Blackbirds Rise Across the Fields

Blackbirds Rise Across the Fields

This is a guest post by Elizabeth (Deryk’s wife) to add her own story about Deryk painting out in the fields.

”Blackbirds Rise Across the Fields” is a painting that captures one of the many moods of Vancouver Island’s farmland. I believe that Deryk was drawn to a lifestyle here because of places like this which remind him of his childhood on farms in Scotland. His early life there was one that included many hours of complete freedom and close contact with nature. In our era of scheduling every moment of our pre-schoolers’ days, it is hard to imagine letting a three or four-year-old child out the door in the morning with siblings only a few years older, and not seeing them again till the evening meal, but that was Deryk’s reality as a small boy. It meant days of wandering through hayfields, collecting eggs, chasing rabbits, building forts and staring up at gorgeously coloured gladiolus that were taller than he was. The storybook childhood was soon to be contrasted by the fact that Deryk left his freedom for the demands of school and later to live in a big city in Canada. By the time he was ten his life had changed completely and soon after that he was to experience the very early death of his mother. It’s easy to imagine a young boy comforting himself during a difficult few years by returning to memories of his earlier pastoral life. Even now, certain places and colours have a profound impact on his emotions

Deryk has preserved his childhood memories through to adulthood – perhaps he has done this more than most people because those memories are so significant to him and so different from what he experienced in his teens. He has shared his memories with me and with our children – continuing to love the outdoors and encouraging us to do so as well. Deryk can be transported back to his early days by the smell of hay, the clarity of early morning light or the sound of birdsong. Crows in particular have a special meaning. They were a threat to the sheep on the farm in Scotland and although Deryk loves their beauty, he sees an ominous side to them as well.

When Deryk points those things out to us, we travel back with him. He also shares these memories and emotions through his artwork, so the world can feel what he feels.

I have spent many lazy warm days chatting and reminiscing with Deryk as he paints. His love for these places is contagious. The Saanich fields, so similar to places we’ve visited as a family in Britain, is a favourite location. The blackbirds do rise across the fields here and it’s a feeling that Deryk expresses showing both the dark and light sides of the experience.

Deryk painting in Saanich

Photo by Elizabeth