Welcome

Welcome to my blog. As I embark on this new experience of blogging I would like to take a moment to explain why I have decided to do this.

Firstly, I want to inspire people to support conservation efforts. At this time, my focus is mostly on Gatineau Park. This is a beautiful park that lacks the protection afforded to national and provincial parks. For more information about why Gatineau Park deserves more protection look check out the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Ottawa Valley chapter (hyperlink). I feel strong emotional connections to the spaces I paint – it is a requirement for creativity for me. In this blog I will give some background on the ecology of the areas that I paint. While I am not an ecologist, I will share what I observe and what I have learned from others with more knowledge on these matters.

Secondly, I want to invite you on a journey. The places that I paint are magical to me. Though they are local spaces, and perhaps familiar to many of you, they are spaces with beautiful lookouts, serene lakes and bubbling, frothy waterfalls. I want to share with you how I experience these spaces. Perhaps I will introduce you to “hidden gems” that are new to you or perhaps they are familiar spaces that remind you of the family picnic you had at Dunlop Fall. Maybe they are familiar spaces that my art allows you see in new and interesting ways. This is my hope. Some journeys will venture beyond Gatineau Park.

Finally, I want to share with you my art. I hope that you enjoy them and consider purchasing one should you feel moved to do so. Please respect copyright laws and do not reproduce them on your own.

So please join me as I learn about conservation, travel though beautiful spaces and share my art.

Bon voyage!

Mark.

Photo:Olivia Leon