighthouse almost seems as if it is alive in it's own manner, leaning in a gentle breeze, observing the people who are observing it. The sky is very ominous, capturing the life of the lighthouse.

Sunset At Peggy's Cove
Debi Gorga
32 X 28
Acrylic

 Debi Gorga submitted this very expressive and colorful rendition of the lighthouse. I love the green that is used in the painting. There is a certain turbulance that I feel when looking at this painting. At sunset, all of the tourists are gone from Peggy's Cove. I think when I observe this painting, a unseen weather force kicks up and creates this turbulance. The weather conditions are ever changing at Peggy's Cove.

"I'll Leave the Light On"
Maria's Watercolor

This watercolor painting by Maria's Watercolor, titled, "I'll Leave the Light On" is a lovely rendition of the subject. I love the way Maria chose to put the lighthouse off to the side of the painting, giving a whole new perspective. The colors are soft and relaxing.

Wes Anglin
Photo Shop rendition of Peggy's Cove

Interesting take on the challenge. Notice the different view and colors used to express the subject. this was done with photo shop.

Rhonda Meyers
Rendition of Peggy's Cove Lighthouse



"Totally a new effort in trying watercolor pencils, which I hadn't used before. I just thought it would be fun to try. No title, name it lighthouse or whatever that lighthouse's name was. I'm no help!! LOL"

This drawing was added by Rhonda after the challenge was over- and we are very happy to have it! Beautifully drawn image!

PLEASE ADD YOUR COMMENT AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POSTING:LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU

CRUISING

POSTING BOB'S ARTICLE THAT WILL APPEAR IN THE GRAPEVINE NEWSPAPER OF OUR CRUISE

CRUISING                                        

By Bob Gilbert

After thirty-four years of marriage, my wife Linda and I finally took our first cruise.  Our nine day trip took us to five ports of call in New England and Canada.   

Having taken a cruise, I can now see why they are so popular, particularly for people in our age group, as it is the most painless way to travel.  There is no driving involved, as transportation to all destinations is provided; you have to unpack only once, so you don’t have to “live out of a suitcase”; and there is no scrambling to find a good meal, as three gourmet meals per day are provided (and more if you want them).

Prior to going on this trip, Linda expressed one concern to me – that she might be bored on days at sea.  I can certainly understand her concern.  I mean how do you entertain yourself when all you have is a 1,250 seat theater with nightly headline shows, a casino, a movie theater, a gym, spa, and outdoor walking track, two swimming pools, three hot tubs, and an ice skating rink.  And if that’s not enough, there is a shopping strip, six live musical performances per day, and eight bars.  Lots of potential for boredom there!

One thing I really enjoyed about the cruise was meeting people from so many interesting and diverse places.  We had a great time socializing with a couple from Manchester, England, and we also met nice people from Oklahoma, Georgia, Brooklyn, and from some exotic place called “New Jersey”. 

I should also mention the ports of call.  Our favorite was Bar Harbor, Maine, where we strolled along a beautiful one-mile path on the rocky coastline and later toured the Victorian homes that were used as summer retreats by wealthy industrialists and bankers years ago. 

It was also interesting to see Boston for the first time.  We saw the location of the Boston Tea Party, where the Patriots dumped tea that today would be worth 1.7 million dollars into the harbor rather than pay tax on it.  This set the stage for the Revolutionary War.

I was quite impressed with the ship itself.  The ship’s diesel engines generate a total of 108,000 horsepower (not your father’s Oldsmobile), and the ship’s fuel tank holds one million gallons of fuel.  As one person joked, filling that tank is a little more involved than pulling into a Shell station.   

Concerning the source of water for drinking, bathing, etc., the ship is capable of producing up to 600,000 gallons of fresh water per day by distilling sea water.  And on the other end, waste water is treated, filtered, sanitized, and discharged back into the ocean.

To give you an idea as to the enormity of feeding up to 3600 guests and 1200 staff members on board, the food preparers use 10,000 eggs per day (for omelets, baking, etc.).

I enjoyed the entertainment on board.  I particularly liked one comedian who told a joke about his experience of staying at a very cheap motel.  He told how a woman knocked on the door and said “I’m the maid and I’m here to clean up”.  He let her in, and she went straight to the bathroom, took a shower, and left.  (I guess you had to be there.)

