Category Archives: Photography

Chad Hiltz’s Awesome Re-Imagined ’34 DeSoto

September 29, 2019 By in Nova Scotia, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 37 Comments

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While I often highlight notable visual artists, I’m sure most of us appreciate that artistic creativity is expressed in many forms.  Case in point is Chad Hiltz, who has carved out a distinctive niche creating all manner of custom vehicles.  While he’s done his share of classic car restorations, where Hiltz really shines is using the old bones and other raw material of a rusty jalopy and making that into something that was previously nowhere else but in his imagination.

An excellent example of Hiltz’s work is his take on a delivery truck for Noggins Corner Farm Market and Cider Company, a local farm market and cider company in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, which is where I crossed paths with  Hiltz’s spiffy creation on a recent weekend drive.  I pulled over and snapped a few shots and then made a note to find out about the backstory.  The curves, the styling, the double rear axles, and so much more about this one-of-a-kind street rod are all inspiring!   I don’t know all the details for this build but the starting point was the body of a 1934 DeSoto Airflow sedan, a car that when introduced was noted for its then-innovative aerodynamic design.  Hiltz took that foundation and elongated it and then reinterpreted what that car might be if it were a truck.  The results are outstanding.

Hiltz operates Hiltz Auto Co. in Canning, N.S. and has parlayed his creative skills into a Discovery Channel – Canada show called “Bad Chad Customs”.   His Facebook page has additional photos showing the progress of his work on this Noggins Cider delivery truck.

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Similar Posts on O’Canada:

~ Cool Vintage Junkyard For Sale

~ Backroads Nova Scotia: Old Chevy Truck

~ Broke-Down Dodge Truck

Manhole Covers Roundabout Saint John

August 11, 2019 By in Art, New Brunswick, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , , , 44 Comments

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Another installment of these cast iron circles, this time from Saint John, New Brunswick.

Hard to say for certain, but I found this group a bit grittier than those in other places.

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Similar Posts on O’Canada:

> Halifax’s Manhole Covers

> Creativity Afoot!: Toronto’s Varied Manhole Covers

> Manhole Covers of Quebec City

 

Quirky and Quaint: Signs of Saint John (Pt. 1)

August 3, 2019 By in Art, Business, New Brunswick, Photography Tags: , , , , , 41 Comments

On a recent late Spring visit to Saint John, N.B. the distinctive signs adorning area shops and walls added lots of color and charm to a meandering walk through the city center.

Similar posts on O’Canada:

⇒ Signs of Vibrant Charlottetown

⇒ On the Street Toronto: Fun & Unusual Signs

⇒ Love These Vintage Neon and Bulb Signs!

 

Backroads Nova Scotia: Old Chevy Truck

November 10, 2018 By in History, Nova Scotia, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , 50 Comments
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Vintage Chevrolet Truck, Backroads of Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia

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I’m always thrilled when I come across a rusty old truck or auto from the early era of transportation and I have my camera handy.  This vintage Chevrolet truck, from about the late 1930s (my guess), was perfectly situated near a weathered garage down a meandering country road.  The distinctive front-end of this truck features an oversized grill, exaggerated fenders with standout headlights, and an iconic sleek hood ornament.  I spoke with the owner, who explained that he restored old vehicles.  So this vintage beauty may yet roll along the road again and turn a few heads as it does.

Vintage Chevrolet Truck, Backroads of Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia

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Vintage Chevrolet Truck, Backroads of Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia

 

Similar Posts on O’Canada:

~ Cool Vintage Junkyard for Sale

~ Old Farm Tractor Along Charlevoix / St. Lawrence Shore

~ Broke-Down Farm Equipment

 

Islandmania!

September 5, 2018 By in Art, Nova Scotia, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , 13 Comments

Graffiti At Ferry Terminal, Freeport, Long Island, N.S.

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Way out in the country you don’t often see graffiti, and certainly not the artistic variety. So this painted statement near one of Nova Scotia’s most remote ferry terminals (in Freeport, Long Island) stood out for its vivid colors, its possibly enthusiastic statement about its location, and the fact that it took someone more than a little time to complete this.

