Welcome again! Happy to show my latest Acrylic, "White Wash Tofino", Long Beach, Tofino, 24' x 36". It depicts the weather that we have seen so often on the west coast. This was Long Beach at Tofino on an earlier trip.
But this July and August, we longed for that very kind of storm. I was one of a group of "waterers" who dragged heavy hoses out to the rhododendrons and hydrangeas in the gardens around our condo. The plants were wilting. In the rainforests so well known for their moisture, the bears are starving because the berries have dried on the vine and the salmon cannot get upstream. No wonder that the bears are coming down into the city looking for something as simple as birdseed to fill their bellies. The cougars which have been shot in town are described as being emaciated as they prowl looking for cats or birds to eat. Even the birds have had trouble finding puddles and streams and there are no worms for the robins. It has been most frightening. It is predicted that next summer will be the same. The winter is to be warm and dryer than in the past.
This past weekend, we had more rain than in the previous four months. It felt great. Unfortunately trees were uprooted, full leafed branches fell, property was damaged, a woman is struggling for her life and thousands were without power. We cannot just chalk this up to El Nino and carry on. I believe in Climate Change theories and they are very scary. The weather has been weird all across the world. Our government needs to step up and make big policy changes. We need to demand change from our politicians and ask questions during this election time.
But we can do things ourselves. There are changes we must make - use grey water for our gardens or the car wash, bring in rain barrels to collect water off the roof, take more care with the water we use and save drinking water for just that. I love to paint in the sunshine out of doors, but this painting of the storm at Tofino was great fun!
But this July and August, we longed for that very kind of storm. I was one of a group of "waterers" who dragged heavy hoses out to the rhododendrons and hydrangeas in the gardens around our condo. The plants were wilting. In the rainforests so well known for their moisture, the bears are starving because the berries have dried on the vine and the salmon cannot get upstream. No wonder that the bears are coming down into the city looking for something as simple as birdseed to fill their bellies. The cougars which have been shot in town are described as being emaciated as they prowl looking for cats or birds to eat. Even the birds have had trouble finding puddles and streams and there are no worms for the robins. It has been most frightening. It is predicted that next summer will be the same. The winter is to be warm and dryer than in the past.
This past weekend, we had more rain than in the previous four months. It felt great. Unfortunately trees were uprooted, full leafed branches fell, property was damaged, a woman is struggling for her life and thousands were without power. We cannot just chalk this up to El Nino and carry on. I believe in Climate Change theories and they are very scary. The weather has been weird all across the world. Our government needs to step up and make big policy changes. We need to demand change from our politicians and ask questions during this election time.
But we can do things ourselves. There are changes we must make - use grey water for our gardens or the car wash, bring in rain barrels to collect water off the roof, take more care with the water we use and save drinking water for just that. I love to paint in the sunshine out of doors, but this painting of the storm at Tofino was great fun!