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A Poem
IT'S TWENTY TWO BELOW!
Went to paint some plein aire,
It was twenty-two below.
I fought my way through blizzards.
And I sat there in the snow!
Set up my little box of paints,
In the twenty-two below,
And soon my cheeks developed,
a cheery, rosy glow.
I took my reference image
In the twenty-two below,
And pinned it to the nearest tree
(t'was a photo of a crow)
And painting wet in wet,
when it's twenty-two below.
With lots of water on the page.
It does not want to flow.
And when I thought could be no worse!
Than twenty-two below.
That it never could get colder,
The wind began to blow.
My fingers turned all blue and numb.
(It was twenty-two below!)
My wife will give me hell for this.
She'll say "I told you so!"
She'll say "Are you insane man?
It's twenty-two below!
I knew the day I met you,
your mind would surely go!"
But I certainly will not tell her,
it was twenty-two below.
I'll tell her it was balmy.
I had a fire, all aglow!
I'll tell her lots of painters worked,
in twenty-two below!
Won't tell her that the frostbite,
has blackened my big toe!
My water is an ice cube
(Cos it's twenty-two below)
But I persevere regardless.
Paint a wintry, white tableau.
Now I would not recommend,
When it's twenty-two below
That you follow my example.
And paint, out in the snow.
So do your painting indoors
If it's twenty-two below.
But if you must go outside
Dress up warm from head to toe.
©Christopher M. Earle, 2005
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Although I began painting with any degree of seriousness in 2003, I can claim several attempts at painting,
in a variety of mediums, over an extended period of time. Raising a family of four children, I often found that the time required
to learn and to grow to the level which I aspired to, was not available. The passing of my father William, an accomplished
artist, in 2002, motivated me to make a serious attempt at watercolours and I has focused much of my attention since that
time in the medium.
In addition to painting I takes great pleasure in writing poetry and children's stories. I like
to think my poetry is uniquely original and may be the result of the influence of my mother Deirdre, a published poet herself,
combined with my fathers wry sense of humour. Deep and thoughtful poetry is not for me just yet, although I am learning to
understand it and I have been recently introduced to some great poets. Still, I take a lot of pleasure in the rythmn of a
good poem, using simple themes and even simpler words.
Most of my education in watercolours comes from classes at the Bowmanville Visual Arts Centre, and many hours in the
company of painters (accomplished and beginners) from around the globe at Wetcanvas.com. In the fall of 2004 I began
a challenge with a watercolourist from Preston, England named Kev Fowler. The purpose of the challege, at the www.Wetcanvas.com was to force ourselves to paint one image each week for a year. After some goading on my part, Kev agreed to include a poem
each week. Twenty-two weeks after we had started, we were joined by another Kev, Kevin Slater (Strider) from northern
Indiana. By encouraging each other we completed the 52 week challenge without pause. But seeing as how Strider
was late in arriving, we agreed to carry on for another 22 weeks in order that he could complete a full year of
paintings.
Sadly, Kevin Slater passed away July 17, 2006, only a few months after the completion of what turned into a 72 week long
Challenge. His humour and love for life, and his love of his family, his friends and his art, will not soon be forgotten.
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Chris Earle
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More about me and my paintings
Most of my paintings are done on Arches 140# Cold Pressed paper using artist Quality paints. At the moment I have ot settled
into any particular niche and am enjoying painting landscapes, streetscapes and still lifes.
Although I grew up surrounded by oils and acrylics, I have always been fascinated by watercolours, and my recent experiences
have proven this medium to be a good choice for me. (Although I will never say never). The frustrations of watercolour are
most often offset by the wonderful surprises as the water and pigment mix on the paper.
More by accident than by design, I appear to be developing a distintive style largely characterized by clear, translucent
washes and crisp edges. The latter probably is due to my many years as an architectural draftsman.
Most paintings shown here are available for sale, unless noted as being held in private collections. Please contact me
for information and availability.
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