On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

…a painting with beautiful birch trees.

The tall birch reach to the heavens.  As I walk in the woods up north, the sun kisses the tree line.  I’m reminded of other peaceful moments here spent dreaming, taking in the crisp air.  It refreshes my soul and the smell of wet leaves as the sun melts the morning frost inspires me.  This time I spend alone with my thoughts and a warm cup of tea greeting my day.  I am always thankful to the woods for sharing her space with me.

Whispering Birch

Oil on Board
11.5 x 11.5″SOLD

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

…two sturdy and strong evergreens.

Wildly powerful, nourishing and protecting.  I feel you surround me with your goodness.  In the clearing, my eyes widen and I wrap you around me like a blanket as I enter new territory.  You protect me from the harsh wind and the elements but are gracious to not shield me from all that I am to learn.  Be bold on your journey and embrace this meditative state.  There is no other way.

Inviting the Wild

Oil on Board
10 x 16″
$400

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

…a triptych of colorful forest scenes.

I feel playful and childlike in your forest.  If I close my eyes, I can see a collection of memories; swinging from your awesome branches, games of hide and seek, building forts, climbing to the tippy tops, and running through your coppice like a maze.  As seasons change you’re always providing us with your calm, beauty and strength.  Whimsical and innocent, I can be any age in your care.

Oil on Board
9 x 12″
$150/each

These can be sold as a set or separately.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

…four quiet woodsmen.

I am grounded in the earth like a tree, embodied in the woodland.  Like many, my bark is engrained with your stories.  I grow slowly but strong as I collect history.  I stand alone but I am not lonely.  I’m never too far away from the others and our branches touch and oscillate to and fro.  I am the canopy of protection as I sway in the breeze.  A narrative exchange in the wind, like quiet whispers of a child.  A sacred ritual to release the deep impressions on my torso.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

…Fiiiiivvvvvvvveeee warm embraces.

We stop paddling and coast into the small clearing; we’ve reached our destination.  We cheers to our accomplishment with a cup of wine and break for a moment in the warm sun.   You hold the canoe still while I step onto land.  After pulling the canoe out of the water, you ask to carry my pack.  We enter our final pass knowing this is the end but we have only just begun.

On the Sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

..six spirits awakening.

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Natures peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves”. – John Muir

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

…seven viewpoints shifting.

I set the hands back in time of your landscape. All knowing and all seeing, sunrise becomes sunset and future falls and risings blend together.  Like the internal gears of a watch, this journey I am on reveals a cartogram of images.  The recorded geography is placed with an elemental bezel in the chamber of my heart.  Your spatial patterns line my memory with nostalgia and embellishments that crown my soul.

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

…eight peaceful new beginnings.

I lean in closer
Aperture compressed
I no longer see the landscape of the earth
A mural presents itself before me
and like a fragment magnified, rich and brilliant
My joys, my woes, moments of denial, struggle and beauty
Make deeper connections
Embedded in the vibrations and color
And my soul is revealed.

The eyes are the window of the soul  – English Proverb.

Pinnacle of My Eye-SOLD

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

…nine Fir trees sparkling.

You sparkle in the sun and warm my heart.  Your colors glisten like a polished mineral from the earth and I can see your natural design.  At first you must be broken into pieces, sorted and measured.
Put together with love and care you rise strong into something so beautiful.  Though delicate you are supported with a rigid frame and always hold together.  You resist wind, rain, and snow.  Your needles arranged make patterns and tell stories. You are familiar and welcoming.  As your branches fall just in the right place, I know I am home.

Stained Glass Curtain  SOLD

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

..ten artists emerging.

On land, I close my eyes and rest on your shores. I can feel the ground welcoming my presence.
Into the water, I swim freely in your care and acknowledge how lucky I am to be sharing this moment.
A breeze sends a quiver right through me and enlightens my spirit with passion and vitality.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

Flowers always make my heart sing.  The smell of their fragrant blooming buds.  Their vibrant colors.  Greeting me and reminding me that I too am alive.

Pink, small, and punctual,
Aromatic, low,
Covert in April,
Candid in May,
Dear to the moss,
Known by the knoll,
Next to the robin
In every human soul.
Bold little beauty,
Bedecked with thee,
Nature forswears
Antiquity.

~ E. Dickinson

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

..twelve moons rising.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I’ll rise

~Maya Angelou