All posts by Andree Fredette

Blog, Wanderings

Back from the Great Outdoors

I went on a hike on Vancouver Island, this weekend – uphill, mostly – with a friend who acts as my guide. Her generosity has allowed me to discover the back country, and I feel very privileged. That hike had an incredible payoff. At this time of year, Vancouver Island is a playground of green backdrops, punctuated with wildflowers. My wildflower photo collection is growing at a fast pace and I have spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out the names of the lovelies I captured…

During this trip, we saw three bears. One mama bear and her cub, a tiny little guy barely bigger than a small dog. They crossed the logging road in front of our vehicle and it was a treat to watch them.

Later, while walking next to a bog, we saw another bear. I should say my friend saw a bear “watching us”, according to her. I tried to look across the bog, to see if I could spot it, but I could not really make out the bear… and I was really focusing on some orchids…

Alpine aster with a spider waiting for the next hapless visitor…

Check out this close up of an alpine aster (aster alpigenus) in the middle of a bog.  I often take pictures because something – a bright colour, a contrast – attracts my eye. But I don’t really “see” everything in the picture until I blow it up on my computer screen at home. Actual pixel view. That’s the ticket!

When I take a look at the actual pixels, I am amazed at the little dramas that unfold before my eyes… Mysteries are revealed, secrets unfold… it’s almost magic. Here is this week’s  example. A spider – the Goldenrod Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) has set up shop in the flower, nicely camouflaged, and is waiting for dinner to arrive… Pity the innocent insect that visits this flower!

Blog, Wanderings

Feel Stuck – Part Two

Still stuck, but making progress. My studio is a little more messy, which is a good sign. Progress, inch by inch. Baby steps.

Black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus)

After making a mess and getting underway, I wanted some fresh air. Decided to go walk at East Point, the park at the Eastern “nose” of Saturna. Right by the parking area, through the fence, stood this young one, all innocent eyes… Just stay out of people’s gardens, dude!

About Art, Blog

Feel Stuck

I am a turkey. I apparently do more when I have to do more. Don’t know if this works for other people, but if I have a deadline, I try harder. So the procrastinating artist is pushed into action by several deadlines that loom… ever larger on the horizon.

My ambition? Use nuggets of ideas to produce some new works this summer.  We’ll see how that goes…

 

Now, that is texture!
Blog, Wanderings

Looking for a Snack – Shoreline Drama

I walk the shoreline several times a week, often with a camera in hand. You never know, something might turn up. The tide might be low enough to offer some interesting tidbits. Sometimes, I take pictures and I don’t really see what I’ve got until I get home and check out the pics on my computer screen, in actual pixels.

Katharina Tunicata
Black Katy Chiton cleaning up a Limpet

This is what happened here… When I took a closer look on screen, I saw the Katy chiton “invading” the limpet’s space. Then I wondered: is it attacking? Is the limpet lunch? Google to the rescue! I found an informative site here, which offered the following info:

Chitons are microphagous browsers that use a rasplike radula to scrape microalgae and associated organisms from the surface of rocks.

So my dramatic interpretation was just that: drama. This Katy chiton is just doing a cleaning up job on the limpet, who is probably “wearing” some microalgae… Or it’s a “get out of my way” move… Who knows?