On the East Bluff viewing the West Bluff
Gore Bay, Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada
My husband and I have been living on Manitoulin Island for twelve years now. For us, creating a life here with a rather limited income necessitated quite a number of lifestyle changes and a dedication to minimizing expenditures. We have no regrets! We happily made a shift in what "wealth" means and feel incredibly rich to dwell in a very humble home with its million dollar views.
A million dollar view at Ravenseyrie on top of the bluff
A million dollar view at Ravenseyrie at beach level
One of the ways that we have done well at saving money is shortly after I opened my studio and art gallery we purchased a bicycle for me to commute to work upon.
Biria Easy Boarding e-bike above the clouds overlooking the
bay on a gorgeous day for bicycle commuting on Manitoulin Island.
An exceptional view of your author's commute
MapQuest detailing of your author's commute
We live up on the East Bluff and my gallery is down on the waterfront, near the marina in the village of Gore Bay, an 11 kilometre trip one way with some appreciable hills. This, coupled with my not at all being a "super-fit athlete in spandex" had us choose an early model Biria Easy Boarding bicycle (3 speed with coast brakes) from JV Bikes in Vancouver (via their online store). This particular model had been wonderfully outfitted with an electric motor in the front wheel. We call the bicycle, The Black Mare.
"The Black Mare"
The Black Mare is an "electric assist" bicycle which means that it does require pedalling (it is not like a motorized scooter) and I do feel my muscles straining in a good way when going into the wind and up the hills even with the assistance of my wonderful electric motor. Nevertheless, this "e-bike" makes it possible for me to make the commute in around 35 minutes and arrive at my destination without being a wilted, sweaty mess. I love the combination of physical exertion and ease of use!
I ride "The Black Mare" to work most every day, unless the weather is particularly inclement. I am exposed to rarified air and exhilarating scenes. I don't stop and take photos often as I typically am wanting to get to work earlier than later, but sometimes the scenes are so compelling I absolutely have to pull over and get out my iPad to capture the headiness of the experience.
Bicycle commuting prior to spring break up. A view of
the bay from the East Bluff Lookout.
A view of my destination - the Harbour Centre -
from the East Bluff Lookout on an early spring bicycle commute.
My commute along Scotland Road is filled with fragrances and sounds as well as delightful sights. Wood duff, Spring Peepers, sun-touched bog water, Bobolink chortlings, Apple blossom perfume, the dashing of shy deer, magnified-vibratory-prehistoric-croakings of the Sandhill Cranes, the tang of the inland ocean and the ever present Ravens, to name just a few!
Often the Ravens vocalize as they pass over me "flying" on "The Black Mare"
Here are two video clips rom this past summer. It is so incredibly heady to see the storms off in the distance and to hope that I make it home before those rain clouds pummel the bluff! These are short clips, but may take a minute or so to load. Once loaded click to view it full screen if you can - it is the best way to feel like you are standing beside me looking at these wonderful scenes!
Sometimes, others have done the photographing of my commuting experience.
Just round the curve at McDougall's Point
photo by "Sharon"
Bicycle commuting on Manitoulin Island,
photo by "Sharon"
So long for now!
photo by "Sharon"
Leaving for work, photo by Kevin Droski
Out the drive on a frosty morn,
photo by Kevin Droski
See you later!
photo by Kevin Droski
Sometimes the spectacular scenes I experience while on my commute inspire me to capture them in watercolours as well as with the camera. This particular scene made for a nice large painting which I also used for one of my fine art notecards.
Scotland Road at McDougall's point
Scotland Road - Almost Home
Original Watercolour by Lynne Gerard
Fine art greeting card, from the original watercolour
by Lynne Gerard
I wrote a wee poem especially inspired by this particular scene from my commute home on "The Black Mare". It reads:
Fear finds no place to linger when
your heart is devoted to Love and Beauty.
Look for a road that inspires you,
then boldly follow it.
--L.Gerard
Back of fine art greeting card by Lynne Gerard
Along the route, there are two sponsored observation sites frequented by tourists and favoured by photographers. One is the Hindman Trail Lookout and the other is the Harold Noble Lookout site. Last year the Town of Gore Bay and Randy Noble created the Noble Nature Trail which is a fabulous hike route that provides lovely views from the top of the bluff down to the bottom. Kevin and I walked it earlier this autumn and were wonderfully impressed with the all of it.