Similar posts on O’Canada:

Θ Shades of Toronto Graffiti (Part 3 – Designs)

Θ “Three Things . . .”

Θ Wall Art a la Montreal

Along the Wharfs of Westport

August 31, 2018 By in Nova Scotia, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , , 49 Comments
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Lobster Traps, Westport, Brier Island, N.S.

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Colorful buoys, rusted anchors and long coils of rope strewn hither and yon, and vibrantly painted sheds dotting the rugged shore of Westport on Brier Island, N.S., provide unmistakable signs that this place is a longtime fishing village.  Situated as the westernmost part of  Nova Scotia, this compact but charming island is just a modest drive (and two short and scenic ferry rides) from the much larger port of Digby, which is a little to the east up the the gorgeous Bay of Fundy coast.  People routinely make the trek here for the beautiful coastal vistas, to go whale watching or just to meander to and through a quieter place and time.

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Fishing Boat Buoys, Westport, Brier Island, N.S.

 

Virginia Mak: The Art of Soft Focus

August 10, 2018 By in Art, Ontario, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , 57 Comments

Virginia Mak, On One’s Own #9

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Soft-focus photography might appear easy to execute but doing it well and in a way that conveys feeling and meaning in the image is quite difficult.  In her photos Toronto photographer Virginia Mak skillfully uses this technique to give her images a distinctly moody and ethereal effect that is more evocative of painting.  In contrast to photographs rendered in sharp relief, viewers of Mak’s carefully blurred images are able to contemplate various possibilities of meaning and emotion suggested by her elegant minimalist compositions.  The sampling shown here conjures up feelings of serenity, mystery, vulnerability, desire, longing and wistfulness.

Mak is represented by Toronto’s Bau-Xi Gallery and Calgary’s Newzones Gallery and more of her exquisite images can be seen on the sites for each of these galleries.

Virginia Mak, Hidden Nature #7

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Virginia Mak, Character Reference #1

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Virginia Mak, Character Reference #12

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Virginia Mak, Small Song For the Firefly #6

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Virginia Mak, Small Song For the Firefly #12

 

Image Credits: Virginia Mak

Signs of Vibrant Charlottetown

June 27, 2018 By in Photography, Prince Edward Island Tags: , , , , , , , 49 Comments

Charlottetown is a delightful city on Prince Edward Island, whose residents are blessed to live in such a vibrant place and beautiful province.  Small cities and towns throughout Canada often struggle to sustain a thriving economy and a high quality of life.  To its credit, Charlottetown appears to have figured out a formula that works well.

On a recent visit to its city center, I was amazed at the evident diversity of its wonderful shops, eateries and arts and music scene.  These shop signs are a small reflection of that.  Although PEI may be the smallest province in terms of geography and population, it holds its own quite nicely.

Similar posts on O’Canada:

» Annapolis Royal Through Its Signs

» On the Street Toronto: Fun & Unusual Signs

» Colorful Montreal Shop Signs

Vintage Magic in PEI: Ice Boat Rarities and Island Uniquities

June 16, 2018 By in Art, History, Photography, Prince Edward Island Tags: , , , , , , , , 35 Comments

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Not far from the Confederation Bridge on the Prince Edward Island side of that engineering marvel a scenic backroad leads to the cozy town of Cape Traverse and two of the best antique shops in all of Canada’s Maritime Provinces: Ice Boat Rarities and Antiques and, its sister shop, Island Uniquities and Antiques, which is just a few hundred yards away down PEI Route 10.   Both shops are housed in 19th century buildings — one an old church  and another a former masonic lodge — that have been masterfully restored and updated by owners Larry and Jane Dugdale.

The exceptional assortment of antiques, curios, artwork and furniture on offer started as a personal collection of the owners that eventually morphed into the well-organized groupings that seem intentionally curated for visual delight.  The Ice Boat building features the former church’s simply designed but stunning original red, blue, green and yellow stained glass windows, which cast a warm, luminous glow throughout the place.  These shops deserve to be called galleries as much as anything else.

