Inspired in lockdown, 12-year-old Halifax boy paints Atlantic Canadian scenes
Brooklyn Currie | CBC News | Posted: May 15, 2021 9:00 AM | Last Updated: May 15, 2021
Carter Noseworthy taught himself watercolour painting last month, and he's pretty darn good
A 12-year-old boy in Halifax is using his free time in lockdown to teach himself a new skill — watercolour painting.
Carter Noseworthy, who has always had an interest in drawing as well as athletics, said he was inspired to try something new.
Within a month of his first attempt, through experimenting and a bit of patience, Noseworthy was creating watercolour sketches of sites in Halifax and other cities in Atlantic Canada.
"You can easily do it anywhere you are, you can go to buildings downtown, and it's very relaxing to do at home, I really enjoy it," he said.
The key to successful watercolour painting? Don't get hung up on making things perfect.
"Watercolour, you can be really fluent with it, just do whatever you picture, and it'll turn out great."
He started posting his pictures on Instagram and hopes other people will enjoy his art, too.
"I find Maritime buildings really fun to draw, because I find they look really appealing when they're finished, I like the older look to them," said Noseworthy, who wants to be an architect when he grows up.
Originally from Newfoundland, the boy is missing the scenery of his home province and is eager to visit with his family when travel is allowed again.
One of his first pieces was of St. Patrick's Church in St. John's, where his grandparents got married. He sent it to them as a gift, and said they were "very impressed."
His mother, Colleen Wade Noseworthy, is equally impressed with her son's multitude of talents. The aspiring architect is also a competitive athlete, training 16 hours a week in gymnastics before the lockdown closed gyms and other facilities.
His mother said he's always been creative, whether he's sketching on paper or building with clay, wood, sea glass or other materials.
"To see him construct an image, in sometimes under 30 minutes, and then paint it in about five more minutes, it's just kind of mind-blowing for me ... I think it's a gift," she said.
And while Carter credits both his parents for passing down the gift — his mother dabbles in sea-glass creations and his father is a painter — his mother calls it a silver lining of the time spent locked down.
"We're all going through some sort of depression or loneliness or isolation or, God forbid, sickness. But sometimes bright lights or positive things can shine through."
MORE TOP STORIES