How to describe the period from February 13 to 18, 2025. Toronto. Canada? In a word – it continues. There is little joy in the city from the snow, everything is buried in solid snowdrifts. Even cars did not rise to shovel them on Sunday. If the weather spoils us and more snow falls this week, then even a very active snow digger will give up from the impossibility of clearing the paths. On the night from Sunday to Monday, some crazy guys decided to drive along an uncleaned street. It all ended with one in a pickup truck flying up a mountain of snow across the road, breaking all the cables and scattering parts of the car. Removing it was also problematic, since it is difficult for cars to leave and arrive at the location. And at that moment I noticed that the cars were driving carefully along the open lane. And not one, not one stopped to help remove the moron from the hill! We must understand the harsh, specific character of our inhabitants.
Then a gusty wind blew and a small plane at the airport landed on the roof, flipping over and breaking its wings. How can they allow landings in such weather? And perhaps this is not the best time for flights. But today the sun is shining blindingly, cold, provocative. We fed the sparrows that spend the winter in our trees. The birds pounced on the food, not even waiting for us to move away. They already trust us. Weather-tested))
I am disabled in one eye, I am trying to pull myself out of idleness and painted. All the critics around me, discussing my work, say that I am great at landscapes. Winter ones, for example. So I am trying. I want to sweeten my condition with something. I am giving you a new work – Winter landscape You will see from it how much I miss painting with oil paints. Still, oil cannot be replaced by acrylic. And in the summer, when there is an opportunity to paint with oil paints in the open air, I will return to my favorite technique. In the meantime, for you – winter landscape
It is difficult to tell you in advance how the coming week will turn out. Today a warning was announced about very strong winds in our area, which will be accompanied by heavy snowfall. They ask to prepare for possible power outages. This is not usual for our area, but attempts have been made in past years. This means that it is impossible to predict what will happen tomorrow. About 8 years ago in the area I told you about, Midland, a huge hurricane passed, which destroyed almost the entire city and after which that area was recorded as an area of strong winds. But I am talking about something else, it is combined with surprises and unpredictability, but still more manageable. Today about my book. About my first book, published last year. I keep a diary and described how the book appeared and why. In September, my children’s book about the history of the fleet appeared in my hands. I celebrated its appearance with all my friends and I am glad that they liked it. This became my transition from one type of activity to another. I am happy and proud of it. And I have not stopped. Now I am preparing more, several children’s books at once. I hope that they will be published as planned, by autumn. I will allow myself to be a little smart and tell you my observations – while we are young, we search for ourselves, try and reject partly everything that was created and collected by the previous ones. And then, when we become wise and old, we combine knowledge and supplement it. This is how I see all those who create something new, who improve and transform their existence. In the last decade of my life, I cannot live without books, without the knowledge contained in books. Although before that, I was interested in film scripts and video images. A book can amazingly convey the time in which a person lived. And just a few posts ago, I described how Persia was created Masnavi by Rumi.
This is not only a book – a sacred scripture of the laws of life, but also funny wise stories, giving an example of an easy but instructive attitude to one’s existence, to the meaning of life and to the relationship between people.
This is the most important thing I want to convey to you.
My admiration for the art of the ancient and modern East knows no bounds. I am inspired by their elegance and careful observance of traditions. Imagine that most often in the shops at the bazaar or in the salons of small workshops you find entire generations of masters who have dedicated their lives to the work that their great-grandfather and father did. Wood inlay, olive wood carving, ornamentation on the walls and ceilings of mosques – all this is masterfully executed work that is passed down from generation to generation. And despite all the changes taking place in the East with the change of borders of countries and their existence, these people remain devoted to their craft. Simple, talented, modest masters who will take with them their accumulated knowledge, just as the masters who created the Persian rock baleriefs of Mesopotamia once disappeared.
(the combination of carving, inlay and very fine workmanship, finished in silver, creates the shine and magnificence of this door)
I have already described my admiration for the wooden door, made of silver inlay with mother-of-pearl. I will show you its appearance here. But this is the smallest gold that I would note as a reward for love of the East. I want to tell you that from the first books that were written in Arabic there are interesting books that we will talk about.
Masnavi by Rumi
This is an interesting collection of jokes and stories taken from the Koran, Hadith stories and simply Persian tales.
Can you, my readers, imagine the old days when books first appeared? That is, letters, written words, paper on which they wrote, and all this was formed into books. Books were written specifically for preservation and transmission to posterity, therefore, rules of conduct and lessons for edification, social order, descriptions of stories, examples of how to live and coexist were written in books. But also, the wise Persians had funny stories and jokes. Everything for the family, so to speak. In one book you could find everything
This is wisdom. This is Eastern, Islamic wisdom. It would be interesting to get a translation of these stories, because they focus on Sufi interpretations.