Noble Nature Trail
Gore Bay
Spectacular view on the Noble Nature Trail
Gore Bay
One of several resting spots on the Noble Nature Trail
Gore Bay
Good signage on the Noble Nature Trail
Gore Bay
Looking northwest from the Noble Nature Trail
Gore Bay
Looking at Gore Bay from the Noble Nature Trail
Once down at the destination, the fabulous Gore Bay Harbour Centre, my creative work day begins.
The Gore Bay Harbour Centre
My studio and gallery are on the backside of the building, facing the water.
The Gore Bay Harbour Centre, lakeside
Most days, some of my feathered friends are on hand to greet me.
Lynne Gerard arriving to work on "The Black Mare"
photo by Helen Siksek
Stevie, the Crow
Travis, the Gull
Travis and Stevie and the wonderful view of the bay and the North Channel
Gorgeous light outlining the East Bluff from the vantage
point of my studio balcony
And now it is just about quittin' time here at work. There have been flurries on and off. I have to layer up my woollens and get myself heading on back up the bluff. I have a special island farmer who will be waiting for me. The gate will be open and after I pedal on though, he will take "The Black Mare" and put her in her "stable". If the weather isn't too nasty tomorrow, I will make the commute again!
Update, autumn 2018
Have been able to acquire a wonderfully weatherproof outfit for bicycling in the rain! The Rainwrap skirt and Bronte jacket are designed by the mother/daughter duo known as Georgia in Dublin, are assembled in Poland and marketed in fine shops in Europe. I purchased the Rainwrap direct from Georgia in Dublin and was able to buy the Bronte jacket on sale from Cyclechic. This weatherproof ensemble (which they call "The Full Bronte") has managed to keep me dry even when cycling in pouring rain and gale winds with no maddening flapping of fabric like my former rain poncho. I have been wearing the Rainwrap even on dry days because in the chill autumn air, the fabric of the wrap skirt keeps my legs warmer than when riding in my regular skirts alone. And the outfit is SO irresistibly stylish, it makes you actually look forward to riding your bicycle in the rain!
The "Full Bronte" rain ensemble from Georgia in Dublin
Rainwrap and Bronte jacket by Georgia in Dublin on rainy day at the Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada
Your author, well insulated from an autumn downpour in rain gear from Georgia in Dublin
Spring Thunderstorm Over Ravenseyrie East Bluff, Gore Bay, Manitoulin Island Ontario, Canada
The MOST important source of inspiration for painting ideas is our own lives... and what we like most. (Jack Dickerson)
I have been influenced by paintings I have seen in books, and in museums, not because they defined success but because they suggested possibilities. (Eleanor Blair)
Every day I wake up thankful to have made choices in life that make it possible to live here on Manitoulin Island. The dynamic elementals of our life on the Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve provide me with infinite inspiration all times of the year and catalyze creative ideas that number greater than my mind and body are capable of sustaining.
The big sky, the roaming winds, the shifting colours and the indigenous flora and fauna - especially the horses - permeate my senses whether I am awake or sleeping and quite naturally guide my work in the studio.
"Sun Propeller" (Huun Huur Tu) eventide May 24th, Ravenseyrie
I find my creative output this year also remains heavily under the influence of Toko Shinoda's artworks and Huun Huur Tu's music - with wonderful, long-lasting effects that continue to be remarkably energizing. In today's journal entry, I thought I would show a few examples of how inspiration and influences manifest themselves in my work.
Savour the moment, be in the Now.
--L. Gerard
Ousado (Altamiro x Bella), late winter
Not all the time, but quite frequently, I bring my camera with me when I am doing chores on our preserve, or just out hiking its many sectors. I am often intrigued not just with epic sky scenes or evocative landscapes, but also am easily captivated by the play of a breeze upon the manes and tails of the horses, even after all these years. I never tire of the amazing scenes! Digital cameras are marvellous tools for capturing fleeting, elemental sensations and make it possible for me to conjure such moments through the mediums of writing and painting when in my studio. While sitting on the ground one fine, late winter's day and listening to the pleasing sounds of the horses eating the supplemental hay we give them, I was entranced by the way the breeze was artfully turning over Ousado's forelock, and how the light accentuated his natural bi-colouring.
