I painted this from a photo taken during the last winter that this beautiful historic home stood in my town. The belief I have that the right person will come along for my paintings have been proven. The buyer has a special connection to this place through a lifetime of ties, to this house and to the former owners. It is so special when this happens that I just had to share this image again. A cherished memory caught on canvas. Love it.
This old place has lots of history in town. It finally came time to bring her down and now a new home sits on the site. I am glad that I got the chance to see her one last time when the leaves were off the trees. They don’t make them like they used to.
Kermit the Frog found being green to be a challenge and landscape painters have often complained about the colour as well. I am joining the chorus these days as my interest in landscape painting is taking me into this ‘jungle’ of verdant hues. Tucked away in my studio with the window providing a nicely framed view of the backyard, I’ve been practicing. Cedar trees are plentiful here and are challenging to represent, convincingly. Seeing green spots before my eyes from all this makes me wish for sunlight and the man-made hues of last summer!
What caught my attention, while out for a walk one day, was the warm glow on the inside of this old stump. In the background, you can see a tree still living and, for me at least, not half as interesting. I know that the glow had to do with reflected light but I imagined it more as a storybook hall for the forest sprites, will-o-wisps or what have you to gather, feast and frolic after midnight. Somebody must have left the lights on.