The Sap Bucket
“The Sap Bucket” is part of the Spring Fever collection...
I don’t usually post my very large paintings…there are only a few here so far…but when this was completed today, I thought why not?
At this time of year maple syrup is being harvested in Canada… we in fact provide most of the worlds supply…this is one of my collection of antique sap buckets, which are fast becoming a rarity…I love the patina, the dents, the rust that tell of long ago sugaring off sessions in the month of March…the sunlit bucket tells us the sap is rising… the leaf on the chain tells another story...
Watercolour on Saunders Waterford Rough paper…
I remember
coming to the farm in March
in sugaring time, as a small boy.
He carried the pails of sap, sixteen-quart
buckets, dangling from each end
of a wooden yoke
that lay across his shoulders, and emptied them
into a vat in the saphouse
where fire burned day and night
for a week. excerpt Maple Syrup by Donald Hall..
The Sap Bucket belongs to the following groups:
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Janis Zroback
Past the empty bins
for squash, apples, carrots, and potatoes,
we discover the shelves for canning, a few
pale pints
of tomato left, and—what
is this?—syrup, maple syrup
in a quart jar, syrup
my grandfather made twenty-five
years ago
for the last time. D.H.
catherine walker
looks great janis…really beatiful ..so well done and I really love the colours you’ve used.
Janis Zroback replied
I am lucky to have some of these old buckets….they are hard to find now….they were originally painted and some still have traces of colour below the rust and the dents…thank you Catherine…I’m glad you like it…
Alison Pearce
Beautiful work!!
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Alison.. :)) I’m glad you like it..
Fee Dickson
Nice verticality ( if that’s a word!) and I like the light. Good job :)
Janis Zroback replied
Yes it’s a real word..:))) thank you so much Fee…. nice that you think so…
StacyLee
Wow Janis this is truly beautiful!
Janis Zroback replied
I’m really happy you like it Stacy…thank you for your lovely comment…
kjgordon
I say why not as well…...........very nicely done….......Oh what a sap…..........!!!
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much KJ… :))
Faith Donovan
Wonderful idea! Love those streaks of colour!
Janis Zroback replied
The streaks are meant to echo the dripping syrup and the drips of rust down the sides of old sap buckets…we all like maple syrup and Canada is the country for it…thank you so much Faith…
bev langby
Janis u did indeed catch the patina , just gorgeous
Janis Zroback replied
It’s what I love doing best…textures….no matter what it is…I’m really happy you thik it’s gorgeous…I loved itt when it was all finished…thank you so much Bev…
Janis Zroback
Back at the house
where no one lives, we potter
and explore the back chamber
where everything comes to rest: spinning wheels,
pretty boxes, quilts,
bottles, books, albums of postcards.D.H.
Jolie
Beautiful work Janis!
_May your sap runneth over!)
(but not too bad!)
Janis Zroback replied
We need a lot of sap, to keep the syrup flowing and the economy growing…so thank you….I’m really pleased you like it..
Susan Kimball
Love this!!
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Susan… :)) I think I will post my large paintings more often…I like the way this one looks on the page and it looks good as a card too..
Erika .
Lovely colors! :)
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Erika… :)) I’m glad you like it..
Ciska
Love the colours in this one, very beautiful!!!!
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Ciska…I plan to do more along this line and I will post somoe of them, if they are not too large :))
TomBaumker
Great job. I love the old look. Hugs Tom
Janis Zroback replied
So do I Tom…thanks so much.. :))
Linda Callaghan
beautiful running colours in this one Janis…you have captured the feel of the sap perfectly…love it.
Janis Zroback replied
That was my intention, though in general I love paint running down and often do it in my large paintings…I really should post more…but…
“Memories” which was just featured again, is so large, it’s about 5 ft. tall…I was reluctant to post the large ones like it, as on the page they actually look smaller than the small paintings, if you know what I mean…e.g. the Sap Bucket is three times the size of the Marble Tulip…the impact is just not the same as you have to photograph them from a distance to get the whole thing in…
In reality, most of the paintings I post, are done specifically for RedBubble…paintings I feel are perfect both in subject matter and in size for cards and prints…but maybe like today, from time to time I will add some of the other things I do for clients etc.
Karin Taylor
fantastic Janis! i love this old rustic bucket and the rusty look, it’s incredible how you are able to bring such textures into your work, and they look so authentic!! wonderfully done :) wonderful art!! :)
Janis Zroback replied
I love painting the textures of things…from smooth like an apple to rusted and dented like this bucket…when it’s a large painting like this, I stand for the whole thing and paint from the shoulder…it frees you up and there is less risk of the painting being tight…
When my son was a toddler he tore a chunk of tile out of the basement floor…the pattern (looks like wood) had been discontinued so we could not replace it…I filled it in with acrylic paint imitating the grain and textures…it has lasted 24 years, being walked on every day and washed frequently…it was then I knew that I could imitate the texture of anything….I am the only one who can see where it is…I am very proud of that hole… :))) thank you so much Karin, for your lovely comment…
Janis Zroback
gail anderson
Janis Zroback replied
Fantastic Gail…such good news…thank you so much.. :)))
Corinne Pouzet
Just love this and the story that goes with it ! You have the knack for such things Janis….
Janis Zroback replied
I have now added the whole story below…I will keep it there for a couple of days…it’s a little sad…thank you so much Corinne…I’m glad you think so… :)))
sneha
really really reallyy cool!1
Janis Zroback replied
I love your comment…thank you so much…
Jim Phillips
Amazing Janis, just plain amazing. A great display of colors.
Janis Zroback replied
I feel very flattered at your compliment Jim…as I said above, I’m thinking of adding more of my other paintings here including some large ones like this, which I rarely have done so far…exceptions are the Potting Shed and Still Life with Melon, and Memories and a couple others..I’m working on one now and have almost finished another…thank you so much…
Linda Callaghan
would be fabulous to see some of your works you do for clients….look forward to seeing some!
