Hello friends,

The good times have been flying by and August has sneaked up on us. It has been a beautiful, lazy mountain summer. Sunny but not extreme weather, decent air quality (cannot take that for granted here in forest fire country), and a whole lot of freedom to explore the hills on foot and bike, always with an eye out for future compositions. This constant search makes every outing an adventure… a treasure hunt.

Sometimes one doesn’t have to search very hard or far for something rare or lovely. Take, for example, the source scene for this new painting. I had planned to go hike to a deep ravine in the hills behind our home, wondering if I was safe to go alone with the dog, early in the morning for the best light. Instead, I ended up stumbling across this quiet, shady scene on a regular morning dog walk. Off of the Valley Trail, which skirts our village and McGillivray Creek, are little hidden worlds of birch, aspen, rock gardens, rushing water and rich botanical variety. Gary ran into the bushes and I followed him into one of these little scenes, so hushed and golden in the morning light. I stayed for awhile, perched on a very small, sharp rock (s’okay, I have lots of padding), snapped some photos and tried imprint the feel of the place on my mind.

My next canvas will be a small painting of a big vista, but I know I will always come back to the unassuming and quiet corners. They are my happy places.