"More than half the world’s animals are gone, and humans are to blame."

Eastern Chipmunk                      Watercolour Painting

"More than half the world’s animals are gone, and humans are to blame."

A report on the state of the world's wildlife was issued by the World Wildlife Fund. 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/living-plant-wwf-2018-1.4882819

Thus read the headline of my morning news delivered to my digital mailbox by the CBC. A similar headline was found in the BBC news.

News? Not for me. I've been out there for a couple of decades, quite possibly more, talking to the wind it seems, pointing out that the dominos were/are falling, but few seem to have taken heed.


It must be frustrating for the World Wildlife Fund after sounding the alarm for going on 50 years, to realize that the majority have not gotten the message, and have continued the destruction, albeit unintentional, of habitat leading to wildlife destruction. I use the word unintentional referring to the general population, as I believe that industry leaders in many parts of the world really don't give a fig about the destruction of our natural world, and are only concerned about the almighty dollar.


It's true that we are saving a patchwork of green-space, but these are mostly parks for people, a few acres to relieve the monotony of concrete and asphalt that are mostly ignored by younger persons, much more interested in pursuing excitement through digital experiences.  These places are not constructed, nor saved for wildlife, other than species that have adapted to a human experience, species that are often viewed as a nuisance, such as raccoons, coyotes, rats, starlings, etc.
Some would say that the green spaces are good for birds, but you have to ask yourself just how many nesting birds can a few acres support? The answer, of course, is not too many, and then by concentrating nesting birds in a small area predation is increased. It's a lose, lose, situation for bird species.

As an avid birdwatcher I've noticed species decline as habitat is terraformed to suit humanity. I've seen Barn Swallows, for that matter Swallows in general, almost disappear. Waterfowl that in the springtime once visited local marshes in the thousands reduced to a trickle. Insects are threatened, something that wouldn't concern the majority of the population, but the thing of it is that if there are no insects then bird populations suffer; no insects fewer bird species. As a matter of fact, in our neck of the woods the absence of insects was made obvious by the complete lack of squashed insects on the windshield of our vehicles this past summer. 

Will we wake up in time to realize that, as the cartoon character Pogo once pointed out, "We have met the enemy, and he is us."? I think not. Most people, the bulk of the world's population, are more concerned about simply surviving. Whether you live in a have, or have not, country everyone is still concerned about putting food on the table, and keeping a roof over one's head. Saving wildlife is low on most everyone's list, and if you live on the fringes of the city of Toronto in Canada you only have to look at the population growth in the last decade, and urban sprawl spreading in all directions like a cancer to appreciate what I'm saying.

Can we turn things around? Frankly, I don't believe so. The problem is enormous compounded by the fact that trying to get the diverse cultures of our world to agree to a course of action is not at all likely. As I see it animal species will continue to go extinct, and in time all that will remain will be remnant wildlife populations kept in zoos. Of course, there's always the possibility that Nature will take a hand in things, and we, as a species, will disappear first............

Barn Swallows         Graphite Drawing with Watercolour Background

AUTUMN

Autumn Birch Trees                               Watercolour Painting

Cool nights,

warm days,

the hummingbirds have flown away.

The ants in our gardens,

have had their nuptial flights,

one day at dusk 

in the failing light.

Bumble bees and wasps stupefied,

by the cool of night, 

with the morning sun 

regain their flight,

and wander through our gardens, 

unawares,

that winter’s breath is on the air. Soon, 

the Bumble bees will go away, 

their queens to await another day.

The apples on our tree turn red,

its leaves,

It begins to shed.

Flowers have withered, and gone to seed.

Once green trees turn different shades.

Daylight begins to fade.

Frost,

I fear,

is on the way. 

(Autumn) Tree Study            Watercolour Field Sketch

October

There’s a stillness in the forest these days.

The leaves on the trees,

once green,

have turned yellow and red,

and the ground is littered with those that have fallen.

Reminds me of aging,

and patiently waiting,

For the cold wind that’s coming.

Fallen Leaves                Coloured Etching

Indian Summer

Morning awakens with a gentle breeze,

Frost lays heavy on fallen leaves.

First light filters through naked trees,

And back lights milkweed gone to seed.

Sunrise and the frost takes flight,

Soon forgotten in the warmth of light.

A moth flutters on a gentle breeze,

One last flight before winter’s freeze.

The afternoon is warm and lazy,

Clouds appear,

 The sky grows hazy.

Evening descends with winds that scare,

Winter’s breath is on the air.

I woke up this morning to a quiet hush, the kind of sound, or lack thereof, that signals snow. Rain has its own sounds of course, wind blowing in the trees, rain in the roof’s gutters, and the patter of rain drops on window panes.  A sunny morning with the heavy breathing of the world around us cannot be mistaken. But, the quiet of falling snow forcing the world to pause, and take a deep breath, is impossible to mistake. Rain can be dealt with, but snow causes the world to take a step back to enjoy the beauty but, at the same time, causes the world to pause and to ponder…..actions to take. Our first snow is but a couple of centimetres, and looking at the weather forecast won’t stay around for long, but it does make one wonder, and to reflect upon winters past.

