On Canada Day, last year, we were invited to lunch at the Coutts Homestead. I was blown away by this piece of paradise hidden in a vast stand of trees on the wide open prairie to the east of Nanton, Alberta. Yesterday, Linda and I finally got ourselves back there to paint. The gardens are brimming with native and imported plants, buildings and outdoor art. It would take years to exhaust the potential paintings this special place inspires.
Halting in our tracks, we both gasped as we rounded a bend and caught sight of the extensive poppy garden set against a field of screaming yellow canola. And crowning it all were the Rockies shimmering in the distance.
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| Linda opted to paint what she could see beyond the tree |
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| I choose to include it ... and it surely needs some work, yet! |
While the jury may still be out on the merit of our paintings I know I speak for both of us when I say we were both deeply satisfied and filled with joy for an afternoon so well spent.
Already a well photographed and painted site, in time it will become even further immortalized. Among the flow of visitors there yesterday we met two other painter gals. For the foreseeable future, Jim Coutts will continue to live at the farm but recently he gifted his Grandfather's homestead to the University of Lethbridge. Below is a link to the story of his bequest as well as another link to an excellent video of Jim himself explaining it.
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| The Potting Shed |
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