If you’re into stylish old or reclaimed furniture, these shops have you covered; automotive and industrial neon, check; vintage toys, thermometers, oil cans, model boats, duck decoys, postcards and ephemera, tools or farm implements, check to all that too — and a great deal more!  Of particular note is the collection of whimsical painted wood sculptures and other artworks by noted PEI folk artist, Kerras Jeffery, who sadly passed away last year at way too young of an age after battling a long illness.  The Ice Boat Rarities shop serves as almost a museum of some of his brightly colored pieces and the shop also features a marvelous cloud-painting by Jeffery on the ceiling of its largest room.

In addition, the staff in both places are super friendly and helpful and the prices are about the fairest I’ve seen for antique shops anywhere.  These places are definitely worth a visit if you find yourself nearby.

More information about these terrific shops can be found at their respective Facebook pages here: Iceboat Rarities and Island Uniquities.  More about Kerras Jeffery and his art is available on the Backroad Folkart blog here, which was formerly written by him and is now maintained by one of his relatives.

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Similar posts on O’Canada:

♥  Cool Vintage Junkyard for Sale

♥  An A++ for Toronto’s Gadabout Vintage

♥  Fred Herzog’s Vintage Vancouver

Shades of Toronto Graffiti (Part 3- Designs)

April 7, 2018 By in Art, Ontario, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , , 53 Comments

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On the walls of Toronto some of the street art exhibits strong elements of design, such as these examples. I especially like the piece just above, which is painted on a piece of plywood tacked onto the side of a building.

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Shades of Toronto Graffiti (Part 2 – P.S)

April 6, 2018 By in Art, Ontario, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , , 19 Comments

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I realized after I shot these four images that the faces had similar characteristics and they were all tagged “P.S” and were likely done by the same street artist.   Their creator  favors funky, angular faces and there’s definitely a certain style going on with these.

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Similar Posts:

~ Shades of Toronto Graffiti (Part 1 – Overview)

Seen Its Better Days

March 25, 2018 By in History, Nova Scotia, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , , , 15 Comments
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Antique Farm Combine, Near Clarence, Nova Scotia

 

In Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley wintery weather maintains its grip late into March as the province bounces back from the fierce winds and driving snow of this past week’s Noreaster.  Although this old relic of a farm combine sits in a forlorn state shortly after the storm, it’s a beautiful piece of machinery with its pops of orange-red on the wheels and threshers contrasting nicely with the muted colors of the rest of the combine and the bleak surroundings.

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Shades of Toronto Graffiti (Part 1 – Overview)

February 25, 2018 By in Art, Ontario, Photography, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , 63 Comments

Toronto, being the big city that it is, has more than its share of diverse street or wall art, more commonly called graffiti.  This isn’t every one’s cup of tea, but it’s hard to ignore the creative expression that goes into these highly stylized works.

Among the varieties to be found gracing the corner wall of an old building, on either side of the occasional alley way or wherever else you may find these quirky pieces are classic graffiti tags, the enigmatic or humorous character scenes, the images laden with social or political messages, and designs that are as much about vibrant colors as anything else.  I took a lot of shots of these recently, so have broken them up with some being posted here and others planned for a later set of shared images.

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Similar Posts on O’Canada:

∅ Ossington Avenue Graffiti

∅ Montreal’s Vibrant Walls of Graffiti

∅ Wall Art a la Montreal

The Good Old Days: Rural Life in Vintage Postcards

February 17, 2018 By in Art, History, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Photography, Quebec, Society Tags: , , , , , , 37 Comments

Hay Making, Nova Scotia (about 1960)

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Out in the country people work hard, and back in the proverbial good old days they worked even harder.  Whether on a farm, a fishing village or in the forest, rural folk have always had to put their bodies and souls into their labors to eke out a living.

As these vintage postcards from the eastern parts of Canada attest they at least did so amidst beautiful settings.

