Jellybean Row

Awhile back, Geoff Meeker dropped a line to me about Jellybean row. I have to admit, it was the first I had heard of it. But one peek at their web page and I was hooked. I even have a little Christmas request list made.

What is a Jellybean Row you ask? Well, it is part souvenir, part collectible and a piece of original art. Modeled after the heritage homes of downtown St. John's, these colorful plaques are mounted and ready to hang on your wall. Better yet, my wall.

There is a really sweet Christmas series for sale as well... I am seriously considering picking up a set for my mom for the holidays. She is a Christmas nut. I love how the one above even has the stained glass window over the door. Anyhooo, it is a really neat idea folks. Check it out! Let me know how you like it.

Scott Pynn Art

You know, I believe that Newfoundlanders are a talented lot: a fine crew. Contrary to all those Newfie jokes out there, we can get the job done. Hell, we are currently building the entire province of Alberta! We are sharp, clear minded, we cut through the bullshit. One need only read the works of Ray Guy, Rex Murphy, or Rick Mercer to see that. We are artisans, painters, sculptors and poets. And we do it all with our distinct sense of the world, our wit, and our poetic voice.

I recently came across the works of Labrador native, 27 year old Scott Pynn , and I was lucky enough to be able to ask him a few questions about his life and work as an artist. A self described "Average Joe", Scott used to work as a roofer, a carpenters assistant, and a lumberjack. The latter he said was “the most interesting because I would spend all day cutting down trees and then go home and paint them back up again”. Scott’s been painting since he was young. He was inspired by his grandfather, also an artist, who specializes in painting steam locomotives. He taught Scott when he was “just a young pup” beginning with the basics of composition, color, and perspective: “It was the greatest gift he ever could have given me.”

Art is not a choice for Scott- it is something he must do: “I have always been compelled to make things and feel disconnected from myself when I don't have a creative outlet. I sometimes joke that if I never painted my mind would explode, it's hard to pinpoint what inspires me; it's a mixture of everything, nature of course being a big part. But I guess what I strive for the most is to describe in paint those indescribable feelings you get so often in life. Like on a crisp fall evening when the leaves are crunching under your feet and you can smell wood smoke in the air, or that feeling in your stomach around Christmas time. You know the feeling I'm talking about, everyone does. Sometimes I'm inspired by very big things like a thunder and lightning storm and sometimes it can be as small as watching a drop of rain slowly trickle down the stem of a daisy.” Scott has had a variety of shows in the last few years in Labrador, New Brunswick and Alberta, and more are in the works. Currently he has the largest Facebook Art Group with over twenty-five thousand members and growing. He is “thrilled” with the support he has received fellow Newfoundlanders.

I have some really beautiful pieces of art in my small collection of Newfoundland works- and I picked each because they spoke to me somehow. Of course, because I live off Rock now, these pieces mean so much more to me: they are a comfort. But my feelings towards Scott's pieces were very different: I haven't reacted to art work so viscerally in a long time.

I lived in Wabush, and Goose Bay for a few years as a child- and it was a golden time for me. I was a happy kid then; my family loved it there. I don’t often think of Labrador because my time there was so short. But when I first saw Scott’s work, I found myself whirling back to that apartment on Cormac drive…to the woods beyond where I would toboggan, ski-doo, build snow forts, and make snow angels in the deep of the whitest snow. I remembered the magic of the Northern Sky, with her rainbow of lights swirling in dark- the trees bowed by the weight of the snow, themselves awed by celestial majesty. Scott’s work brought it all back in a bittersweet rush of nostalgia; made me a little weepy. But then, that is what great art does.

Newfoundland Art

I recently saw Rex Murphy interview Newfoundland artist David Blackwood, an artist whose prints and paintings haunt the imagination. I have always wanted to have a piece of his work, but as many of them start in the $5000 range, it ain't gonna happen. When I was about 14, I saw his print Fire Down on the Labrador at an Arts and Culture Center and I was mesmerized: I could barely pull my eyes away. Something about the piece just held me there, locked. My mom has one of his Mummer pieces, and when you walk into her living room your eyes are drawn to it and your body follows. It is amazing how he has the ability to pull you into his world and hold you there.

While I will never own a David Blackwood, I do have a couple of pieces of Newfoundland Art in my home. They comfort me, they bring me strength and give me a sense of place. I would love to have more, but there are more practical things we need to do around the house first.

I have one by Ken Power, called Silent Night. It is a winter scene off Signal Hill. I also have Lighthouse Point by Dave Hoddinott which is a beautiful night scene on the water. And finally, I have The Berry Picker, by Ed Roche that I love; which is unusual for me, because I often do not enjoy paintings with people in them for some reason. Who knows why, I am weird that way.

There has been a recent explosion in the amount of Newfoundland Art to be had out there at prices that allow the proud Newfoundlander (or other art lovers out there!) to attain it. I have used http://www.newfoundlandart.ca/ a number of times to purchase pieces, and they have been sent to me framed, and beautiful, and eager to take their place on my wall. So for those of you who live away and often find yourself homesick, check out the website, and think about buying a painting, print or poster. You will be supporting a talented crew back home, and you will do yourself a world of good.

Provincial Mariners' Memorial

Newfoundlanders have been tied to the sea for over 500 years. It isn’t just because so many made their living on the water, because often you will find Newfoundlanders during scarce leisure time by the sea, or a brook, river or pond with a line in the water. Or with a camper parked by a tranquil pond with a campfire and guitar nearby. The ebb and flow of the tides, of water, is inexorably linked to our people; to every inhaled and exhaled breath of a Newfoundland native. And while pull of the water sustains us in so many ways, it has also resulted in thousands of deaths. It seems that the ocean demands a price for all that is taken from her, and sometimes that price is paid in blood.



There is a price paid by those left behind as well: families left grieving and broken because their dads or other relatives were taken by an obdurate ocean. It is made more difficult when the ocean keeps her dead, for the families have little sense of closure.

A memorial was unveiled this week to pay tribute to all those lost at sea, and to offer some comfort, and recognition of the sacrifice made by those left behind. A life-sized bronze statue of a woman staring over a small pool of water was unveiled in Grand Bank, N.L., as the Provincial Mariners' Memorial I have yet to see this for myself but the image provided by the site reveals a moving structure- imbued with the dignity and grace demonstrated by so many Newfoundland families who have lost loved ones. I have included the image here, but I encourage you all to visit the official site to see how the work was done, and to learn about some of the shipwrecks recorded there.


I would really love to have some pictures. If anyone out there plans a visit, or lives near by please feel free to message me and let me know- I would appreciate it. It is a haunting memorial just in pictures, it must really be something up close.