These days, when I drive to work, I feel like bursting into song "The prairies are alive, with the sights of Autumn..." Has a familiar ring to it; something about a nun and the Swiss Alps.
The prairies are just amazing right now, with the color of these canola fields against the intense blue of the Alberta skies, and the greens of the wind rows (the trees and bushes you see in the background in this painting). Fields of wheat, rye, barley, and other grains are ripening rapidly now that there is mostly sun and warmth. Gardens are coming into maturity, and produce is showing up at all the Farmer's Markets.
Red barns like this one dot the countryside, and there are these huge evergreen trees which seem to have sprung up out of nowhere. There are several on properties which are around us - lone sentinels which tower above and amidst the bushes.
In only a couple of weeks, the air will grow crisp in the morning and evenings, and a hard killing frost will end the season. We are at such a high altitude, being next to the mountains, that our growing season ends very early. The beauty of this time rests in the hours of bright sun filtering through golden fields and yellow trees against that backdrop of intense blue sky. It is the signature of Alberta prairie. "The fields are alive...."
If you would like to purchase this painting, or commission something similar, please contact me: jogiesbrecht@gmail.com