River Saguenay at Chicoutimi, Quebec (about 1940)

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Ox Cart, Rural Quebec (about 1940)

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Spinning in Rural Quebec (1950)

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Back of Spinning in Rural Quebec (1950):   “Dear Ma – That’s you and me working. Lots of little farms and little houses here. Horses do most of the work. Farms are very small. In winter the men work in the lumber business, in summer farming. Women do fancy work in winter to sell it in the summer. Love Helen”

 

 

Similar posts in O’Canada:

⊕  Quebec Charm in Vintage Postcards

⊕  “Dear Auntie . . don’t be cross”: Scenic British Columbia in Old Postcards

⊕  Moonlit Views of Yesteryear Canada

“I’ll Meet You There”

January 28, 2018 By in Art, Books / Literature, Ontario, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , , , 44 Comments

Can’t help but smile about this quirky handmade sign stumbled upon recently in the Kensington Market district of Toronto.

The words are from a poem by Rumi that is generally understood to be about putting aside judgments that divide people and instead to focus on appreciating the wonders of being and the things that connect us all.

Go Fish!

January 7, 2018 By in Art, Ontario, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , , 43 Comments

During the week after Christmas Toronto’s temperature plummeted to a 57-year record low.  Brrrrr!  Bundled up tightly against such crazy wintery weather, the day was slightly brightened by coming across this group of colorful sculptures of fishing bobbins.  Situated in Canoe Landing Park in the CityPlace neighborhood, these cheerful works were created by noted Vancouver artist Douglas Coupland.  Elsewhere in the park there is an oversized sculpture of a red canoe (also by Coupland), in which park-goers can sit and look out across Gardiner Expressway toward nearby Lake Ontario.  Clever and fun subject for sculptures and another great example of the vibrant public art that can be found throughout metro Toronto.

 

Fred Herzog’s Vintage Vancouver

December 17, 2017 By in Art, British Columbia, History, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , 77 Comments

Fred Herzog, Bogner’s Grocery (1960)

I’ve seen the street photography of Fred Herzog previously but a brief essay by Geoff Dyer in today’s New York Times Magazine prompted me to look anew at Herzog’s work.  Herzog came to Canada in the early 1950s from Germany and from the late 1950s through the 1960s pioneered color street photography in his adopted city of Vancouver.  His candid shots provide a splendid if unvarnished documentary of the city and its people during that period.  The vintage images also subtly illustrate many things that have changed in Vancouver and other urban areas throughout Canada (and America) in the past several decades.

More of Herzog’s work can be seen at Vancouver’s Equinox Gallery and on its website.

Fred Herzog, 2nd Hand Store Boy (1959)

 

Fred Herzog, Alexander Street (1967)

 

Fred Herzog, Granville Street from Granville Bridge (1966)

 

Fred Herzog, Granville/Robson (1959)

 

Fred Herzog, White Lunch Granville (1959)

 

Photo Credits:  Fred Herzog and Equinox Gallery

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Hello, Yellow . . .

December 9, 2017 By in British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Photography, Quebec Tags: , , , , , , , 61 Comments

Sun Carving by Local Artists David Taylor, Black Rock, N.S.

A collection of yellows from various photo outings across Canada to brighten the impending blue of winter.