MEMORIES MADE LONG AGO

There was a time when come September we’d head up north, up Lake Superior Provincial Park way, where I’d make sketches, and we’d explore the sandy shores of mighty Lake Superior. These past couple of years due to inclement weather, and more so due to health issues we’ve simply never made it up that way.  My substitute has been to visit my sketches, and to relive memories. The other day I came across a pencil sketch of a favourite outlook over Orphan Lake. I recall that I had hoped to hike the entire trail around the lake, but by the time that we had discovered Orphan Lake I was already experiencing mobility issues brought on by the onset of older age. .....

Incidentally, I must tell you, older age/old age is nothing to look forward to, and for those of you who might be reading this who are young and mobile, don’t put off until retirement, to enjoy the moment, hike around the lake at every opportunity that you get. Growing older is, well, no fun at all. Anyway, sorry to interrupt. Back to my story…..

We considered hiking around the lake and started off down the trail, but after a few arduous sections it was decided that it would be fool hardy to continue on, and we returned to the outlook. We had an enjoyable picnic lunch, and I sat and made a couple of sketches and took a few photos so that I might make a drawing, or painting back home in my studio.

In visiting my sketches and doing a bit of a search on my computer I came to realize that I had made not just a couple of sketches, but more than a few, on my way to making a small painting. No matter of course. I enjoyed making the sketches and doodle, but more importantly, I enjoyed the memory of our hike to the outlook, and our sitting quietly enjoying the silence broken only by the hush of the wind in the trees. It’s as I’ve often stated, sketching is all about creating memories to be enjoyed long after the event has occurred. A few lines, a small watercolour sketch, nothing momentous, and we’ve captured a memory to last a lifetime.

Here's some of my sketches and drawings of Orphan Lake, Lake Superior Provincial Park:-

Thumbnail Studies  Orphan lake

Orphan Lake - Pencil Sketch 

Pen & InK Drawing    Orphan Lake

Orphan Lake - Graphite Drawing

Orphan Lake - Graphite Drawing

Orphan Lake - Thumbnail Studies

Orphan Lake    Graphite Drawing

Orphan Lake _ Lake Superior Prov. Pk.     Graphite Sketch

Orphan lake - Graphite Sketch

Orphan Lake - Photo with pencil study

Thumbnail Studies    Orphan Lake

Orphan Lake - Lake Superior Provincial Park     Watercolour Painting

THERE IS NO GOD

While I've been chipping away at producing a book, and writing some poetry, Stephen Hawkings died. He died on March 14th of this year. A most interesting man with an amazing mind. At the time of his death he was working on a book attempting to answer such questions as, Is There A God, and other questions related to the so called Big Bang that resulted in the creation of everything. You may want to check out this article in Live Science relating to the content of this soon to be published book:-

        https://www.livescience.com/63854-stephen-hawking-says-no-god.html

Of note, at least to me is Stephen's conclusion that there is no God. The existence of God has always been something that I've had my doubts, which I voiced in a recent poem:-

There Is No God

There is no God,

only mysteries unexplained.

Once fear governed all,

and Gods were invented

to explain it all.

Science held the answers,

but Gods remained,

much like a cancer, 

purported, 

by those ordained,

to control the gateway to a hereafter.

Religion,

once salvation,

a means of redemption,

has become 

instead

 a power 

in support of contention.

Religion,

politics,

all the same,

a means to give credence

to interpretation

of what is good,

and what is evil.

Control is the game.

Men and women of the cloth

join hands 

to preserve their piety

and appease a deity,

a mystery unexplained.

EAS 2018

As pointed out I've struggled with this question beginning many, many years ago when sitting in a pew in the local Catholic Church the priest condemned my father, and those like him, for marrying a Protestant, threatening an eternity of damnation in Hell. The good old days where priests frightened non believers, and kept everyone in line with the threat of fire and brimstone. As I grew older I tried to accept the possibility of the existence of a God, but I'm afraid that with evil at every turn in our present day world, I have to accept that if were there in fact a deity, a Creator, then He/She/It would have never allowed such evil to exist. So, here I am, still open to proof, but otherwise joining Stephen Hawkings in believing that there really is no God, just mystery.

~~~~~~~~~~~

As for the book that I'm putting together, it's autobiographical in a sense that I'm publishing my early sketches and paintings, those made at the start of my art career, and ending with works created in northern Ontario and points west down into the American Southwest. As to when I'll publish, probably not until next spring. In the meantime I intend to post a few of my poems.

WATERCOLOUR SKETCHES FROM HUCKLEBERRY ISLAND - GEORGIAN BAY