Cabin: Scribble Picnic

Cabin: Scribble Picnic

This week the word for Scribble Picnic is CABIN. I thought of the cottages we have in Haliburton and I think in the US they would be called cabins. In our small Haliburton county of about 17,000 we grow in the summer into 40 000 or more. That’s because of cottages, or cabins.

cabin

 

But I didn’t want to draw a cottage. I wanted to draw a rustic cabin. Then I thought about Uncle Tom’s Cabin and that fascinated me. Since my heart has been to get the word out about the abuse from human trafficking, this cabin stands as a reminder of the abuse of slavery in the 1800s. Now we suffer the same thing in human trafficking, which is a form of slavery.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site is an open-air museum and African American history centre near Dresden, Ontario, Canada, that includes the home of Josiah Henson, a former slave, author, abolitionist, and minister, who, through his 1849 autobiography The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, as Narrated by Himself, was the inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe‘s title character in her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin.[1] (Wikipedia)

So here is my rendition of Uncle Tom’s cabin done using only one watercolour pencil. The book Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, published in 1852, was credited in helping the abolitionist cause.

I did this sketch at 2 am when I couldn’t sleep.

I couldn’t find my blender to soften edges. Don’t know where it walked to. I tried another brush but it worked like a real brush and isn’t what I had in mind. And then I couldn’t even find the same pencil crayon I had used. So here it is. CABIN.

cabin

Don’t forget to see the other cabins here.

What comes to mind when you think CABIN? Follow #ScribblePicnic @dotty_hill (click to tweet).

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26 comments

  1. Isn’t it frustrating at times when you’re looking for a specific tool to use in your artwork and can’t find it? I have so much stuff on my desk I often can’t find most things. haha Lovely cabin. I really like the foliage/vines you have wrapping around and down the side. :_

    1. Alexandra,
      I feel that way with my desk too – I guess it is the creative mind – so much in it but it doesn’t like to get it straightened up. I have to do taxes soon and I dread that. My brain is too far gone – right.
      Thanks for the compliments.
      Blessings
      Janis

    1. Sue,
      That’s funny. I go to bed usually at 9pm. I wasn’t staying up – I woke up – and couldn’t return to sleep. It’s interesting at 2am though.
      Blessings,
      Janis

    1. Mary,
      Thank you. I have been sleeping very well since then. Just a time I needed to get up and when you are up – you might as well draw.
      This conversation has to keep going – it’s too important.
      Blessings
      Janis

  2. Perfect color for your rustic cabin! I’m sorry to say that I’ve never read “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” though am certainly aware of it. Will add that to my “books I should read” list! And thank you for what you’re doing to raise awareness about today’s problems.

    1. Thank you so much. I was only thinking of sketching and grabbed the brown. Then time got away as it usually does and I didn’t go any further. But I am happy with it. And yes just reading about the book will be an eye opener. Abuse is rampant everywhere. Marriages, our native people, human trafficking, our children. It certainly is something we need to be aware of and try to take some action.
      Blessings
      Janis

    1. Lux,
      I never considered myself “artistic”. I do believe the inspiration and ability is a gift from God. When I needed to illustrate my children’s books – I learned, and I painted the pictures. Never say never. You don’t know what God will do.
      Blessings,
      Janis

  3. Janis, your cabin is rustic and realistic. The ivy growing on it reminds me so much of a shack that I guess you could call a different kind of cabin, that we pass by on our yearly lighthouse challenge. The door is permanently open and the the vines have almost covered it. But I always make my husband stop so I can get closer and take a picture. You have inspired me to try drawing it. Thanks!