By the Fundy Shore, N.S.
Window Cross, St. Croix Cove Church, N.S.
Sea Kelp, Kejimkujik Seaside N.S.
Iconic Nova Scotia Fisherman, by David Taylor
Toy Soldier, Vintage Shop, Toronto
“I’m Sorry,” Kensington Market, Toronto
Farm Market Cheese, City Market, St. John, N.B.
Close Up, Thunderbird House Totem Pole, Stanley Park, Vancouver
Gravestone with Yellow Lichen, Loyalist Burying Ground, St. Andrews By the Sea, N.B.
Montreal Street Sign
Massey Harris Tractor, Northville Farm Heritage Center, N.S.
Playful Doors, Grand Pre, N.S.
Graffiti, Toronto
Blades of Grass, Stanley Park, Vancouver
Cafe/Coffee Depot, Montreal
Colorful Shop, Annapolis Royal, N.S.
Acadia Theatre, Wolfville, N.S.
Rolled Hay Bales, N.S.
Mt. Hanley Sunset, N.S.
Yellow Lobster Cage, Near Parker’s Cove. Nova Scotia
St. John, N.B. City Market
Bright Bulbs, Monteal
Dory, Lunenberg, N.S.
Wildflowers, Black Rock, N.S.
Buoys, Campobello Island, N.B.
Street Art, Montreal
Kensington Market, Toronto
Squash, Roadside Market, Brooklyn, N.S.
Boat Tie-Post, Digby Wharf, N.S.

Similar posts on O’Canada:

→ Green With Envy

→ Joy of the Blues

→ Seeing Red 

Weathered Blue Barn

November 5, 2017 By in History, Nova Scotia, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , , 41 Comments

Rustic Old Barn, Phinney’s Cove, N.S.

Aside from its overall weathered appearance and striking shades of blue, this barn stands out for its second-story house-style doors and its slightly asymmetrical design with an upper window thrown in for good measure.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall . . .

September 17, 2017 By in Nova Scotia, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , , 44 Comments
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Walking Path Along the Shore, Kejimkujik Seaside, N.S.

“Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.”

                                                    ~ Henry David Thoreau

Connectedness

August 26, 2017 By in Music, Nova Scotia, Photography, Society Tags: , , , , , , , , 21 Comments

Pebbles along Hampton Wharf Beach, N.S.

“Oh, but I can hear you, loud in the center / Aren’t we made to be crowded together . . .”

                                    ~ Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes), “Third of May” 

More pebbles on Hampton Wharf Beach, N.S.

Notes:  

1.  Kristina Boardman’s wonderful pebble paintings, which I highlighted in a post last year, inspired me to take these photos along the shore.  Her paintings show why even with the amazing capabilities of digital photography, masterful paintings by talented artists of a given subject capture an expressive element that photos can’t match.

2.  Fleet Foxes, one of my favorite folk-rock groups, after a several years’ hiatus released the album “Crack-Up” earlier this year, which contains the song from which the above quote is taken.  While the song is principally about Pecknold’s challenging relationship (like most!) with a close friend, like many Fleet Foxes songs it also contains some thoughtful ruminations on life.  For me, the line quoted above conveys nicely how we as people are meant to be social and connected, in varying degrees, and how goodness and purpose flow from that.   Song video below.

 

Cool Vintage Junkyard For Sale

August 14, 2017 By in British Columbia, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , 54 Comments

I came across a news story that led me to a real estate listing for a well-organized junkyard in Tappen, British Columbia with over 300 vintage cars and trucks crammed into 5 acres.  Along with the land comes a few buildings and all of the classic junkers to boot.  Asking price is almost CDN $1.5 million!

The colorful pictures taken by the selling real estate agency (Century 21 Agent Hudson Purba) are superb, several of which are posted here (more can be viewed on the listing site).  This throwback reminds me of Old Car City in northwest Georgia, a salvage yard dating to the 1930s which is filled with truly old rusty vehicles that Mother Nature has slowly reclaimed. Both places are full of eye-candy for photographers and the just plain curious.

(Image credits:  Century 21 Agent Hudson Purba)

Summer Evening On the Shore

July 29, 2017 By in Nova Scotia, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 43 Comments

Evening Sunset, Phinney’s Cove, Nova Scotia

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.”

                                                       ~ Rabindranath Tagore

 

Halifax’s Manhole Covers

July 24, 2017 By in Art, Nova Scotia, Photography Tags: , , , , , 37 Comments

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While recently running an errand in Halifax I snapped these manhole covers as examples of subtle industrial design.  I didn’t notice as much variety among them as I’ve seen in other cities but that’s probably because I collected these so quickly.  Still, there are a few distinctive examples to see, including one that’s a square cover formed by two triangles.