This is a work of Rumi – spiritual couplets. And it is the Koran in Persian. It is a six-volume poem.
It was written by Mawlada Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi, who lived 1207-1273, a Sufi poet, Islamic theologian, faqih. He is originally from the region of Afghanistan and Tajikistan, those places are also called Balkh and therefore he is sometimes called Balkh. His influence, after he created this poem, goes far beyond his place of residence and covers Turks, Greeks, Pashtuns, Persians. His poems have been translated into many languages of the world, and what is interesting is that he has become the best-selling poet in the United States in the modern world.
What is especially interesting is that his poems have received recognition both in the Arab world and in the Persian world, they have been translated and today they are read both in the original language and in translation. His works have influenced the popularity of Persian literature, the literary tradition of the Persians. I do not really understand what the differences are, so I ask if anyone knows more, please help me and correct me if I am wrong. After the death of his father, his son, in order to perpetuate the glory of his father’s works, founded the Sufi order of Mavavi, in whose rituals the works of Rumi are used. Remember those dancing darvishes in Turkey, who spin around themselves, twisting until they feel weightlessness? These darvishes, these men in long white dresses with caps on their heads, who can dance their amazing dances for a very long time, mastering weightlessness and standing firmly, not falling, dancing in a circle. Rami was their spiritual ancestor. Very interesting. Rum, Rumi – something familiar. Oh, yes. After all, this is the name of Byzantium, ancient Byzantium, Byzantine Anatolia, a place in southern Turkey. Before the conquest of this place by the Persians and Islamic Turks, it was known as Rome. Roman places. In Arabic, “Rumi” – Roman. Perhaps this refers to the Romans who lived in those places, to the Anatolian areas themselves. In Turkey, there is a tomb of Rumi – also known as the Mevlana Museum – in the city of Konya, Türkiye.
Rumi was from a family of a noble court theologian and his family faced flight, poverty and wandering because of the Mongol invasion of their state of Khorasan. They stopped in the region of southern Turkey, among the Seljuk Turks, where young Rumi received an education and was imbued with a Sufi mood. The most interesting thing that I would like to emphasize is that all the troubles, wars, the death of his son – strengthened him in his views and in old age he devoted himself to literature and preaching. Although his legacy is small, it is very significant. In his poems, he glorifies man, the values of man, his greatness. And this was revolutionary for the society of that time, since it went against the religious teachings of that time.
And thanks to this, his Masnavi appears – the most widely read poem in the world from his legacy. These are couplets in rhyme. And although there is no connection in his work, the tempo and rhythm are felt. The author wrote his work in part already reading it to his student – and here is the purest crystal purity of relations – no one appropriated it, did not sign under the lines, but passed it on, put it on paper and left a legacy as the work of Rami, indicating that the student wrote it. Rumi’s wisdom is beautiful and his poems are magnificent. His tone and tact in writing couplets is beautiful, it is refined and light. And it conveys the mood and talent of Rumi. At least that passage that is known to everyone – about the elephant. That everyone who touched the elephant described it in the dark as if they were feeling a certain part of the animal. And the end of the story is that everyone called it in their own way without seeing everything in general, but if they had turned on the light…… Beautiful…..
January 26,2025
I express my gratitude to the @AgaKhanMuseum Toronto
All exhibits shown in the post are exhibits of the museum and are presented for viewing. There is nothing better than looking at the past through today’s history. Thank you.
Since Midland was not far from where we first encountered Lake Huron in winter, we decided to visit it. I forgot to say that Penetanguishene the name is long and difficult for visitors to pronounce, so it was shortened by half and even the old name of the railway station was Penetang.
Midland is on the road to Penetanguishene.
That is, you need to drive through Midland to get to that city. Therefore, all roads lead to Midland. And although this city on the map is somehow nondescript and seemingly unremarkable. But this is the city with which the history of Huronia is connected. It is located south of the Georgian Bay’s 300 islands and is very economically developed.
Of course, when we went into the Midland Museum and saw those old photographs reflecting the former life of this city, I was very sorry that now there is no railroad to this wonderful place. But once it was the railroad that filled this area with life. But the history of this place is connected with the history of the Hurons – a local Indian tribe that had a large settlement in this area and a developed economy and was engaged in the extraction of beaver fur, fur and grew corn. The Huron tribe or otherwise called Wendat lived in this place. Due to diseases, wars and displacements, they migrated and now there are 5000 of them and their reservation is in Quebec. However, for us they left a reminder of themselves in the form of an Indian village, Huron village, which is in the Huron Museum.
