Friday, September 20, 2013

More from Ochre Pit Cove, Newfoundland

Here are a few quick tiny sketches from the week. Pictured are Bay de Verde, and several views of Ochre Pit Cove. Ochre Pit Cove is at the North end of Conception Bay, about an hour and a half from St.John's. My mum and I stayed at a gorgeous 200 year old cottage that was made for small petite people. It is a fishing community and was busy with trucks going up and down the road for cod catches. Up the road was a tiny yellow salt box house all locked up with long grasses and lacey curtained windows. It was easy to imagine a face peering out at you. I dared myself to go get a closer look. Inside was immaculate and lived-in looking. There was an old wringer washer, perfect for printmaking! One of my favourite places was a ghost town, Bradley's cove, inhabited only by small flocks of sheep. We sat about the root cellar and painted. Up on high the grassy tussock it was peaceful. Newfoundland is a wild place, lots of wilderness. The drive down to St.John's passes through coasts and hills and lakes, so magical it is a bit like a fairyland or how I imagine Scandinavian landscape to be. Once on driving back from St.John's I had the hands down worst drive ever exerienced. It was raining and foggy and I dind't know the curvy treacherous roads that were filled with hydroplaning ruts from the heavy trucks that pass through. What is normally a 1,5 hour drive took me 3 terrifying exhausting hours. I am not a ninny and grew up driving in heavy Canadian winters, but this was a terrible, white knuckled experience. The fog was so thick I couldn't recognise anything or see far in front of the car. Thank goodness I had been warned about the hydro-planing.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Ochre Pitt Cove, Newfoundland

And now I find myself tucked away in a gorgeous 200 year old salt box house called Baccalieu cottage in Ochre Pitt Cove. No cell phone access but wifi, fishermen, deserted buildings, stormy seas, calling gulls and wild raspberries and blueberries to pick. I have set up a temporary studio in the living room.