Similar posts on O’Canada:

⊗ Creativity Afoot:  Toronto’s Varied Manhole Covers

⊕ Manhole Covers of Quebec City

Denny Lunn’s Buoyant Folk Art

July 23, 2017 By in Art, Nova Scotia, Photography, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , 24 Comments

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During a recent visit to the Low Tide Gallery in Bridgetown, N.S., I encountered the colorfully vibrant work of Denny Lunn.  He is a self-taught artist who first took up painting in his mid-70s and whose style is best described as being within the folk art tradition.

Lunn lives in the Annapolis Valley area and, like many folk artists, his subject matter reflects his community, which for him are the coastal and agricultural landscapes of Nova Scotia.  These are scenes that I suspect many Canadians are familiar with — depictions of the maritime shore, lobster and fishing boats, winter skating and hockey, and cows in pastures that joyfully capture the province’s landscape in bright colors.  For Lunn just about any available surface suffices as a canvas for his art, including fishing buoys, shovels, hand saws, paddles, milk buckets, baking tins, rocks, driftwood or any other utilitarian or natural object readily at hand, with every nook and cranny becoming filled with glorious detail.

Some of the imagery takes artistic license and doesn’t fit with the actual landscape but nevertheless conveys a consistent imaginative sensibility.   Thus, in some of Lunn’s paintings snow-covered mountain peaks hover in the background while boats sail along in summer waters.

Low Tide Gallery proprietor Steve Skafte, who is a writer, fine art photographer and genuinely nice fellow with terrific insights and is passionate about the authenticity of Lunn’s art, deserves great credit for helping bring more attention to Lunn.  Skafte created the above documentary video and this coming Sunday, July 30, his gallery will kick off a showcase of Lunn’s work.  It will be well worth visiting if you are nearby.  When Canadians think of folk artists, fellow Nova Scotian Maud Lewis frequently comes to mind (the Nova Scotia Gallery of Art has an exhibit of her work) and she was certainly one of the country’s more prominent such artists.  I believe Lunn deserves to be in her company.

More about Lunn’s work and the gallery is available on the Low Tide Gallery Facebook page.

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Steven Skafte displaying some of Denny Lunn’s works.

 

 

Regent Gas Station and Sleek Modern Design

July 2, 2017 By in Alberta, Books / Literature, History, Ontario, Photography, Society Tags: , , , , , , , 36 Comments

Regent Gas Station (Left View), Toronto (1949),
Designed by John Parkin, Photo by Hugh Robertson

Although these vintage images only showcase a humble gas station they’re amazingly good! That’s because they combine the modernist industrial design of distinguished Toronto architect John Parkin and the often-dramatic photography of Hugh Robertson and his team at Toronto’s former Panda Associates firm, both of whom helped popularize modern design in Canada during the 1950s and 60s.

Regent Gas Station (Right View), Toronto (1949),
Designed by John Parkin, Photo by Hugh Robertson

A trove of other vintage architectural photos can be seen at the Panda Associates Digital Image Collection, Canadian Architectural Archives, which is maintained by the University of Calgary, and in the book John C. Parkin, Archives and Photography: Reflections on the Practice and Presentation of Modern Architecture (University of Calgary Press 2013).

(Image Credits:  Hugh Robertson/Panda Associates, Canadian Architectural Archives, University of Calgary)

Happy Canada Day 150!

July 1, 2017 By in History, Nova Scotia, Photography, Society Tags: , , , , 37 Comments

Quiet Morning Along the Rocky Shore, Kejimkujik Seaside, N.S.

Happy Canada Day!  

As many know, throughout 2017 Canada has been marking its 150th anniversary as a confederation.   Of course, the history of the country is much richer and extends more than twice as far into the past. More notably, in recent years Canada has truly shined as a stellar example on the world stage.  Like any country, it has its issues but it generally gets a lot of things right and that resilient effort, its vibrant culture and its wonderful people deserve immense appreciation.

Best wishes on this day and in this year and for 150 more! 

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