I already wrote that we didn’t have to choose the time and weather, we used what we had and were very happy that the museum was open on Monday. Yes, I want to note that it was in Canada that I fell in love with small towns for their museums. No other large museum in Toronto has such a colorful exhibit. To see a real store from 1900, to see the design models of ships that sank in Lake Huron, to see the desks at which our great-grandmothers sat – it’s worth coming to the Huron Museum on Monday.
And the winter continued. And the snow fell, as if the gray sky had a hole and could not stop until it poured out all the snow. And there were snowstorms in places both on the road and in the field. But it was all worth it to get to this Huron village. The museum workers opened the door for us and we found ourselves behind a wooden fence in a small cozy settlement, which was all made of wood. In front of us there was a small roofed table made of thin tree branches and a log-hewn table, a half-hut, where people were apparently sitting. Further on there was a hut that went underground – the shaman’s house. The tribe’s shamans did not live in the village, but were in seclusion and came when called. The shaman’s house was half underground – I assume that this was for insulation from the cold and heat. In front of the entrance there were animal skins and some other symbols.
Huron/Wendat(Ouendat) Village
For tourists and visitors, everything is built like this, just so that we can see examples. Opposite the shaman’s house there was something like a wooden table covered with leaves and capes. Under it there was a hole and the remains of firewood. We were told that this was the place where the shaman treated people – they would put the sick person on top and light a fire underneath and fumigate. In our time, I do not know if such rituals exist, but I can confirm that many indigenous people study Indian medicine. Further on there is a large tall wooden house, because of which we came to see this village. The house is unique. It is built of large wooden beams. It has a solid foundation and a semi-oval high roof. That is, the roof arch is high. And when we entered this winter blizzard weather, when we were covered with snow in this dwelling, then all the fuss, all the bad weather remained outside the doors. Inside the house there are two floors. In the middle between rests of the fire – they cooked food and warmed themselves there. On these floors, on wooden crossbars, people slept. Wooden houses are very long and high. And in Indian villages there were up to 50 of them. Sometimes even more. All such villages were necessarily built near water, reservoirs, rivers and lakes. Inside the houses there are beaver skins. And for some reason they made me sad that this served as a source of wars and the death of tribes because at some time in history it became a value and they fought, killed and pursued them. Beaver skins were most prized. Also, when the first settlers came to this peninsula and met these tribes, they saw women dressed in rich fur clothes, in beautifully sewn fur decorations and decorated with gold jewelry. After that, a stream of hunters and traders came here This disrupted the normal life of people. Changed. Changed forever. It is also interesting to note that the Indians exchanged skins for glass beads and iron products for growing corn. When burying the dead, they placed glass beads and iron vessels, shovels, knives next to the deceased. This was considered wealth and honor. There are such glass beads in the jewelry of local tribes. Well, today I want to thank them for the fact that thanks to these tribes, corn was brought to Europe. And to this day, the cultivation of corn is a priority for local residents and their pride. Although corn is a difficult crop to grow, it is multifaceted and good for both livestock farming and food. Its production and cultivation brings profit and helps the circulation of rural producers. Today in Europe it competes with the production of wheat and even surpasses it. The Indians also grew tobacco and were engaged in fishing and hunting. The communities were mostly vegetarians. Only in winter, during the hunting season, did they eat meat. Basically, their food consisted of plant and fish. In the history of Midland there is a story associated with the name Jean de Brebeuf.
But I won’t write about it today, because we were trying to go to St.Ignace II,but we were unlucky again. There was a very strong snowstorm on the road. The snow was raging. It was getting dark. The cars were driving carefully one after another along the highway. Visibility was impaired. The snow was sticky and thick. We turned onto the road to the area. We drove to the sign. There the road became dangerous as written on the road signs. I still continued driving until it narrowed to one passable car and when entering or entering the place we found a pickup truck that blocked the entrance. It was standing on the road, blocking the passage. There was no one in the car and there was snow around the car. We turned around and drove away, deciding that the trip would need to be repeated in more suitable weather and time.
Creating a new project with the onset of the new year, these are very significant changes in my career and in my life. What influences the final result and how all the work changes in connection with the new project, it is very difficult to talk about it a lot, and even more difficult to explain.
In previous years, I got used to keeping silent and doing my job, showing you the result of the work. And this always hid the colossal expenditure of time on the production of the product. The final result came out as something easy to do, not requiring large expenses and time. But with the complication of my tasks, I have to abstract myself from life, close myself off in order to produce more and more, create and implement my plans. That is why today I am simply telling you that I am alive, healthy and very busy.
All my free time, which is very little, I devote to my family, children and walks. This helps to distract myself and, conversely, creates an atmosphere of community and comfort.
a small drop from future projects I am posting for you now. Please use all iso-images that are published on this site as original works and repost only with the mention of my name. Any attempts to use images otherwise will be considered a violation of copyright.