  4. Janis, of course, I am very familiar with the book, and of it, Lincoln himself said to Stowe something to the affect of, “So you are the one who started all this” or something like that, upon meeting her! Her book was that revolutionary and like Wilberforce, her faith and determination, finally put an end (in the Western world) to such a horror. It’s so sad to see how other parts of the world have continued it and now the west is involved again through trafficking in it’s various sorts. It’s utterly sickening and disgusting, especially the enslavement of innocent children to paedophiles and monsters! I do support various groups like Project Rescue that are dealing with this and bringing some semblance of love to the most wounded, even if jsut place to rest before dying of AIDS or what have you. ANYWAY…. you know, Uncle Tom’s Cabin is not on the “Censored” list for most schools which is crazy, considering how it was a core reading as much as Shakespeare for decades and played such a crucial part in the formation and building of this country, the US.

    All that to say, your art is lovely and light. You mention it’s the cover of the actual book you have or something? I find the archway through the cabin with the 3 figures off in the distance, intriguing too.

    Well done! A great take. And yes, you live in one of those lovely places that swells in the warmer months. I suppose you either love it or can;t wait for the quiet to return? 🙂

    Thank you for contributing again here at our picnic for this week!

    1. Michael,
      Yes faith and determination of Harriet certainly made the difference. It’s interesting that Wilberforce is a town nearby our town of Haliburton. And yes Lincoln did say that when he met her. I have worked to fund raise for two years in a row for groups that are fighting human trafficking. Getting the word out is very important because just like in the days of slavery in the US – people didn’t see the truth. They covered it up. We like to stick our heads in the sand and not admit there is a problem. The more we can discuss it, the better.

      I hadn’t heard that the book was on the censored list. Funny what they allow and what they don’t. Kids are able to watch violent movies but can’t read about real history? They play violent games on their devices but if they really knew violence I wonder if they would be so quick to play it.
      Thanks for the compliments on the picture. It turned out better than expected and I like the way the light is glowing inside. Those are candles burning.

      Great to be back.

      Blessings
      Janis

  5. A wonderful and very thoughtful take on the challenge, Janis. I think the ivy gives it a nice touch too. I actually think the use of just one medium was perfect for this piece.

    I don’t think I have ever read Uncle Tom’s Cabin. I vaguely remember a book way back in school that may have been it but don’t know for sure. The movie, ’12 Years a Slave’ was based on a true story and that was heart-wrenching to watch. There are so many horrors going on in this modern world with human trafficking being one of them. It all sickens me to the core. 🙁

    1. Serena,
      Thank you. When I thought of cabin – I thought rustic and brown. So I guess that’s why it looks rustic. I totally agree with you. Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world, second only to the drug trade. It must be eradicated. I started a Facebook Page called Help Break the Chains of Abuse – because I see the abuse in the way people treat each other – in marriages, in workplaces. It’s terrible.
      Blessings,
      Janis

  6. It turned out sweet even without the tools you were hoping for. I like the ivy or plant climbing over it.

    Glad you got back to sleep.

    1. Thanks Tammie,
      Yes don’t know what I used as I can’t find that shade any longer. It disappeared. But the little bit of light did shed a glow into the interior.
      Blessings
      Janis

  7. the arch or is that a door, has a slight lighter hue that makes me think of sunsets or sunrises and I don’t know, it seems to signal of hope to me, anyway, for a piece done at 2am, it’s not bad.

    have a lovely day.

    1. Lissa,
      It is the inner part of the cabin with candles burning. And yes it is a sign of Light and hope. Thank you. The story of Uncle Tom’s Cabin is one of hope through the despair of slavery.
      Blessings to you,
      Janis

  8. Am glad you posted this cabin, even though it sounds like it was one of those very early morning traumas! The drawing has lovely strong lines and works very well in the tonal brown and I love the flowers/leaves rising up on one side.

    1. Thanks Linda,
      Actually there was no trauma. I just couldn’t sleep. A sinus headache. So enjoyed the time drawing. I will do that again. I went back to sleep extremely well – no medications. Relaxed.
      Thanks for the comments. I should put the cover of the book up so you can see the flowers.
      Blessings,
      Janis

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