We also got a taste of New England humor.  We were told that the four seasons in Maine are – almost winter, winter, still winter, and construction.

We saw two movies while on board.  “The Little Fockers” was entertaining, and “Secretariat” was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time.

And to those who reassured us in advance that the boat was so big that we would not feel the motion, I would have to disagree with that.  Although we did not experience seasickness, I definitely felt the swaying of the boat, particularly when walking.  But thanks for the encouragement anyway!

Overall, we had a great time.  And I am glad to report that while I ate a lot more than I usually do, with emphasis on desserts and double portions of mashed potatoes, I gained no weight during the trip.  I guess that relaxing and having fun burns a lot more calories than I thought. 

I find that one benefit of traveling is that you get a break from your everyday monotonous routines.  Interestingly, by the last day of the cruise, I discovered that I had developed a bunch of new monotonous routines, and I was glad to get home to my old ones!

HERE ARE SOME PHOTOGRAPHS THAT I TOOK . THOUGHT THAT THEY WOULD BE INTERESTING TO ACCOMPANY BOB'S ARTICLE. FULL PHOTO PORTFOLIO IS ON FACEBOOK AT: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2403810062871.2141167.1479711411

LEAVIING PORT LIBERTY VIEW OF MANHATTAN SKYLINE

SOME OF THE SITES WE SAW ON THE CRUISE

LIGHTHOUSE-PORTLAND,MAINE

SHORE WALK, BAR HARBOR,MAINE

SHOPPING AREA ON SHIP

PEGGY'S COVE, HALIFAX, CANADA

EARLY MORNING SUNRISE FROM BALCONY OF OUR   ROOM

Next Exhibit When Winter Comes

SNOWED IN

Next Exhibit
When Winter Comes
Meet the Artists • September 20, 6:30–8pm
The Gallery in South Brunswick Municipal Building
540 Route 522, Monmouth Junction, open 8:30–4:30pm weekdays,
evenings when meetings are scheduled.

Winter comes early to The Gallery on Tuesday, September 20 with A “Meet the Artists” reception to kickoff this juried exhibit which continues to December 26. Winter has as many aspects as each of the exhibiting artists. Whether color, black and white, snow or no snow, there’s a wide range of approach to the theme in watercolor, oil, acrylic, pastel, mixed media, collage and photography. Poetry will also be included in the exhibit, with some displayed on the wall and others featured at a poetry reading on December 5.
      WHEN WINTER is cold AND cozy, desolate AND full of life, colorless AND brightly colored, abstract AND very realistic. Which of the many various winters in this exhibition is YOUR winter?
      Juror for the exhibit is Richard Swain who received his degrees from Oberlin College and The University of Michigan. Living in Princeton, he has been teaching the history of art at Rider University in since 1978. A specialist in modern art, American art, and the history of photography, he has enjoyed giving talks at retirement communities Stone bridge, Meadow Lakes, and Monroe Village, among others.

Exhibiting artists: Ahuva Arie, Jerry Spielman, Mary Ann Weisser (West Windsor), Bob Ambrosio, Carol Funk, John Sandstedt, (Dayton), Joan Arbeiter, (Metuchen), Stephanie Barbetti, Sandy Behrend, Grace Chiarella, Michael Derer, (Kendall Park), Don Bloom, Carol Grand, Allie Skislak, (East Brunswick), Ranna Chaudry, Aparna Deshpande, Lesley Gevins, (Monmouth Junction), Idrani Choudhury (Edison), Lauren Curtis (Somerset), Carl  Frankel, Linda Gilbert, Sue K Green, Robert E Heyer, Necati Itez, Lonni Heisman Merrill, Monroe Twp), Bill Hoo, Wen Shui, Tatiana L. Sougakova (Plainsboro), Bernard Kennedy, Lynn Cheng Varga (Yardville), Kathleen Liao, Glenn Miller, (Princeton Junction), Fran Nimeck,,Maxwell Nimeck (South Brunswick), Bernice Rappoport (Old Bridge), Nancy Scott (Lawrenceville), Karen Stober, (Warren).