Janis Zroback replied
If they don’t mind I will…thanks Linda…
Janis Zroback
Maple Syrup
BY DONALD HALL
August, goldenrod blowing. We walk
into the graveyard, to find
my grandfather’s grave. Ten years ago
I came here last, bringing
marigolds from the round garden
outside the kitchen.
I didn’t know you then.
We walk
among carved names that go with photographs
on top of the piano at the farm:
Keneston, Wells, Fowler, Batchelder, Buck.
We pause at the new grave
of Grace Fenton, my grandfather’s
sister. Last summer
we called on her at the nursing home,
eighty-seven, and nodding
in a blue housedress. We cannot find
my grandfather’s grave.
Back at the house
where no one lives, we potter
and explore the back chamber
where everything comes to rest: spinning wheels,
pretty boxes, quilts,
bottles, books, albums of postcards.
Then with a flashlight we descend
firm steps to the root cellar—black,
cobwebby, huge,
with dirt floors and fieldstone walls,
and above the walls, holding the hewn
sills of the house, enormous
granite foundation stones.
Past the empty bins
for squash, apples, carrots, and potatoes,
we discover the shelves for canning, a few
pale pints
of tomato left, and—what
is this?—syrup, maple syrup
in a quart jar, syrup
my grandfather made twenty-five
years ago
for the last time.
I remember
coming to the farm in March
in sugaring time, as a small boy.
He carried the pails of sap, sixteen-quart
buckets, dangling from each end
of a wooden yoke
that lay across his shoulders, and emptied them
into a vat in the saphouse
where fire burned day and night
for a week.
Now the saphouse
tilts, nearly to the ground,
like someone exhausted
to the point of death, and next winter
when snow piles three feet thick
on the roofs of the cold farm,
the saphouse will shudder and slide
with the snow to the ground.
Today
we take my grandfather’s last
quart of syrup
upstairs, holding it gingerly,
and we wash off twenty-five years
of dirt, and we pull
and pry the lid up, cutting the stiff,
dried rubber gasket, and dip our fingers
in, you and I both, and taste
the sweetness, you for the first time,
the sweetness preserved, of a dead man
in the kitchen he left
when his body slid
like anyone’s into the ground.
Carla Jensen
Outstanding painting …Janis ! love the multi color streaks here! beautiful job as always wtg!
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Carla…it’s a style I use quite often on my large paintings…e.g.see Memories, The Potting Shed, Still Life with Melon…I intend to post more of them from time to time…
StressieCat
This is so stunning…
Janis Zroback replied
Welcome and thank you so much.. :)))
mariarty
Beautiful Janis, love the streaky background.
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much…I’m so happy you like it… :)))
Holly Cawfield
Oooooooh!!! I LOVE this Janis! All the vertical lines are wonderful as an interpretation of running sap….so thoughtfully done! The soft colours are just fantastic and speak so artistically of early Spring!! A really fine piece of work!
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Holly…this and the next one, and a few others previously posted, are from another collection of paintings that I don’t normally post…
I paint certain collections specifically for RB, designed to look well as cards and to appeal to most viewers…..but I have decided to add some of my other works to the site, so you will see them from time to time…
I’m really pleased you like this one… :)))
Estelle O'Brien
looooove this…keep posting your large work Janis- they are great!!!!
Janis Zroback replied
I will…I have another coming up and I plan to post it too…thanks so much Estelle…
calves
fabulous work!!!:)
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Claudia… :))
Jens Helmstedt
Beautiful artwork!
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Jens…
KcranmerArt
Such beautiful artwork Janis…adore the textures especially!
Janis Zroback replied
How lovely of you!!..thank you so much..
Lucindawind
gorgeous Janis .. Ive never gone to a Maple Suger harvest time ..I would love to go sometime to see it
Janis Zroback replied
I think it’s still on right now at Kortright…check their website…you can go Sunday morning for pancakes…thanks so much Lucinda…this just sold too, so I’m really pleased…
Lucindawind
awesome! yes I think I might go up !
Janis Zroback replied
It’s a great experience, and you could get lots of pictures…
Hena Tayeb
fab colors. nice work
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Hena… :))
coffeetea
Such a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig bucket you made! wonderful tool show! well done!!
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much…I’m glad you like it.. :)) sapbuckets are very big to hold all the syrup from the trees….
coffeetea
Oooo that’s wonderful! this bucket does can hold much gum trees stuff or many short bananas:) A great trapical tool ! lol
Janis Zroback replied
Thats true too…
Joanne Bradley
The color combinations in this work, Janis, are sensational! I just adore your sap backet and you nailed the patina with your painting technique. Truly a Canadian icon and tribute to a wonderful Canadian export. Both of these pieces are classic Canadiana!
Janis Zroback replied
The painting sold right away in the xlg size as a canvas print, so I was very happy I posted it…I had not intended to post this series, but I am revamping the whole site, making it smaller, and only posting certain series…after a year, it’s now too big…thanks so much Joanne…I missed your lovely comments…
Solomon Walker
very nice! and so much a lovely reminder of calmer mode of life…
Janis Zroback replied
How nice you are back Solomon…thank you so much…
Solomon Walker
yes, love the colours here very much!
...not fully back yet (perhaps in a month). Working on stuff for summer shows.
Janis Zroback replied
That sounds very promising…which shows are you participating in?
Solomon Walker
I am planning on sending my art to various shows in Europe and US for summer and fall. I have a number of invites thus far. I was in a recent San Fran show, but pulled at the last minute cause of schedule.
Janis Zroback replied
It all sounds wonderful..you must send me a link when you have everything set up…