Passionate Fiddler

I caught this violin player, or I should say, Fiddler, playing wildly at the Goderich Celtic Spirit Fest this summer. I was so enchanted by the passion and energy with which he and others played I had to take a photo, and then of course, paint it.

I have some Irish ancestry, being my Mom was a McGarrigle from New Brunswick. She told me how some of her family members would play music together when she was a child. According to the Canadian Encylcopedia, "Until ca 1960 fiddling was the principal source of dance music in rural Canada." 

After watching and listening I was reminded of how people used to sit in their kitchens, or barns after a days work, and play music and dance. Families used to play together. It's such a special bonding experience. I was so glad to have had it for that moment. I hope this feeling comes across in the painting.

Painted in acrylics on a 24" x 18" gallery canvas.