What happened is incredible. Using the computer, everything that was accumulated on the disk over the last 13 years of life in Canada was erased. There are two ways – to restore what we are working on and to start all over again. That’s how it happens. I have to publish my works that remained on the documents in this computer. But still, I draw great You can support me with just likes, comments or buy a painting that is on https://www.saatchiart.com/en-ca/. Find Helen Polishuk
As it should have been, we entered the new 2019 year. Year of the pig. And that means that we are waiting for a lot of changes, dirty tricks, a lot of work and all sorts of good news.
About this all I want to tell you, my readers.
And now all news …
First , the site I have been working with for 2+ years is www.artfinder.com/helen-polishuk#
It is English site.Best English website for artists.
I am very accustomed to it. It is family-owned, limited, simple, but rather conservative in terms of attitude both to artists and to the evaluation of our works.
The site is changed this year.
It’s about payments, but more about screening out artists.
New working conditions with him are introduced.
The artists were divided into three categories, the first one is free, but at least 30 paintings are on sale and 40% goes to the site from the sale of the painting.
The second – 33% goes to the site, also a limit of up to 50 paintings and $ 5 per month payment. A third of 33% of the price of the picture goes to the site, no limit for exhibiting paintings and $ 15 per month.
I do not know why, the site blocked the use of Paypal, which made it difficult for me to sell the paintings since last fall. I was out of Canada to regulate the banking process. In general, all this concerns tax changes. Because there are strict changes.
I continue to work with this site. I limit the display of my paintings there, but I will develop and develop myself in other places.
So, I improve this my site. Now you can buy pictures from here.
There is a page on Facebook if you find.
www.facebook.com/helenpolishukart.
There are coupons to buy paintings from this site at a discount.(my secret) 🙂
And if you write to me at email: contact @ helenpolishuk.com and we will agree on the sale, how to shipping, how to pay, I will gladly give you more discount. 🙂
The main thing is to discuss all the details.
I created two sites on the FB.
www.facebook.com/helenpolishukart
And
www.facebook.com/CanadaPetrykivka
They are completely different. One about art, the second about Ukrainian art.
Both sites are working and will talk about art, news and small announcements about ongoing events
I am expanding the sale in my surroundings and my paitings are leaving me.
I expand the sale in my environment and my pictures go away.
So, this week I’m breaking up with these beautiful paintings . Let her new owners be warm and pleasant to look at them at home.
I remind you that when buying my painting I give a Certificate of Authenticity to every purchaser.
I am very active on the instagram page @polishukelena
The beginning of the new 2019 year inspired me to write about my paintings about winter.
You will immediately think that I love this topic. I live in Canada, where there is a lot of winter,more than 6 month in year. And I manage to draw winter. I often received prizes and exhibited my works at exhibitions or published them in publications. But I will disappoint you, this is one of my directions, but not the most beloved. I am very good drawing the winter.
Now those traditions of drawing, with which I started ,a little outdated. This is still the traditional East European school, the old Russian traditions
Over the years I began to move away from the primary methods of drawing. You will be able to see how my equipment has changed on the example of the exposed photos in this post. I am not an adherent of one theme and one style, one picture. I always want a new one. It is in my life I am fidget.
Proposed for your viewing paintings, this is a small part of my work. I don’t have many of them for a long time. They are in collections all over the world.
The paintings of my works below are still relevant. They are on sale in websites along with other paintings:
https://www.artfinder.com/helen-polishuk#/
https://www.saatchiart.com/helenpolishuk
https://www.artmajeur.com/helen-polishuk
http://helenpolishuk.com/
Already living in Canada,I created intresting collection of small paintings devoted to winter.
This is a lively collection filled with originality.
There are many things that show that I live in Canada. These are the buildings of houses and the landscape of nature.
I set up here to draw small pictures.
I will not say that it is special. I liked it.
Many critics say that on the contrary, it is harder to paint small paintings than big ones.
I will argue. It is easy for me to draw small paintings.
That’s just sometimes you have to repeat to remove the layer of paint, shade white.
Therefore, the painting is not created in one month, and sometimes it takes about a year to finish it. This is the process of highlighting more places in the painting.
Using this painting as an example, I show how applying a bleached layer several times gives a glow to the picture. It is like nourished with small bright lights. Very impressive!!!!!
The range of shades is wide, although the winter landscape is monotonous. This is not true in my collection.
I continue to look to my direction. And the rest of my work only complements what was said
I am glad to work for you and ask, look more often at my sites, read my posts, like and forward. Everything I do, I create for you, my dear friends…..
