iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 21h

Today’s plein air, out by Harmony, on the South Mountain.

Watercolour, ink and prismacolour pencil sketch of an early autumn scene at the top of a waterfall. Rocks in the foreground, with water flowing around them. Autumn colours in the woods in the background.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Lucy is keeping my lap warm this morning.

Lucy, a long-haired mini dachshund, whose auburn fur is soft and fluffy, gazes at the camera, fully aware of her loveliness.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Today’s backyard plein air. Man. You take a few days off and you just lose it, right?

Backyard watercolour. A path leads to beyond. The dog flap, from which no dogs appear, takes focus. Much fence perspective and so on. Ink on top of graphite and watercolour. Maybe a pass or two with coloured pencils.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Wow. Lots of sad things coming on the UK feed. Off to bed in Canada, but sending kind hugs to UK friends who seem particularly melancholy tonight. Flowers and bees to you. 🌻🐝

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Home again. Here’s today’s backyard sketch. Pencil followed by watercolour, then ink and a bit of coloured pencil.

In a fenced yard, a red T shirt hangs on a laundry line, which is held up by a stick. Beyond the fence is a rural road, with treeline in the distance, and a power-pole or two. Mixed media on paper.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Yesterday’s thing. An allotment in Waterloo. Watercolour and ink on paper.

In the foreground, a single standing hand pump for use in the allotment garden to the right. In the background, a large tree overhangs the backyard of a brick house. Attempt made to show strong sun. It was a lovely day.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Plein air du jour. With some coloured pencil enhancement after the fact.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Yesterday’s thing. Watercolour onsite, then ink and coloured pencils later.

Poorly lit, I’m afraid. This is a busy garden bed next to St. Louis Catholic Church in Waterloo. There’s a St. Francis statue lurking in the bottom left of the picture. Hydrangeas, sweet William, black eyed Susans and lots of misc foliage. For trees in background.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

At St. Jacob’s market in Waterloo this morning. Busy and colourful and great buckets of challenge.

Plein air mixed media sketch of a fruit market. Lots of people, tent structures, baskets of peaches and pears. Hot sun beating down.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Bucketing down rain this morning, so a hastily-constructed still life thing.

A bowl, jug, Chambord bottle and glass, upon a shiny table, with a mat and drapery. Watercolour, ink and coloured pencil. I think it was probably better without the ink, but I couldn’t resist.

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Reposted by Mel Malton

Stephanie Carvin @stephaniecarvin.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Wake up, babe. The Prime Minister just dropped “hydronym”.

The name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari’io, which, appropriately, means “the lake is beautiful, the lake is big”.

The name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America.

We know that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms.

Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario – then, now and always.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

John Deere toys were a great success. Gained great-aunt points yesterday.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Yesterday’s sketch of a construction site. Because everything is interesting, yes?

Ink, watercolour pencil and coloured pencil sketch of a construction site. Mysterious orange mixer machine Is the central focus. A tired workman taking a rest in the near distance.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Day one of sketching in Waterloo.

Ink and coloured pencil sketch of large house in Waterloo, Ont. Trouble with perspective, which is why one practices, right?

Tangled garden in SIL’s backyard. I think the distant house was a mistake. But there are good bits. Multi media. Tried watercolour pencils for the first time. Will continue with these. Also Faber Castell brush markers, which are lovely. Ink. Coloured pencil. Kitchen sink.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Another day or two and we might pick one or two of these.

Ink and coloured pencil sketch of a small peach tree behind a fence. Several of the peaches look ready to be picked.

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Reposted by Mel Malton

Doug Eifrid @dougeifrid.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” — Loren Eiseley John Morris, Irish artist oil on canvas painting

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

So plein air from this morning. I hauled out paint, pencils and ink and shamelessly mixed my media.

A coloured sketch of a garden, with a windmill-shaped building in the background. Many leafy things and blooms in the foreground. Drawn in ink, then watercolour, then coloured pencils, then a bit more ink. A cheerful result, for me, anyway.

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Reposted by Mel Malton

Hank Buffington @hankbuffington.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

A little gouache sketch in my little sketchbook of one of my favorite spots on the White Clay Creek.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Today’s sketch. This is the nice decorative door our friend Earl gave us for the greenhouse.

Pen and coloured pencil sketch of a handmade yellow screen door on the side of a rustic greenhouse. The door features three upright boards topped with birdhouse-shapes. On the top corners of the door are cutouts of birds.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Rose drawing, made yesterday to honour the birth date of my dearly departed Mum, who would have been 91.

A pen and coloured pencil sketch of a rose stem in a cut-glass bottle. It fell off the bush at the back and I rescued it. It’s been on the kitchen table for weeks and still hasn’t dropped a petal.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

This lovely poppy in the garden this morning.

A delicate pink poppy, petals as thin as a breath, shows its face amidst cornflowers and other misc pink things.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Today’s plein air sketches. Benjamin bridge vineyards. It was warm.

Pen and ink drawings of grapevines. Lots of green shades and shapes.

This sketch got a bit muddy, sadly. It’s a line of grape-vine fencing. A bit of perspective challenge. A fellow sketch club member said it looked like a running man in the left foreground. Sigh.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Happy Lammas day to all who celebrate. 🌾

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Plein air du jour. New Ross farm building, NS.

A small building surrounded by trees, with a white fence leading off to the right. One of those soft, post-rain days.

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Reposted by Mel Malton

Gary Buckley @garybuckley.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Today’s plein air. We got rained out, so I finished it at home. Hard to paint wet in wet in wet. 😊

Two boats in harbour at low tide. A rainy sky above, and docks out of focus. Watercolour and ink with coloured pencil on paper.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

In a strange moment of inattention, I just tried to turn the page on my phone. As if it were a paperback. That kind of turning the page.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Two plein air paintings from this morning. It’s a gorgeous day in the Annapolis Valley.

A watercolour sketch from Kingsport beach, NS. A distant blue headland, distant water, then the pea-green sea grass and terra-cotta mud exposed by the low tide.

Watercolour and ink on paper, showing a green cliff with a tiny distant sea and shore bit, then lots of greenery and pea-green sea grass on the foreground.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Here’s today’s plein air. The right hand tree is a bit of a mistake, but it was a terrific view.

Watercolour scene from a high vantage point, looking out over fields below. The cliff is full of greenery, and the distant valley becomes misty on the horizon. Ink, pencil, watercolour on paper.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Today’s plein air. The mouth of Hall’s harbour.

Watercolour, ink and graphite sketch of a harbour mouth, looking out to sea. Some hills in the distance. Misty. Up

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Is anyone else noticing a marked increase in unpleasant reactions to everyday bug bites (swelling, itching and infection) since the COVID vaccine? Just asking.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

A good day to have a barbecue, some patriotic cake and a firework or two. To celebrate the War of 1812.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

A seaweed-covered rock, painted today at Baxter’s Harbour, which was a blessedly cool place to be this morning.

A seaside rock, covered in draping seaweed, like wet hair. Watercolour and ink.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Summer sketch. Ink and Prismacolour pencils.

View from a terrace into a tree-scape, with a distant barn roof.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Moon and clouds doing lovely things in the garden this evening.

A bright moon shines above sunlit clouds in an evening garden. A rose bush beneath seems to glow with colour.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Dear young person at the Starbucks kiosk: it’s really not necessary to add “Dear” as a tag to every statement you make to people. Especially if they’re your grandmother’s age. It’s not welcomed.

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Mel Malton @melmalton.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Two little sketches from yesterday.

Watercolour study of Fundy shoreline. The tide roils the water into an interesting mix of purple and green.

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