Tag: Helen Polishuk

Rainbow Story

Helen Polishuk Leave a comment

I want to start a project of sunny, joyful, interesting posts for the summer of 2025. This is how I perceive everything that makes summer in Toronto bright and unforgettable. This is LUMINATO.

RAINBOW DREAM

The whole city has been filled with rainbow installations since June. In parks, squares and public places in Toronto you can see these multi-colored installations or banners inviting you to visit them.
And this has colored the business center of Toronto, its busiest places, business centers, parks near the largest and most important business centers. This has created a feeling of joy and a play of love.
But no one thought about what it means.
Well, installations, beautiful unimaginable flowers, near which a child can play or adults can take selfies, you can eat lunch during a work break or take a leisurely walk.
But this is much more than just decoration and I will begin to tell from a rainbow dream.

This is a collected idea, which consists of many colorful decorations. In the center of which there is a wheel, which is located in 181 Bay St W.

This circle reminds us, children who grew up in Eastern Europe, of a “squirrel in a wheel” or a drum that you spin to win a prize.
There is something of this, but on the first day of the opening, a psychologist, the founder of this installation and its organizer, told us about this installation.


I was lucky enough to see it.

She said that the idea of ​​the wheel is that a person gets inside the wheel, takes the handrail with his hands, starts walking with his feet and the wheel starts spinning. You can adjust the speed from low to high enough to make the person feel comfortable and happy. It may happen that your head starts spinning and at that moment – a request, the most important thing here, is to look 15 degrees to the right of the wheel at the opposite wall of the hall, where an imitation of fire is created from glass and colored beads in the wall from the ceiling to the floor. This fire distracts a person and the person forgets about his illness and he feels normal, he comes to normal.
This is how a psychologist helps to cope with difficulties.


In stress – to get out of stress, you need to quickly switch over so that the body does not get sick and gets out of discomfort.
Around this rainbow circle, bright pillows are scattered, where children and adults can take a nap, play. There is a place for relaxation and peace.

In this days, the famous dancer HIROMI TANGO took part in RAINBOW DREAM.

This is the one you see in the advertisement for this event.

And I was pleased to see the happy faces of the people who came up to look. After all, the working day of these people is very busy and this is downtown, the busiest business place with thousands of company employees. The working side of Toronto and Ontario is created here and here in June these rainbow islands blossomed LUMINATO FESTIVAL.

DREAM ORIGAMI GARDEN

Do you like origami? Have you ever made origami yourself? And what if you are taught by ALEX YUE the most famous origami creator in Canada?

Now imagine a working day. Lunch break. A huge building filled with different businesses and companies.
And people come down, knowing that they have limited time for rest. They come, sit down next to them and start creating origami flowers. I have never created flowers before.
That is, not like that. I have created flowers, but origami flowers that I created under Alex’s guidance, this is the first time.


It was joyful to take an absolutely clean colored piece of paper, turn it one way, turn it over, bend it and turn it the other way and in your hands a beautiful flower.

And so a garden of origami flowers was created, in which there is also a part of me.

And on the street in the park near our building, incredibly beautiful flowers bloomed.

And how nice it is to come to these flowers during lunch break. Many young people take selfies, children play.
Bright colorful giant flowers between business places in Toronto
A great idea.

And in the window of our glass business center there are origami garden decorations made by everyone who loves and is keen on origami.

I left, the weather changed to rain. But in the summer rain these instillations become even brighter

Taking part in the creation of beauty is a gift. And decorating the city, giving joy, warmth and love is wealth.

Origami workshops are free and run until June 22nd in Bay-Adelaide Centre,333 Bay St.

More:https://www.luminatofestival.com/

Dawn Chorus

Helen Polishuk Leave a comment

It took a few days to make posts and get ready for an active summer life. Today I will tell you about a very interesting event that took place on June 5.
This event is called Dawn Chorus.

It was a mysterious, divine, extraordinary, tear-jerking, majestic event.

It took place in the morning, very early, already at 7 am and lasted until 9 am. This time was chosen specifically. At this time during the week, on Wednesday,people are rushing to work. The place of action was also chosen specifically – the busiest subway station Toronto-Union Station. The exit is the busiest – into the premises of an old high-rise building Bay-Adelaide Place,55 Front St.W.

