An interview with Visual Artist Joan Dimock of Riverview, New Brunswick, Canada.

 

We have another new visitor to the Scribbler.

 

I met Joan this summer when she was co-managing the Art on the Wharf along with fellow artist, Colleen Shannon.

She has kindly agreed to answer a few questions and share images of her artwork.

 Please note her work is for sale and you will find a link below.

Read on, my friends.

 

 

Joan Dimock is a resident of south-eastern New Brunswick. She spends her summers in Shediac and winters in Moncton.  Her inspiration often comes from New Brunswick landscapes, beaches, coastlines, and the natural beauty of Bay of Fundy vistas and trails.

Joan paints exclusively in oils and usually paints landscapes that she has experienced herself or that instill a sense of memory. She is drawn to create landscapes that evoke the feelings one experiences from the vastness of skies, water, and vistas. She enjoys the challenge of reducing the largeness of what one sees in person to a painting that can still arouse the feeling of being in nature.

Joan's retirement has allowed a greater focus on her art and art community. In addition to her involvement with the Art on the Wharf in Pointe du Chene,  Joan is an active member of the Riverview Arts Council.

 

 

Scribbler: Thanks for being our guest this week, Joan. Please tell our readers how long you’ve been painting? How did you get started?

Joan: I have always been a creative but my interest in painting began about 10 years ago.  I am self-taught with a number of mentors/teachers along the way and believe painting is is a life long learning.  Originally I started painting to take time to breath, time for me.  I found that when you paint, you fully focus on what you are doing and can escape from all the competing priorities on ones mind.   I quickly became very interested in the process and developing my skills.  Now I paint because it has become part of me.

 

Scribbler: How do you decide what you are going to paint next?

Joan: My inspiration comes from the human need to connect with nature and my experience with those feelings, particularity from the places I have been, seen and felt.  Half the fun is exploring our landscapes and taking reference photos for future paintings, its part of my process.  I am inspired by the sensory affects of the sights, the physical feelings of the wind, the emotional feelings of calmness or nostalgia and even smells while walking through the woods or beside our seascapes.  What I paint next depends on what landscapes I have a connection with at the time.  I usually have 3 or 4 paintings on the go at the same time.

 

Scribbler: What I admire most about your paintings is the softness (not sure if that’s the right word) of the colours, which I find most appealing. How do you do that?

Joan: Choice of paint palette helps but I find painting multiple thin layers over several sittings create the softness you describe.  When studio painting, I am in no rush and I let the layers dry for a few days before continuing the process.  In addition I mix my paint with mostly transparent oils allowing the creation of depth with many layers and utilizing soft edges for brushstrokes.

 

Scribbler: I notice many of your images are of the seashore or in nature. What inspires you?

Joan: You will see that most of my paintings have some aspect of water in them.  I am inspired by  what one feels when by the water.  It can be the calmness of sunset on the Northumberland Strait, the power of the Bay of Fundy, the reflective nature of a brook or the sound of waves over our shorelines.   I often cannot feel a connection to a landscape without the water.

 

Scribbler: Where are your paintings exhibited or where can they be purchased?

Joan: I exhibit my originals mostly in the summer months in Shediac and prints can be found at Maritime Crafts in Shediac as well.  Although you can find me at a few Fine Art Sales throughout the year, the best approach is to contact me directly on my Instagram account  @joan_dimock.  

Please go HERE.

 

Scribbler: Is there anything else you’d like to tell our readers?

 

Joan: I have come to the conclusion that my love of landscapes continues to translate into other mediums and processes.  I continue to studio paint, particularly in the winter, however over the last few years I have put a focus on plein air painting (The act of painting outdoors). Painting plein air is a process of adventure and gives me the ability to paint nature while outside in nature, amplifying the feelings in nature and senses of colour.  Utilizing fibre art, I have also  translated a number of landscapes into wool needle felting pieces  that continue to provide the connection ones feels in nature utilizing an additional creative process.

 

 

 Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, Joan. We wish you continued success with your paintings.

 

 

Another BIG thank you to all our visitors and readers.

Please leave us a comment, especially where you are from.

The Story Behind the Story with Author Barb Parker of Fredericton, NB, Canada.

 

Another new author for you to meet. 

I had the pleasure of meeting Barb at the GMRD Book Fair last spring. I’m happy to have her visit with us as our special guest this week.

Read on, my friends.

