The Landscape Paintings of Levine Flexhaug

I was listening to CBC Radio in the car on my way home from my mothers’ house and was introduced to a little known Canadian artist, Levine Flexhaug (1918-1974). I found the story quite intriguing and will share a bit of what I learned with you.

Flexie, as he was affectionately known, sold thousands of variations of basically the same landscape. He painted in national parks, resorts, department stores, restaurants and bars across Western Canada from the late 1930s to the early 1960s. Many of those paintings were purchased as soon as they were finished, before the paint even had a chance to dry.

Flexie was born in 1918 on the family farm just outside of the small town of Climax, Saskatchewan. He began painting landscapes in 1938 to help support his family, setting up in front of the local dry goods store each Saturday. His canvas was a beaver-board and his medium of choice was regular oil based house paint. The standard size for his paintings was 8” X 10”, but he did many that were larger, and even a few wall size murals.

He was a speed painter and had a specific formula that he followed every time. Often you would see him painting assembly line style, working on three canvases at the same time. Different seasons and time of day were represented but certain elements were always there...the mountains, the lake and the trees in the foreground. At times he would add a waterfall, a deer, a cabin, a bear, birds or a red canoe in the lake.

 

More than 40 years after his death, the paintings of Levine Flexhaug will be showcased in a travelling solo exhibition. I sure hope it comes to a gallery close to me this year. I’d love to go and look at the over 450 paintings the curators, Nancy Tousley and Peter White, have assembled, mostly from the collections of two other artists, Chris Cran and David Thauberger.

Weekend Retreat

This weekend has caused me to reflect on my life and how I feel about it, so bear with me while I ramble on a bit. I attended a women’s retreat, the 100^th anniversary of the CGIT (Canadian Girls in Training), a group which I belonged to in my teen years at my church.

I was physically there at the retreat, meeting people and participating in the activities, yet somehow I did not feel like I was a part of ‘them’. I felt like I was on the peripheral, on the outside looking in, and very much alone in a crowded room.

And lately I feel this same way in a variety of different situations, in groups and activities that were once a major part of my life. I’m not sure why I cannot shake these perceptions, as I’m certain that these thoughts and ideas are in my head only.

I seem to be accepted and welcomed most places. I’m not shy about talking to people or participating as I am able. But that lingering feeling of being alone and disconnected continues to separate me from the rest. And I’m not sure how to change that.

A Better Life, A Better You

Here are a few simple things that you can do to have a better life and become a better you...

1. Take other people's thoughts and concerns into consideration.
2. Don't spend all your time trying to please others.
3. If you have a dream, go after it.
4. Don't get discouraged and give up when you are so close to the end.
5. Never settle for second best.
6. Pay attention to the people who mean the most to you.
7. Take care of your body, live healthy.
8. Stop every once in awhile to sit and enjoy the journey.
9. Open your mind up to new possibilities.
10. Don't dwell on the past, it's gone, move forward.
11. Learn to laugh at yourself.
12. Seek happiness, don't keep chasing the elusive dollar.
13. Be open to love, you are worth it.
14. Don't stay in a relationship that has been over for some time.
15. Be brave, trust yourself and your decisions.
16. Remember that something good comes from every bad situation.
17. Let go of the small things that go wrong, focus on the important things that are going right.
18. Be honest all the time with yourself and with others.
19. Appreciate all that you have been blessed with.
20. Believe in yourself.

Just some random thoughts on a Sunday afternoon. If you have other tips to a better life and a better you, please share them in the comment section. Thanks.

Small Things

'Your base level of pleasure is determined by how you view your whole life.'
Oprah Winfrey

Learn to take in all the small things...EVERYthing. See the glass as half full, not half empty. Increase your pleasure factor exponentially by living in the moment and pausing to appreciate the everyday things you've been taking for granted. A good cup of tea; snuggling with a soft, furry kitty cat; a sunny day; spending time with a friend.

All these things and more contribute to the overall quality of our lives and our satisfaction with it.

Take your focus off what is 'wrong' and concentrate on what is 'right' in your life. And there are lots of things if you stop and take the time to think about it. Your home; your family; your health; the list continues. Look at them all with a different mindset. Increased happiness is guaranteed to follow.

And remember, the happiness you put out into the world will come back to you ten-fold.

Meet Bruce

This is Bruce. It took me many, many attempts to get even a half decent photo of him. He moves fast and does not stay in one place very long. I apologize for the grainy photo.

Bruce and his lady live in the cedar trees in my front yard, clearly visible from the livingroom window. Now, Bruce is not the brightest bird in the neighbourhood. In fact, I would say that he epitomizes the notion of a 'bird brain'.

You see, every single day (often for hours at a time), Bruce purposely flies into our front window, wings splayed and beak tapping. And he does it not just once or twice and give it up. Oh no, not our Bruce. He is persistent. He smashes his face into the window twenty or thirty times a day (maybe more)!

Seriously though, if some guy was trying to impress me by slamming his head against an immovable object multiple times a day, I would not be hanging around him too long! His lady friend, however, seems to be enamored with him.

How did he come to be named Bruce, you ask? Well, two years ago a friend of my son met a tragic end, a victim of 'being in the wrong place at the wrong time' when knives were weilding and shots were fired. His name was Bruce.

The person, Bruce, was a very persistent fellow and when he got an idea in his head he kept pushing his point until everyone else saw it his way. My son casually commented one day that if he believed in reincarnation, he'd swear that this cardinal was Bruce coming back to haunt him, especially since the bird first showed up shortly after the funeral.

Hence, this persistent, window tapping bird became Bruce. We never did name his lady. Maybe we should. *smile*