The lively crowd in the building that day in the morning was filled with the magical singing of 6 choirs, which were located on two floors of the house.

Choirs were selected for this event not only from Canada. I had the opportunity to work with a choir from Bulgaria.
So, in the morning, a large crowd rushes to work. And then the music begins to sound. Acapella singing of choirs. The singing of choirs was heard from several sides of the building at once. It was so fantastic that it seemed that some kind of magic was happening.
The thing is that the places where the choirs were located were chosen so as not to interfere with people passing by, but in an acoustic place where the sound was most audible.

Six points of two floors sounded in polyphony.

I can show a rehearsal before the performance of the Bulgarian choir. From the video you will understand how correctly the place for the choir was chosen.


The repertoire of the choirs was composed of songs about the morning, about spring. about Easter, connected with the sun, the arrival of spring. The songs excited and gave energy.

People stopped….
Listened…..
Standed still for a moment…….
Pull out their cell phones, took pictures. Then ran off to do their business…..

The polyphony flowed non-stop. One choir fell silent, while the sounds of singing came from another choir from the upper floor. Then it was heard somewhere to the left.
And it flowed from floor to floor, enveloping the walls and the room.

The most crowded place in Toronto, in the middle of the week, in the morning, sang in many languages, exciting, giving such an energetic flavor that no one was indifferent.

And even though it’s been a week, I can’t forget it.
It intertwines with the morning birdsong when I wake up in the rays of the sun.
It adds enchantment and some magic.

Then these choirs dissolved into the crowd and, without haste, one by one went to gather in a heap under the main dome of the building. Each of the choristers walked, playing a clay pipe.
It was interesting to see this.
They gathered in the central hall and sang their main song.

A fantastic idea. An unsurpassed performance.
How one must love people and enjoy music to give such a wonderful morning song to the residents of Toronto.
This is LUMINATO.

#luminatofestivale

St.Andrew by-the-lake

Helen Polishuk

Yes, today I will tell you about my journey and acquaintance with the church, which is the oldest church on Toronto Island, this is St. Andrew’s Anglican Church.

The church was built in 1884 and existed in the central part of the island, on the main Lakeshore street.

Several decades ago the church was moved to this place where it stands today. There is a beautiful park growing around it, a boat stop and a hiking trail nearby.

On May 24 and 25, the church is open to all visitors during the Door Open Toronto.
This is a great opportunity for all Toronto residents and beyond. Residents of Quebec and groups of tourists who visit the island come here and get to know the church with interest. #DOT #DOT2025


The service that is active this year – bike rental – is also very helpful to go around the island.

At the entrance to the church there are stands that tell about the history of the church and the times and seasons that took place near the church. In winter, it was skiing, skating on frozen water. In summer, it was cycling activities, which do not stop today.

Life on the island is not easy. There have been floods and natural disasters.
But today it remains in photographs. Today a school has been built on the island, there is a water collection station equipped with the highest quality filters. But there are no shops on the island, all products are bought and brought from the mainland. Therefore, local residents have developed their own farms here, where they bake delicious bread and pastries.
I treated myself to a delicious kich, which was baked for the guests of the church.

The church preserves a history that almost coincides in time with the history of Canada itself.
And this is reflected in the beautiful stained glass windows of the church.
I have only seen stained glass windows like this in a church St.Georgeis on-the-Hill Anglican Church in Etobicoke on Dundas.

Both churches are beautiful and the stained glass windows are simply a delight. And most importantly, they contain the history of the churches themselves. I will try to tell you about the stained glass windows of St. Andrew’s by-the-lake Church.

The main ones, located at the head of the church, behind the altar, tell of St. Andrew’s patronage of fishermen.

It speaks of the hard, harsh life of the islanders in the struggle with the water element and the help and blessing from Saint Andrew.

The side stained glass windows are created in memory of events and people.
Thus, at the entrance on the left there are two beautiful stained glass windows that remind us that faith and help are very important for society and the survival of the commune.

This stained glass window depicts Christ blessing the children and was created by McCausland Studio in 1923.