 

 

Hello, my name is Barb Parker. I live in Fredericton, N.B. with my husband, Larry. I am an author of three non-fiction books: My first book, “My Sister’s Journey from Headache to Heartache.” was published in 2010.  This book was awarded “READERS CHOICE OF THE YEAR 2013” by Salon Magazine (Telegraph Journal).  This book was recommended by a well-known doctor/author, to be used as an Educational Tool at Dalhousie University.

 My second book, THE CHOICE MY PATH MY DESTINY,” was published in 2013.  Both books are now available through NB Library Services.

My third book, “DON’T LEAVE ME,” was published in 2024 and is available online or by contacting me.

 

Title: DON’T LEAVE ME

 

 Synopsis: I wrote this book as a tribute to my mother in hopes of encouraging others to share, care, love, and take care of their elderly parents. I recommend taking many pictures & cherishing the special moments that keep memories alive forever.

 

 

The Story Behind the Story:

My third book,” DON’T LEAVE ME,” was not something I had planned to do. UNTIL, one day when I was cleaning out my mother’s apartment after her death and climbed up on a small ladder to check the shelves for anything I may have missed. Something shiny caught my eye.  It was a small feather broach that my mother had worn on one of her sweaters, kept on the shelf.  I showed my brother what I had found. He said, “you know that is a sign that Mum will come back to visit you by leaving feathers in your path.”  He was right.  I started finding feathers in strange places.  After months passed, many memories still so vivid in my memory of the seven years that I cared for my mother, I felt I had to share her story (our story), thus “DON’T LEAVE ME,”

The logo of the publisher, Word Alive is a feather.  Yes, a feather. 

 

 

Facebook: Please go HERE.

Scribbler: What has been the most enjoyable about your writing journey, Barb? The least enjoyable?

Barb: The most enjoyable journey about my writing of all three books was relieving the good memories. The least enjoyable about my writing journey of my three books, including my last book, was the pain and tears and sadness as I shared the sad, scary, unknow memories that were part of the story.

An Excerpt from: DON’T LEAVE ME

Chapter 12:

When I walked in, I found broken glass and water all over the living room floor. Mum didn’t know who I was. She was trying to talk………………

Thank you for being our guest, Barb. We wish you continued success with your writing.

Thank you to all our visitors and readers.

Feel free to leave a comment below.

We’d love to hear from you.

The Story Behind the Story with Author Nick Doyle of Saint John, NB, Canada.

 

We have another new author to the Scribbler for you to meet today. 

I had the pleasure of meeting Nick at the GMRDBook Fair this spring and he has kindly accepted our invitation to be our guest this week 

Read on, my friends.

 

 

Nick Doyle is an author from Saint John, New Brunswick. He’s a securities lawyer by trade and has a background in Greek and Roman history and culture. He likes to use that background to create engaging, mythologically dense stories with a dark twist. His preferred genre is dark fantasy and has two ongoing dark fantasy series. His latest foray into fantasy, Celestial City 66, is the first of a planned trilogy with the second due out Fall 2026.

 

Title: Celestial City 66

 

Synopsis:

In a world swarming with monsters and the decay of a ruined civilization, the small settlement of Mist has survived in relative tranquility. That is, until a terrible creature breaks through Mist’s walls and shatters the peace by infecting the populace with a deadly poison. With no available cure, two youths, Remus Quinn and Claudia Tarr embark on a perilous journey to the north in a desperate attempt to reach the mythical Celestial City 66, the last living city, and the only place medicine able to heal their people might exist.

 

The path north leads through a multitude of dangers from horrifying creatures littering the countryside to bloodthirsty warlords and their gangs of killers. Beliefs are challenged and hands are bloodied all without knowing if the fabled Celestial City 66 truly waits for them at the end of their journey.

 

 

The Story Behind the Story:

The initial idea for Celestial City 66 came from a short story I wrote while I was in law school. While adapting short stories into novels isn’t odd for many writers, it is for me. I’m terrible at writing them and usually avoid doing so. This short story was about a creature that derived elements from Eastern Orthodoxy mythology and some hapless fools that wandered into its cave. It wasn’t very good, but I started imagining what the world outside the cave would be, and this led to me creating a fun post-apocalyptic backdrop. An adapted version of the short story is actually a key chapter in the book and marks the end of its second act.

 

 

Facebook: Please go HERE. 

Scribbler: What has been the most enjoyable about your writing journey, Nick? The least enjoyable?

Nick: Easily my favourite aspect of the writing journey is the weeks following a release where I get to finally see reactions from readers about the stories I’ve had locked up to myself for so long. For the actual craft of writing, I love when I can click with a character so much that I don’t need to consider what they would or should do. They simply act in the story according to their internal beliefs. I have a good number of characters under my belt, and those ones are precious.

