From Spring to Summer

From road trips to Port Dover, to bike rides to the beach.

Under every leaf we rake up is a surprise of things growing - even a frog, or toad, speckled brown, snuggled next to our green rain barrel.

We missed spring in St. T last year, amidst the worry of buying, selling, packing and moving and this year we're going to take a breath and watch nature unfold. Under every leaf we rake there's something forcing up through the soil, busting out to feel the sun, just as we are.

Tulips
Forsythia
Crocus
Violets
Daffodils, in bright yellow and amber-white



Putting away the bird feeders and finding the chairs for the deck.

Clothes hung on the laundry line, trying not to scare the dovers nesting in the eave, and Frankie smelling the worms.




Now, we're almost ready to rake again and I can still feel the summer sun's warmth, briefly.

Ah ... seasons

Elgin & St. Thomas Studio Tour

When we moved to St. Thomas from Toronto last year, I got one of my first glimpses into the local art community when pal Darren drove me around to a few participating studios in the 2007 Elgin and St. Thomas Studio Tour. I knew immediately I wasn't setting up a hobby studio - I'd be working as usual, painting and showing.





And so, apart from a brief period of winter slumber during which I rested to rejuvenate and start new roots, I've continued doing-what-I-do; that magic of laying paint on canvas.





These are some of the pieces I've finished, or am hoping to, as the May 17-18 weekend deadline approaches.
(Soon I'll be hearing the familiar crack-of-the-whip as Neil gently encourages me to be as productive as possible in time for the show)



Furthering my exploration of gardens, flowers and earth, which started shortly after our touchdown from seventh floor condo to earthbound house, I'm enjoying the rich browns of soil and rock. Ah ... spring

Fairies, sheep, and a sheep's fairy

Sometimes
I paint fairies ...







and sometimes I
paint sheep .....

and once in a blue moon, I'm inspired by some whimsy to make something just plan fun -
for me, it's magical

I love that my paintings are hanging in peoples homes; in their hallways and living rooms, bathrooms and offices.
There aren't a lot of jobs where you get to add some colour and cheer to peoples lives the way an artist does. And the only thing more special for me than creating a wonderful image, is seeing it go to a wonderful home; a feeling I get to enjoy alot.

Cyn and Dave have this sheep goes to the fair and meets a fairy painting in their home - I love it when people can see the magic I see.