This is a memory about Harry Ryrie( 1862-1917) who had a summer home on the Island at 398 Lakeshore,a few doors from the church before it was moved.The Ryrie’s family also donated 50 park benches at Centre Island.

This thrilight window showing Christ praying in the garden of Gethsemane,flanked by

two angels.This window was donated by Robert and Emy Spence.

This is a memory of the island’s inhabitants who died during the First World War. 58 island inhabitants gave their lives as soldiers and participating in the First World War.At the bottom of the stained glass window you can see a Red Cross nurse caring for a wounded soldier.

On the right, at the entrance to the church, on a gilded plaque are carved the names of those who died in the First World War for the Queen, for Canada.

WEEKLY SUNDAY SERVICE
10:30 am

​ALL ARE WELCOME!

Travel to the island

Helen Polishuk

Every city that is located on a large body of water, on the ocean, on a lake or river, has islands near it.
Historically, or it is the help of nature, I do not know, but in our life it is always a very interesting addition to the existence of the city itself.
To say that the island and the city are interconnected – no. They exist independently of each other and their presence only adds zest to the existence of the city itself.
To go out for a day, or for a few hours, or for a day with an overnight stay – it is pleasant, interesting and a certain experience.
Toronto Island is several islands that are connected by this name. There are bridges and connections between them. There is a domestic Toronto airport on this island. Therefore, you can always see how planes land on the island. It is especially interesting to watch in cloudy weather, when clouds cover visibility above the fifth floor and you can see how suddenly an airplane takes off from dark clouds and slowly lands on the island. All houses with a view of the lake in the central part of Toronto have such a pleasure.
But I’ll start everything in order, namely along the route that I’ll share today.

Of course, I will comment on everything that I liked along the way. So, I got on the subway at Bathurst St.Whether it’s my love for murals or classicism with baroque, I was struck and liked this mural opposite the enter on the subway.

I took the 510 streetcar to Spadina and rode along the street, enjoying the morning city. Few people talk about the day off. And it helps me to look at the drawings on the walls of the houses and admire the old and new buildings.

Tim Hortons is open as always and it’s impossible to resist its smell.

Well, that’s understandable. With the onset of warm weather, the city begins to undergo repairs and is all in traffic jams, congestion and repair scaffolding.

How old houses with aluminum high-rises are structured is visible in this video. There is a mixture of cultures, styles and times.

The presence of the CNTower on the horizon indicates that we are in the city center and approaching the embankment.

I got out on the embankment and calmly walked to the meeting place, to the entrance to the pier.

The meeting was scheduled near the statue of Jack Layton near Jack Layton Ferry Terminal.

Jack Gilbert Layton was a Canadian academic and polistican who served as a Leader of the New Democratic Party from 2003 to 2011.

Bronze sculpture of Jack Layton was unveilled in 2013 at Toronto island ferry terminal.

Symbolizm of this bike:,,Together you support each other,just like a community.”

Layton on the back seat of tandem bicycle,much like one he rode with his family,with the front seat open for people to hop on and take pictures.

My route went from the farry station to the island.

I will immediately note that despite the early hour and the day off, there were a lot of people near the pier. People gathered in families and groups. Many moved with fishing gear and their own bicycles. The weather did not promise to be either warm or sunny. Cold, constant, strong, gusty rain.

Having bought a ticket, you find yourself waiting for the ferry to arrive and, having gathered with the passengers, you simply wait until you can take a seat on the ferry. Seats are on a first come, first served basis. But there are a lot of seats, some on top to watch and take photos and some inside the ferry. There is always enough space for everyone.

You can spend a whole day on the island. And although it is small, there are many interesting entertainments, many parks and attractions, specially organized places for children, where there is a small zoo, a cable car and even a railway. And all this together is very interesting and attractive.

There are many recreation areas on the island, there are tables and there are playgrounds where you can relax and sit with family and friends, there are cafes and restaurants.

Well, and the number of flowers, beautiful parks and blossoming trees, I just keep quiet, because in spring everything comes to life and this range of floral delight simply envelops. This year, for the first time on the island, there is such a service that you can rent a bike and ride from one side of the island to the other, walk in the most interesting places. Everywhere there are devices to put the bike and go have a coffee.

