If you look closely you might notice the masts of docked sailboats emerging from the blustery landscape. The pinging and whistling sounds on vibrating metal masts are glorious.
© Karen McRae, 2018
Ottawa River
Sumac & Shoreline
Low light & long exposure.
© Karen McRae, 2018
A Residual Winter Breath (2)
There was a small taste of spring here before winter came back to to say its goodbyes. The cold and strong winds of a few days ago have fashioned some icy sculptures along the river’s edge and on this quiet morning a thin layer of fresh ice was singing and straining under the stirring of a waking river. Later today we are promised snow and the landscape will transform temporarily yet again. As much as I find these transformations fascinating and lovely to photograph, I think I am quite ready for real spring. 
Below: click on image to open gallery view.
© Karen McRae, 2016
(D)Rift
Photographs of some of the last river ice, and remnants of this past winter. The river is wide open and the remaining ice is diminishing quickly in the rain, wind and warmer temperatures.
© Karen McRae, 2016
The Melt (ice abstracts)
I love the fluidity of these liminal spaces between winter and spring. The ice folding back from the shoreline exposing inky cold water, translucence and grit. There is much beauty in the rituals of the seasons.
© Karen McRae, 2016
Things To Love About February
This view.
February holds a little bit of everything, even in its infancy. Snow (not enough), rain, freezing rain, warm temperatures, freezing cold temperatures. It is a month that throws itself to the wind and just goes with it.
All this ‘weathering’ has created a lovely kaleidoscope of shapes on this expansive part of river, the colours shifting with the light and clouds as they streak across the sky.
© Karen McRae, 2016
Goose Down 2
This is a reworking of an image from a couple of years ago. The graceful form of the bird struck me when I first came across it; the water was shifting the goose back and forth in a slow rhythmic motion and the submerged down looked so soft and painterly. I have layered the bird photograph with an image of cloud reflections on water and I think I like the inky blue that spills over to the delicate palisade of golden threaded flora. Now I am thinking about how I might translate this into a painting…
© Karen McRae, 2015
It’s Still Autumn
River’sEdge1, Early December 2015
River’s Edge2, Early December 2015
River’s Edge1, Early December 2014
River’s Edge2, Early December 2014
In the infancy of December 2014 the air was very cold and the river was all frozen jagged edges – sculptural and almost colourless. It felt like deep winter. But there is no ice in this early December, no snow. Just gentle waves lapping the soft shoreline.
[click on an image to see the bigger picture – top images from this Dec, bottom images from last]
© Karen McRae, 2015
The Spirited Ones
Tiny chickadees in and out of the hand. I feel these images may give a sense of the sensations; the whirr of the wings at your ear and the ever-so-gentle touching down on your fingertips. A quiet joy.
[Click on the tiled squares to enter an image gallery]
© Karen McRae, 2015
