![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpdIsuCThF0WSWpgeP_Juhoe_XlehdDXA1q7OspF9ZqclLuzpDvhUFu-mR685KNtlK8rOMrpI9UnvE_cc2uEBoq1E5CmNVvqk0e4MNW3660KFMMDGB_Y4iI4z3LfT6EpszsiP9h-YSK_2/s200/Bug+Blood+Part+IV+018.jpg)
Wherever I live, I need to have a dependable walking route near my house. When I lived in St-Henri in Montreal, I haunted the back alleys, and before that I lived closer to the Old Port and would walk down to the clock tower. Now that I'm in Peterborough, I use Little Lake Cemetery. Painting bamboo put me in mind of the trees down there, and I decided to start my study of landscapes before all those pesky leaves get in the way.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizubNaCf3rv-Icr-phMI2e9P6DzmpD7SpRGha4gXZWdb_doC4tlY8fcvECGbC07eFohdcwS-nUMWCeKHDghXFrl7O59PAL1nzGuttrN4kXfEhJgRsvYpq0OuAPcTO6x63JVm9xbmieI4pd/s200/Bug+Blood+Part+IV+004.jpg) |
What is this thing |
Luckily, the bugs are cooperating again, and I was able to collect enough over the past week to make a fresh pot of blood. The old stuff had dried and turned black - I'll spare you the photo. Although I'm not getting quite as many maple bugs as I was when the spring weather first hit, I am getting some unusual new varieties. If anybody knows what the hell that thing on the left is, please let me know.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-BlBEyUcPFPEjPHFf6OcsyTi_vXZAIzFvqKFf0MjLdEJyxU78TZbDiOJXSo_57aBqqQxwP8Gulnli6iSEMRq4z0z9YJfyHrudkWhRlUibCAyiKAK-mBf4vv27RyPt36tkDXDCMy_Ihyz/s200/Bug+Blood+Part+IV+010.jpg) |
Slingshot chairs |
I threw my supplies into a backpack and set off. One cool thing about going to the graveyard is I get to pass the slingshot chairs, which are a hoot. In the fall I often saw Canada Geese stopping in the graveyard and wandering amidst the headstones, which added a nice surreal touch. A few days ago I saw two more making their return trip, but unfortunately they did not make themselves available at the time of the photo shoot.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rOGelEUIr4ziJlwT-nbyDjlZ2gXKhPgSySOe6EeZnAFc6BUl8O_kNtJYXCABwb6rgd4OJvdrB6_gSDWubl1jxTVQzsmyXsH3EyzRkRDuK_OP0bYErEdbGbk5pkR9F7PFZrLVIw3PEzdY/s200/Bug+Blood+Part+IV+040.jpg) |
Scouting a location |
My favourite thing about trips to the graveyard is the palette. There's something about those muted tones that is bred to the bone. Even when I lived in Mexico and it was thirty degrees outside with a clear blue sky, I would sometimes pine for the drab greys of my homeland. If I get into this painting thing, I could spend years trying to capture that palette. Unfortunately, right now I have only one colour, and it is off red.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrA1_3d0iLznLg4_jsMS0SfN_5hlbnWvIKMiXx0jPaLXIcU5GoEdYhN9048xRbMWnfS5ZFB3JCs72h6voMZp24FtpoleF8J_v66ViHa1Qeer0s1pp559gTISHtUPXNe756PiFTYF6oYTh/s200/Bug+Blood+Part+IV+034.jpg) |
Can't wait until I can paint this |
I arrived at twilight, when colours are at their most melancholy. I scouted around, looking for the ideal setting for my first landscape. I contemplated painting the gnarly old bastard at right, but decided he was beyond my abilities for the present. The light was failing and I began to think I had arrived to late, when I found the grave of the Moores, which was shaped like a bench and provided an ideal view of a tree with the water behind.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIcwpRBphmeKnLJGDO3iZgnvj-9FA72U-j5oYFLVOQgJzdDeRlgyTeMIKgwPfYzoyXxTG-8kkCPha-WXUVcvQwpDDpbotsgA0jhHn9Y8VEGFUmMRCjEIQVIMwTBrbXXsIdTQBwwRcD6xvQ/s200/Bug+Blood+Part+IV+024.jpg) |
The view from my lap |
I settled into position, uncapped the bug blood, and began. Being fresh, the paint was lighter than it had been and somewhat runny. All the same I was eager to avoid last week's mistake, and quit early before I made my composition dark and overly busy. The result, though still rankly amateurish, was an improvement on last week.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLh66YmL6-2aitudAZwOHuCU43WReDNl45DVsSei2NnGe4L_1sboA-zagAcJkeKTurxS-OsROu8CIZoo6EC4S_jXZY5H_aj-fQHqaaR7ZeZY4isprwsdSyVha7gAqDlcS-QqcMDjUOpI50/s200/Bug+Blood+Part+IV+043.jpg) |
Twilight |
The sun had nearly set by the time I finished. Although I sometimes like to linger after dark and sing murder ballads in a mournful baritone, the wind had picked up and it was chilly for April. I set off for home with another masterpiece in my oeuvre.
Ahem. I would like to remind everyone I'm not a painter. Musician, writer, sure, but not an entomologist or a painter. With that in mind, I humbly present this week's composition:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygx3LVWCQLA76dqkvekt05kIiUlIFIzc6jBX-DWQz7j0srxcu6VfbxZmggoLWCmfWL-yTnquW4AgVG1GnShznLiCdVcr7uqdCh1Wafb0hwsAXohyphenhypheneTq6z3txVveD8qqXtVY6u4-OEIQeN/s400/Bug+Blood+Part+IV+051.jpg) |
"At the Boneyard" |
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Check back next week for more bug blood art!
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