It gives me great pleasure to see beautiful tulips.

So, the ferry arrived, the doors opened and everyone waiting went to take their seats. I climbed onto the deck, I wanted, like many others, to photograph the view of the city from the ferry.

There were many ferries nearby. They go to the island strictly according to the hours and schedule. One comes, another goes to the island.

You can sit on the deck and calmly watch the waves gently rock the ferry. Perhaps in winter or during a strong storm, the waves are high. But today the weather is very spring-like and the trip from morning to evening will be eventful.

So, we unmoored, the horn blew and the ferry slowly went along the water.
The distance between the Toronto shore and the island is small, it takes 15-20 minutes.
The island became an island not very long ago.
It was part of a sand dune on the Scarborough Banff side. But then it washed away and the island separated and began to live its own life.

From the ferry station there are three directions of piers on the island.
There are a huge number of taxis that take you for 13 dollars one way.
The ferry costs 10 dollars round trip.

This is a wonderful photo, a beautiful view, because of which this trip happened.
View of Toronto from the ferry that goes to Toronto Island.
About what I saw and where I visited on the island in the next post.


I want to remind you that there is still a sale of my paintings and you can take advantage of the biggest discount of 20% off use code SUNBEAM20

https://www.saatchiart.com/en-ca/helenpolishuk

Traffic Light

Helen Polishuk

Can you imagine that in our city life the most important object in behavior on the street, in safety and correct presence on the street of such a big city as Toronto, is a traffic light.

It does not allow you to stroll carefree along the fastest highways, it stops you, makes you wait, let cars pass politely and then carefully lights up the green light so that you can calmly cross the road. Do not rush. No need to rush, because the computer has calculated for you how much time you need so that you can calmly cross the road. Do not take risks. In the last minutes, when there are 2-3 seconds left, you are unlikely to have time to run, and angry drivers do not want to give in to their time and the law and jump out in the first seconds of their traffic.

And not late, looking at large skyscrapers and various passers-by. Be vigilant and collected.
This is the most important law of life in a huge megacity every day. Going out into the street in the morning and ending with evening walks.
No matter how we miss it, but everything in a big city is collected in one big digital regime movement. It is interesting to watch this when you think about it. Here on the right at the traffic light, pedestrian traffic has started. The red color appeared. The cars started moving. Here the cars stopped. Pedestrians are crossing the street in front of you.
Red again. The cars started moving. Here the green light came on to your left and pedestrians are walking towards you. Stop.
The cars started moving. Again the traffic stopped.
Here the red light changed to green and the road opened for me.
I can go. I am crossing the road.
Sometimes this rhythm is like music. Through it, somewhere, the sound of a disgruntled driver pops out, pushing a passerby to quickly cross the road and stand on the sidewalk.
Sometimes the rhythm is interrupted by the signals of firefighters or an ambulance or a policeman.
Sometimes the traffic light stops working and then a policeman saves it, who stands in the middle of the road and regulates traffic.
But this is very rare.
More often, workers arrive, fence off part of the road, restrict traffic and clean, repair or clean up.
Life of a Toronto street.
I was able to convey this rhythm in my new painting, which is exhibited on my website :

https://www.saatchiart.com/en-ca/helenpolishuk

The painting is small, but very dear to me, as it continues the theme of city life. And it is called, “Traffic Light”.

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Traffic-Light/970132/12657685/view

This picture in miniature collects the minutes before the car starts moving in a big city.
Now it’s red. Then the green will open and the cars will go.
The city of Toronto is big and beautiful. The city traffic is complicated, there are many traffic jams and repairs.
And the most important regulator of street life in the city remains the traffic light

20 % off use code SUNBEAM20 up to May 29,2025

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Traffic-Light/970132/12657685/view
https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Traffic-Light/970132/12657685/view

Black Monday

Helen Polishuk

Black Monday
Great news for collectors and art lovers.
Only 10 days, starting today, Monday, May 19, 2025 and the next ten days until May 29, 2025, an incredible promotion from Saatchi Gallery – 20% discount on all paintings in my collection. Use code SUNBEAM20.

