Michelle (Basic) Hendry - Fine Artist & Author

Artist and Author - Landscapes and Ruins

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Sunsets, Barns and Skies

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Sunset
Sunset over a marsh in Windermere ©Michelle Basic Hendry, 2008

I am excited about my newfound ability to drive distances. It has been a wonderful boost to my art. The only problem is that I can’t seem to stay out of the Jeep and off the backroads! The original impetus was seeking real estate, but it seems this process has taken on a life of its own.

After a long winter of dark skies and deep snow, the exhilaration of warm air and easy mobility is incredibly attractive – almost life affirming. There is less time for philosophy and more time for life. A long illness can really teach an appreciation for small things. If one is lucky enough not to worry about the fundamentals (food, water, shelter), happiness can be found in the smell of pine resin in the warm sun and freshly sown green fields….

I was wandering yet again on Tuesday and I took some photographs in the Windermere area of Muskoka. The peacefulness of the weather and the place were overshadowed by my excitement at rediscovering places I have not seen in years. What’s more is seeing them with new eyes. The bugs prevented me from investigating some really outstanding sites – sites probably best left until the end of the summer or early autumn when I am less likely to be a walking buffet for blackflies and other biting insects. So those paintings will have to wait…

Sunset
Barn on #141 ©Michelle Basic Hendry, 2008

One image (above) that I took some trouble to acquire, when enlarged in Photoshop, I discovered that there were three power lines running straight through the sky. The image was too beautiful for me to toss, so I spent quite a while taking the lines out!

I love to paint these dramatic skies, but they are some of the hardest things to paint well besides the human form itself. You have probably already gathered that skies are my favourite challenge. Below is a little sketch experimenting with colour and cloud forms. I have another much more subdued painting from Algonquin park in the works. I will hopefully finish that one today. There are several new paintings on the way… Only a little over 9 weeks until my show opens!

Sunset
Sketch – Haliburton Sunset ©Michelle Basic Hendry, 2008

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  1. Love the “Haliburton Sunset” sketch! Like you, I hate when my photographs are marred by power lines. One thing I loved about New Zealand was that once you got out of Auckland, there wasn’t a telephone pole or a billboard in sight. Nothing but nature. It was very inspiring.

  5. Hi Lana! Wow-NZ! I would love to visit there. I am not sure I could do the plane ride

    Thanks, Linda!

    Thanks, Kinsey!

    Hi Heather! You know I didn’t like this one, but I am learning not to just take my own word for it. The ones I like aren’t always the ones that everyone else likes! 🙂

  6. Such beautiful images & fantastic skies. I really want to see Windermere Marsh. It looks grand and expansive. Thanks for the virtual driving expedition.

  7. Thanks, kaslkaos! I love these quiet places and the slow movement of time they bring with them…

  9. When I think of Windermere, I normally associate it with the Englands largest lake, its strange to see it as a totally different landscape. Its a very nice looking place though 🙂

    I love the sky you captured in the barn photograph, its awesome and I would have no idea how to even start painting something like that.

  10. Thanks, Helen!

    Claire – Windermere is actually on Lake Rosseau. This photograph was shot about 3kms from the lake. This area is most famous for the reconstructed Windermere House – a favourite holiday place since the late 1800’s…