Zion

The National Parks of Utah have long been on my bucket list so I was overjoyed when I finally reached the park entrance to Zion! 

I knew the landscape would be exceptional and awe inspiring but I truly had no idea how it would take my breath away. Once again, the diversity of this planet's land formations is astounding to behold.

"...the geology that underlies lusher landscapes is exposed to the eye, and this gives it a skeletal elegance, just as its harsh conditions - the vast distances between water, the many dangers, the extremes of heat and cold - keep you in mind of your mortality." 

~Rebecca Solnit

Alive in the Moment!

I continue to find my way through the clouds of grief that follow and envelope me everywhere. Oddly the grief has become a constant in my life, almost like an unwelcome companion that I am starting to get used to cause it just won't go away. I have started to make peace with this unwelcome companion.

The one place I feel my strength return is hiking in the Adirondacks. I can't always find someone to hike with and so I have been going on my own, or rather, with my unwelcome companion, which has made the silence in the woods roar in that special way it does when you are alone in the forest with your grief.

   

 The stones emanate a strong presence, the wind animates and the trees have never felt like such dear friends.

Gratitude in Autumn

Accept What Comes from the Silence / 24" x 30" / acrylic on canvas

At no other time (than autumn) does the earth let itself be inhaled in one smell, the ripe earth; in a smell that is in no way inferior to the smell of the sea, bitter where it borders on taste, and more honeysweet where you feel it touching the first sounds. Containing depth within itself, darkness, something of the grave almost. ~Rainer Maria Rilke~

Cascade Forest / 24" x 30" / acrylic on canvas

This has been an extraordinary summer for the artist/gypsy in me. I have never felt so close to the bone of my soul life. I have traveled extensively, inside and out for the past five months. A journey that has peeled away the unnecessary and revealed the essence and interconnectedness of many places, people and things. 

Ten years ago my life was so confused and muddled I didn't think I would ever see clearly again. Today the waters have stilled and are crystal clear. My inner vision is

Abundance in the Adirondacks

It has been a while since I have posted anything. I have been off on many new adventures and it has been hard to keep up with my online communication. A tremendously full and prosperous summer has flown by. There has been much hard work, lugging paintings to and from exhibitions, working at starting up "ArtBomb Montreal" and continuing to paint in spite of all this activity.