https://www.saatchiart.com/en-ca/helenpolishuk


These are original paintings that have my authenticity and signature and are an invaluable asset to collectors around the world.
For 10 days, you can choose and buy any of the paintings for your collection.
There are portraits and I will focus on one of them and tell you in more detail today about the phenomenal similarity of the painting with ..? Read on.
There are landscapes, of this year’s landscapes, only one winter landscape remains, which is made with acrylic on canvas.
Between the huge paintings, there is a beautiful painting that will enliven any salon – flowers. The composition is made with a mix techniques on canvas and dazzles with the brightness and warmth of the colors.
There are city’s landscapes, where each of the paintings is very dear to me – the Traffic Light is everyday Toronto, the Church is summer, bright and very expensive Kyiv, a piece of architecture of an Arab city and a Gothic unique spring Dutch city.
That it.?! No, take a look and you will understand everything yourself.
Only online.


And about one portrait…..
The story of one painting from the list submitted for the action.
This is one of five paintings that I created in 2017, which is already distant for me, and it remains the only one. For obvious reasons, I did not put my son’s portrait up for sale, but this portrait – for some reason a lot of people looked at it and quietly left it aside.
Somehow it reminded them of someone and they just walked around it.

Hmm..
The events of the war in Ukraine reminded me – half a face of whom it reminds. But when I created it, there was no specific person in front of me, just a creative image.
I never thought that half a face would appear in such a portrait.
I don’t even need half a face.

It’s interesting that people carefully avoid it. And it’s clear for what reasons.
An interesting moment in history.

Everything that was.

Everything that will be and we are now in this moment.
I’m not commenting. I’m just telling you what is usual for an artist and asking for your permission to have an opinion

SPRING

Helen Polishuk

Why does April end so quickly?
Who can answer this question?
Maybe time has been sped up and it has become faster?
Maybe there are a lot of things to do and they make the day go by faster?
Maybe you are just lazy?
All together – it is spring.
What will you do to enjoy the fresh gust of wind that brings spring and beauty?
What will you do to change the usual atmosphere for new activities and meetings?
What will you do to stop everything and do your most beloved and dear – creativity?
Spring.
Every day of April was different.
The sun will jump out and happy people, undressing, will start meeting in the awakened city.
Then the wind will blow and everyone will hide in their houses again.
And the trees are still bare – they do not feel the warmth and sun – there is too little of it yet.
They have not received the signal and the order – blossom, there will be no cold until October.
Even the birds – although it is time for them to build their nests and sit down to hatch their chicks, they are not ready yet. The birds have already divided into their pairs, in some places they are still dividing up territories (we were at the lake last weekend and saw two males dancing in front of each other on the water, screaming loudly).

Their dance is a struggle and competition.

In April, everything is reborn.
Everything that was old and unnecessary recedes into oblivion, like rotten grass after winter.
Much is realized in a new way, in a different way, and changes with awakening.

What I would like to tell you now is one piece of wisdom that I have noticed in flowers.
Bulbous flowers are the first to wake up. These are beautiful, bright, fragrant flowers, whose rebirth is laid down far in the depths of winter and cold.
And here is what a strong productive energy is laid down in them when they go towards the light, towards the sun and warmth. They overcome a lot of obstacles to expose their tiny heads for one week to the spring sun. And only one week they play with their beauty. Only one week they give their love.
Wonderful!
After them, as a signal, the buds on the trees begin to move – I noticed from the cut grapes that this is how the vessels supply juice and nutrition from the roots to the branches at the beginning of spring to revive the buds on the trees. And now, during the day, you can see how the buds come to life, gain strength, put on their color, and grow in volume.
Wonderful!
Coming home, you want to change it, decorate and update it.
I took on this difficult task and decided that I would update the house by making artificial flowers from delicate violets and grapevine saved from last year’s fall.
What came out of it? A small decor that can be easily hung anywhere in the room.
Mood?
Wonderful!

Remember me at

https://www.saatchiart.com/en-ca/helenpolishuk

After silence

Helen Polishuk

What to write after a long silence of two months?

What to say when it is better to just keep quiet? And it is true.

