Artist

Ontario Wanderer and Églantine wandered to Toronto last week to visit a special friend of Églantine. She has known Kai Chan for several years and has had him come to Brantford schools to give art instructions to pupils on several occasions. Kai invited us into his home, fed us lunch, and allowed us to look at the many art pieces in his home and to look and photograph works, finished and unfinished, in his studio. Both Ontario Wanderer and Églantine have started artwork since retirement and were again inspired by Kai's work. Below are some examples of what hang on Kai's walls. Note the exclusive use of "found" and "recycled" materials and the fine, detailed handiwork of these sculptural pieces.



Above is a close up of a work that encloses a bottle.



In the above work and in the two below, Kai has started using pieces of broken bottles.





For more information about Kai and his work, look at the Bronfman Collection Virtual Gallery web site.

Two Cattails

Here is an ordinary cattail.



Here is a creative cattail.



I don't help them. I just photograph them.
No, I don't know why it did that.

Mosquito

As if the summer's heat and humidity were not enough....

Fungus Among Us

Yesterday, while we were out identifying and photographing wild flowers, my partner, who has recently chosen the blog name Églantine, also photographed fungi. I am very pleased to post these wonderful photos. I wish I had taken them.

Sunrise - Sunset

Sunrise if my favourite time of day!



Having been an early riser all my life, I am up before the sun more days than not. During these early days of August, I am often up one to one and a half hours before the sun. It gives me time to think about different places to photograph the sunrise.



It's not unusual for sunsets to be as spectacular as the sunrises.



Moonset has been good this week too. Here is one more photo of the moon and Venus from earlier this week. (I've seen several similar shot from various places listed on spaceweather.com for today, Aug. 9.)