Cover Artist

 ~After the frost~ 

As soon as the risk of frost is over, I love to sprinkle saved seeds from the year before randomly all through our garden beds. While I will keep some seeds to themselves, I prefer to mix them all together.  I especially love the surprise of not knowing what plants will pop up where. 

Morning glories are especially wonderful for this and we have found them in the most unexpected, wonderful nooks and crannies in the garden! Like I mentioned in my last post, this is the time of year when our garden takes on a bit of a "wild" look and this is one of the reasons why ;-) 

After the frost is a painting filled with thoughts of   walking through the garden, clippers and basket in hand, snipping random flowers and buds. 

I am absolutely thrilled & honored to have After the Frost as the Cover Art for the June/July 2021

issue of The Country Register of Ontario.

Thank you so much to publisher Harriet Ramos .

Blessed Be ~ Half for you and half for me ...

I've been spotting nests everywhere in our garden which is an absolute thrill! A few times while looking out the window I've caught Robins, Red Winged Blackbirds, Sparrows and even a teeny little Wren pulling apart the liners of our hanging baskets. 

There was a lot of cooing happening outside our bedroom window and by the twigs sticking out it looks like the Doves were thinking about nesting in the eaves but changed their mind (thankfully). They would have been completely exposed to the elements and we have had high temps combined with heavy evening rains. The Doves had done this once before and ended up deserting the nest during a brutal rain/wind storm which was heartbreaking.  When we took it down we found 2 perfect little white eggs inside, untouched.

The heat and rain has  made the garden explode and while this is the time of year when our garden begins to take on a life of it's own and look a bit on the "wild" side, we only need to see all the bees , butterflies and dragonflies enjoying the perennials to know that the garden is for much more than looking nice!

Spotting the Chinese lanterns spreading across the garden makes me think of cooler days and my favourite season Autumn! 

We recently watched a fantastic drama/ documentary called Honeyland about the life of a wild bee keeper in rural Macedonia . Honey land tells the story of the balance of humanity and nature and follows a woman using ancient beekeeping traditions in the mountains of Macedonia. The film crew spent three years on location with Hatidze Muratova, whose philosophy to harvesting honey is 

 "take half, leave half" 

Winner of three awards at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and nominated for two Academy Awards at the 2020 Oscars for both Best Documentary Feature and Best Foreign Film. I highly recommend this amazing documentary.

The land of bees speaks much more than simply about bees

"The hum of bees

is the voice of the garden"

-Elizabeth Lawrence-

Watching Honeyland sparked an interest about reading more and more about wild beekeeping and bees. Did you know that the Queen Bee spends most of her life in the hive?  She never visits a flower or make honey. Her primary diet is royal jelly, the substance secreted by the worker bees. The Queen bee is often the only survivor when winter arrives and she is the one who will build the new hive in the Spring.

The trumpet vine is in full bloom and welcoming hummers and bees daily! 

~Magical~

"I want to be magic.

I want to touch the heart of the world and make it smile.

I want to be a friend of elves and live in a tree.

Or under a hill.

I want to marry a moonbeam and hear the stars sing.

I don't want to pretend at magic anymore.

I want to be magic"

-Charles de Lint-

"The flower doesn't dream of the bee,

it blossoms and the bee comes"

-Mark Nepo-

 

Burlington Artscape Leaf Fundraiser . . .

I wish you

*Peace in this moment*

*Joy in the everyday*

*Happiness in your life*

Woodland Wanderer

for the wandering soul, the nature lover , one who walks gently upon the Earth.

After working on my Burlington Artscape Leaf for the past few weeks, it is now complete, has been delivered back to the project co-ordinator to be sprayed with a semi-gloss topcoat so that it can stay outdoors  and the time has come for the 

big reveal 

Woodland Wanderer . . .  

"Walk in the direction where your peace is found"

-Steven Aitchism-

Painted with all the memories and magical moments that come to mind as I walk the labyrinth.

"The mind can go in a thousand directions,

but on this beautiful path,

I walk in peace.

With each step,

the wind blows.

With each step,

a flower blooms"

-Thich Nhat Hanh-

And all the precious animals, birds and bugs   spotted on daily walks . . .  Owls, rabbits, butterflies, bumblebees  and always tons of dragonflies :-) 

squirrels, black, grey and red

& even foxes and coyotes 

Even though we live in an urban area, we are surrounded by the untamed beauty of nature.

Our Central Park, a juxtaposition of activity  and serenity.

There will be a public display August 8, 15 and 22 on the property of Grace United Church, 2111 Walkers Line Burlington.

An opportunity for the public to walk through the Leaf Art Path and to purchase a leaf  which are priced at $750.00.  This city wide fundraiser will support the critical needs of   Joseph Brant Hospital with help during the Covid crisis and 100% of all money raised goes to the hospital. I am so happy to be part of this amazing fundraiser!

 I created a little card for the purchaser of Woodland Wanderer telling a bit about the story behind the painting. Because I like to begin most paintings with jotting down my thoughts and emotions in pencil, I thought it would be nice to show the words underneath/intertwined with the paint. I hope Woodland Wanderer brings the purchaser as much joy as I had painting xo

Art and Seek 2021

~ dancing her way toward the garden ~ 

At the beginning of the month of June I heard about an art project called Art and Seek 2021.

The idea was one that intrigued me. Artists from all over Canada would leave a piece(s) of their original art out in a public space where they lived/created for someone to find on July 1 st.  A few days before, clues would be left for those interested in this art scavenger hunt.

~serenity~ 

Artists leaving little gifts as a token of community * kindness * unity * all appealed to me and so I signed up. The last time I checked, over 100 artists from across Canada were participating.

I knew exactly where my art pieces would be "hidden"

Both were wrapped in tissue paper with twine and tucked into their own little brown paper bag with all the information about Art and Seek 2021 written on the front.  Each was then placed in a plastic bag for protection as it was raining in the morning and spitting as I walked to the park with both parcels to drop off at 7:30am 

Dancing her way toward the garden went to the community garden

and Serenity was left at the entrance of the labyrinth

I hope they bring much joy to those who find them!

I bumped into a few neighbours and fellow dog walkers who wondered what I was doing :-)

"Oh, just hiding free art for art and seek"

 "We need ART

 because it moves us

 the same way it moves others

 who are nothing like us

 except the way

 their hearts split open

 which in the end

 is all the likeness

 that counts" 

-Samantha Reynolds-