This year(2025 Snack) is very scary in its events and in its course. Starting the year with fantastic plans and the development of my art gallery, which Art Etobicoke gratefully offered me, with plans to fulfill the dream of working with children and adults, teaching them artistic creativity, improving my mentoring skills – instead of this, I will simply say that I fell out of life. I had to chaotically take up the creation of paintings, because I was afraid to stop. There was a time when creating paintings was so difficult for me, but very necessary. Therefore, there was another period when I posted and wrote and created something, until I stopped. And at this zero, it is already very difficult to get up, start your creative motor, pick up the speed that was at the beginning of the year. My loved ones, my environment, “moves” me. Thanks to them, I am grateful.
I have already visited the Easter bazar.
It even seemed to me that it was not only me – the audience of the bazar was so small.

I slept through (in the full sense of the word) the February and March gallery meetings.
Yesterday, for the first time after silence, I filled out a questionnaire for the upcoming exhibition.
That’s why I say – it is difficult to start something when the energy is at zero. There are a lot of internal excuses that twist from within and belatedly ask not to go, not to agree, not to rush, not to create, no..no..no.
However, I will tell you and show you all three paintings that I will present at the exhibition this month.
It turned out that, in keeping with the theme, they were all created in 2019. Not at the end, when the quarantine dome hung over us all, but at the beginning. This was special year. I have created a lot of paintings and they all differ from the previous and subsequent ones in style and color. Series 2019.

This series is made in a warm yellow-brown ochre color with my unique style of abstract expressionism that I created in those two years. It is the strokes that add charm to the paintings, they have more emphasis and meaning.
Everything in order.


Small, delicate two paintings, “Ballerina 1” and “Ballerina 2” were created at the same time. It was a period that absorbed in me to express the feminine inner creative “I”.

It was embodied in the movement of the Ballerina, in her dance, in her hand positioning and image.

This is not some specific ballerina, this is an image that symbolizes femininity and love for dance. There was a romantic mood and I really wanted to embody it in the painting. Therefore, I combined the dance and the image of the ballerina to emphasize the feminine principle, Venus and the symbol of beauty, grace and fragility. The paintings were painted on a base where I chose yellow ocher.

Working with this color was the basis of 2019. You will ask:,,Why exactly this colour?” It is not a bright color. It is a shadow, tint, primary color.

This is exactly what made me work with it.

I I was time not drawn to brightness. I left the dark color that I loved in previous years – in previous years I was carried away by black. In general, I have a lot of dark colors – early paintings were similar to graphics and made in oil on canvas in a black and white collection after returning from France in early 1995-1996. These paintings can now only be seen in buyers’ collections.
I survived that period and was reborn and no longer want to return to the black and white palette. So I am also finished with this yellow-brown ochra period.
I will repeat once again – there was a period of absolute warmth and love, grounding and comprehension at the beginning of 2019, when nothing promised tragic consequences and the closure of the quarantine curtain over all of us.
I dabbled in a casual style and painted … myself … my experiences. They were expressed in the next painting, “Nude”.

The style and manner of execution of this painting is that I use strokes to mask the clarity and the stroked outline of a naked woman. But you all see perfectly well that this is a woman. As if naked, we see the silhouette, but at the same time, we do not clearly see her body.
And the mysticism that has accompanied me throughout my life as an artist.
It was 2019. Look at the left shoulder of the female silhouette – there is a tattoo there.
Imagine that two years later, on a pre-war trip to Kyiv, in that place of body, on my left shoulder, I got a tattoo, along the outlines – like in this painting.
I did not even think about it on purpose.
I will even say it differently.

After creating this painting, “Nude”, I covered it with varnish and hid it until better times, because in my circle there was no opportunity to exhibit it in a gallery salon and there was no demand for it.

That is, as always, it was born ahead of time.
And here is the year 2025.
Yesterday I received an application to submit my works for the upcoming exhibition. I began to leaf through all my works (I have electronic versions of my works, collected by year)
The theme of the upcoming exhibition is Gender.
And I settled on these three paintings, in which “Nude” is the central one.

Continuation

Helen Polishuk

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

Size:7 ”x5

Acrylic on canvas

Feb 2025

https://www.saatchiart.com/en-ca/helenpolishuk

Midland is a beautiful city

Helen Polishuk

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.