I have recently been putting my focus and practice in the study of sumi-e, and I felt that the photo I took of Ousado was one that might lend itself to ink wash painting.
An informational sign in the Ravenseyrie Art Gallery
Ousado, sumi-e, unframed
Sumi-e of Ousado under glass, with my calligraphed phrase "Savour the moment, be in the Now."
Sometimes run with the wind, sometimes against it. --L. Gerard
Altamiro (Ultrajado x Pompeia) chasing a seagull
How could I resist trying to capture the essence of this photo of Altamiro? I first worked up a charcoal study:
Charcoal sketch #1 of Altamiro
Hmmm...it turned out a bit more representational than what the "influence-Toko-Shinoda-has-over-me" was looking for, so I tried another version:
Charcoal sketch #2 of Altamiro
Based on this second, more abstract charcoal study I did several sumi-e of Altamiro running and the photo below is a particular favourite. I used sumi with touches of Davy's grey and yellow ochre on Japanese paper. Here it is matted with my accompanying phrase, "Sometimes run with the wind, sometimes against it.", waiting for glass:
Sumi-e of Altamiro
I felt this painting would make a nice open-edition print and also a fine art greeting card, so I created a modified digital image of it. I publish my prints and cards myself, with the indispensable assistance of my iMac, Epson printer and inventory of fine art papers.
Fine art reproduction of my original sumi-e of Altamiro
Even in seeming disorder, wind moves creatively and colours dance spontaneously...beauty and harmony are born of chaos. --L. Gerard
Here is another example of how much the horses and the work of Toko Shinoda (as well as the rustic steppe sounds of Huun Huur Tu) influence and inspire me creatively. First a photo of Legado:
Sorraia stallion, Legado (Altamiro x Sovina's Zorita)
Charcoal sketch of Legado
The nearly finished sumi-e of Legado
Sumi-e of Legado under glass
Like the painting of Altamiro running, I liked this sumi-e of Legado well enough to adapt to a fine art print and notecard:
Legado, fine art reproduction adapted from the original sumi-e
Along with the horses, the supple, elongated bodies of the Sandhill Cranes that migrate back to their breeding grounds in the wetland sector of Ravenseyrie are also repeated subjects in my paintings. After eleven years, it seems as if the cranes and the horses have developed a rather symbiotic relationship. The presence of the horses keeps the grasslands open and their manure provides seeds and larvae that supplement the cranes' diets. The presence of the cranes provides an added assistance to the natural control of parasites that seek out equine hosts. And...I think both species find each other fascinating and entertaining - certainly the landscape is a livelier place with these creatures inhabiting it!
Sorraias and Sandhills at Ravenseyrie
Walk in beauty, live in love. --L. Gerard
Breeding pair of Sandhill Cranes at Ravenseyrie
Sumi-e of Sandhill Crane
Sumi-e of Sandhill Crane under glass
Here are some other recent paintings that reveal those elements that inspire and influence me:
Believe in goodness prevailing.
--L. Gerard
Zorita's mane in winter
Zorita's mane, sumi and titanium white on Japanese paper
Sumi-e of Zorita's mane under glass
Sometimes insulate yourself from the elements, sometimes dance in the rain. --L. Gerard
Charcoal study of Altamiro
Sumi-e of Altamiro under glass
Live a creative life. --L. Gerard
Sumi-e of Legado
Sumi-e of Legado under glass
I have had a marvellously liberating, enjoyable time exploring sumi-e while under the influence of Toko Shinoda and Huun Hurr Tu and the Ravenseyrie horses and the elementals of Manitoulin Island! I confess less than a handful of the many recent paintings have lived up to the "ideal" sumi-e I have in my beginners mind, but there were a good number of them that I felt were evocative enough to be mounted and framed along with my calligraphic phrases. Last week I cleared some wall space in my gallery so that I could devote an entire section to the sumi-e. Won't my returning tourists be surprised how productive I was over the winter! For those of you who may never make a trip to Manitoulin Island to visit the Ravenseyrie Studio & Art Gallery, I took a short video the other day to provide you a virtual tour. Enjoy!
Make your art a gift of inspiration to others to work toward better things. (Richard Schmid)
We have a wonderful world to be inspired by and each new day is like an adventure into the unknown, where things that require a second glance can be captured in time on a canvas for anyone to enjoy forever. (Louise Corke)