The least enjoyable part is the grind. Sometimes things don’t gel, or you’re not feeling the scene. Pushing through that and forcing words on the page even without the muse is always the hardest part for me.





An Excerpt from: Celestial City 66

 

Remus emerged into a different world. Rolling green fog smelling of lavender and cooked meat rose up into the air. It wasn’t coming from the lake. The unnatural vapor wafted from where the gate once stood. Remus pierced the fog and ran to confront the beast. 

He spotted its monstrous shadow through the fog near the chapel. Its arms flung wild, snapping up fearless, stupid men who tried to challenge it in the hope of proving their strength to the Messiah. As Remus got closer, fleshy tubes had sprouted from the sides of the monster, pumping out the green gas that filled the town. Two hunters were stabbing its thick fat but hadn’t pierced its hide. Remus ran to join them. He backed off just as the monster’s left hand smashed one to a paste and swiftly grabbed the other. 

Remus yelled at the top of his lungs and swung the Maneater as he rushed forward. The serrated blade hit the monster’s left arm near the joint and left a long cut. From the beast’s mouth came the pig cry again, spewing equal parts drool and gore that pooled in front of it. Remus followed up his attack, forcing the monster to drop the hunter in its clutches. The blue light of the dangling eye focused on Remus. It reared its other hand back and sent him flying against the wall of the chapel. 

Remus gasped as the air flew from his lungs on impact. Never once did he allow his spear to fall from his hand. He gazed up, his head fuzzy and vision blurry. The fog grew thick, but before a green death enveloped him, he spotted a figure running in his direction. The man’s face was obscured by a black gas mask, but the purple robes meant it had to be the preacher Michael.

“Get out of here,” Michael shouted. 

“But Mist.” It was all Remus could say before he started coughing in the fog. 

“You need to get to the lake.”

“I can’t. I can’t. I have to stop it.”

“Foolish child. Get up and…”

The piercing bang of a gunshot choked off Michael’s words. The preacher turned, muttering to himself. The monster reared its head as its insectoid legs began the long process of turning its hulking mass towards the gate. Another shot broke past the yellow orb of its right eye. The monster wailed, and its giant hand pressed against its leaking face. Chunks spattered into the air as two more shots burst through the beast’s flesh. Emboldened hunters rallied. They were quickly brushed away, but not before opening a series of bloody gashes on the monster’s side. Remus rose to join them, but the preacher Michael held him back.

“No,” Michael said. 

Remus looked past him and saw a swift shadow in the fog, racing like the winged angels of Michael’s sermons. The figure wore a long brown coat with a wide-brimmed hat. His face was covered by a gas mask, and he carried a knife the size of a forearm. The man scrambled up the monster’s back, arm slashing back and forth as he ran along the ridge of the creature’s spine. He reached the forehead and grabbed at the tendril holding up the blue light. The man severed it with two brutal hacks. The light dimmed and the beast sputtered bile and bellowed once again. 

Remus stood in awe as the lone man stood against the giant beast. Both hulking arms clasped together, snatching up the man before he could evade. The beast squeezed, throwing open its mouth in anticipation of a well-earned meal. The man wriggled in the stubby fingers, his hand reaching something on his belt. As the beast dangled him above its gaping mouth, the man tossed a tiny ball downward into the gigantic esophagus. At the same time, he unleashed his knife on the fingers holding him, forcing them to release. Dropped on the ground, the man entered a dead sprint toward Remus and Michael. He fell upon the side of the chapel and covered his ears just as a mighty bang sounded. Remus’s eyes flew open as an explosion rocked the inside of the beast’s stomach, spewing fire, smoke, and the gruesome contents of the beast’s stomach everywhere. Its mouth hung open and it fell to the side, landing among scattered flesh and a strange, blue blood that now seeped into every surface of the village. 

Mouth agape, Remus gawked at the man, who was busy wiping a messy mix of bodily fluids from his coat.

“W-what was that?” Remus asked as the man passed.

“Loimos. Better be worth the grenade.” 

The man left, joining a woman at the gate wreckage. Though a gas mask obscured her face, Remus could recognize that lanky false bravado anywhere—Claudia.

 

 

Thanks for being our guest this week, Nick, and for sharing an excerpt. Your story sounds intriguing.

We wish you continued success with your writing.

 

 

Thank you to all our visitors and readers.

Feel free to leave a comment below.

We’d love to hear from you.