Saskatoon in Bloom

Wow, we have a beautiful city! I think June is well-deserved each year, when the flowers are finally in full bloom, the grass is brilliant green, the days are extraordinarily long, and full summer mode has begun.

This weekend, I was blessed with two days of painting en plein air in Saskatoon gardens. The first was the koi pond and garden at Innovation Place. I was there early in the morning, before other people and their dogs strolled in. I watched the lily flowers open slowly in the sun, saw the koi darting to find breakfast, witnessed the dragon flies hover slowly and perch on reeds. As the year progresses, I will have to spend more time there. A real gem in the city.

The second plein air session was with my painting group at a backyard oasis created by a friend and colleague of my mentor, Iris Hauser. Sometimes, you have an experience in life that completely levitates your spirit. My late mom was there, in the swirling sparrows, the tomato plants and the bleeding hearts. Our host generously permitted us full access so we wandered in awe with wine and cheese from the kitchen, past the pond and the bridge, to the herb garden and the vegetable patch, through the arches to apple and berry trees. I felt any stress and sadness in my body dissipate as I settled to paint. The painting was not my best, Kelly Goerzen would raise one eyebrow, but that suddenly wasn’t important to me. What a gift the afternoon was and I shall relive it for a long time to come.