My favourite thing in the world is to really connect with another person …. you know, those deep, meaningful conversations that go on for hours. In the 90’s I lived for those long, juicy hand-written letters my friends and I exchanged when I first left home to go to school in Canada.

Writing a blog is a more public arena though, and I cannot see your faces to read your expressions, your body language … so I appreciate it when you comment here, or e-mail me. When you participate in the conversation, it evolves, is becomes more and more interesting to all of us.

So, please continue to send me your questions, comments, suggestions, requests!

Ok, I’m going off topic. What I wanted to say is, after all this time blogging, it’s only just occurred to me that I have NOT been writing an individual blog post for each painting that I complete and add to this website!!!!

I also realized, that I should be adding a Paypal button to these posts – such a fundamental thing in this age of online sales – I feel like a such a “ninny-headed-nincompoop”!

This painting was inspired by the first Fernscape painting I did, I’m still really in love with it, and hope to do many more. In between the two, I did work on the peacock-inspired paintings, and I think you can see some of that influence in this painting. It’s looser, more whimsical. I pretty much painted it freehand, just used a chalk at the beginning to lay in some flowing lines.

There is a happy, fun aspect to this painting because of the abstraction, you can feel the rhythm. It’s not as serious and laboured as a purely realistic painting can be, and I think some days we all need some of that lightness.

I especially feel that now that there is a wicked winter chill in the air – I can hear the wind howling outside as I write. My intention was to start a new series of Fernscapes this month, but I’m hesitating – usually when the winter blues hit I counteract them with bright sunny paintings.

So, I may push the Fernscape series onto the backburner for a little while. I have another idea that I might pursue first.

Meanwhile … I’m preparing for my ART CLASSES to start on Jan 15 !