Happy Holidays! Introducing A New Christmas Card!

Here we are again! It's hard to believe that the holidays are upon us!

This is my newest holiday card. It features a watercolour I did of the Christmas tree farm that we've visited annually for the past several years. It's such a lovely family tradition to go and cut our own tree down. And, of course, I had to include Meeko on the card! I also have a French version of this card. It's also available as an ungreeted note card.



I currently have a lovely sale on. I'm offering 30% off everything in my shop: original watercolour paintings, note cards, holiday cards, prints, books and bookmarks. The discount will be added as soon as you put something in the cart. No coupon is required. The sales ends at midnight EST on December 2, 2019.

It's not the first time that I've featured Meeko on my cards. He's also on this sweet holiday card I did last year.

And here he is again on an everyday note card which I did a few years ago! What can I say? He's a handsome and willing painting subject.

I hope you'll have a peek at my shop while my sale is still on.

And please accept warm greetings from Meeko and me. We wish you lovely holidays surrounded by family and friends.

🌲🎄🐕🎄🌲

Lovely Autumn Days

Autumn days are truly here. The weather is cool and crisp. It's perfect for long, lovely walks. Many leaves have fallen and are providing that wonderful 'crunch crunch crunch' underfoot but there are still lots of leaves on the trees giving beautiful colour. We must be at the magical midway point.

The leaves above are on one of my serviceberry bushes. I have a few of them around the yard, both in shrub and small tree form. Their fall colour is hard to beat. Below is my viburnum trilobum which is on the brink of turning red-orange. Those berries won't last long once the birds figure out they are there.

Our town is edged by rural roads and fields. It's one of my favourite places to walk with Meeko. The cloud formations are often beautiful and there is a feeling of openness that you don't find even just a few streets away. It's a thinking and breathing place for me. I'm pretty sure that Meeko mostly thinks about the horses we see along the way.

I also often talk about the tiny forest where I walk during the colder months of the year. It's been cool enough the past few weeks that I've started walking with Meeko there again. During the summer, it's too swampy and buggy. I took this photo of Meeko on our walk there this afternoon. Do you remember when people used to get their 'colours done'? Do people still do that? You would be told if you were a winter, spring, summer or autumn according to your coloration. Meeko is definitely an autumn. (He also needs a haircut.)

A few weeks ago, I told you about my 2017 calendar. I'm so proud of it. It is truly a labour of love. Many, many weeks went into the creation of the paintings and the calendar is printed page by page by me in my studio. One challenge I've found is that it's hard to take a photo that gives a really good sense of a 12-month calendar. This morning I worked on Photoshop (actually until my eyes felt cross-eyed) making this poster of my calendar. I hope it gives you a full idea of how pretty it is. 

I originally only offered my calendar unbound which can be displayed leaning on a bookshelf, on a fridge with a magnet, or on a wall with washi tape, a clip or push pin. Some people said they would like it bound so I now also offer a version with holes punched in the centre and a loop of twine. Something for everyone! You can order the version you prefer here.

🍂  🍂  🍂  🍂  🍂

Happy Spring!

Happy spring, friends! You know how much I love this time of year! My garden is still sleeping although I'm seeing little signs of life--the tiny tips of bulbs poking through the earth. There is snow predicted for later this week, so we aren't quite in spring weather mode yet.

I'm taking part in a spring giveaway loop on Instagram with eleven other makers and I wanted you to know about it. I'm giving away a set of my daffodil prints and it's very easy to enter. You can see the instructions here. (The giveaway closes at noon eastern time on March 23, 2016.)

Last week, Instagram announced that it will be changing our feeds from chronological order to what they think we want to see most. Uh huh. As if we asked. I feel brain cells disappearing with each 'helpful' algorithm introduced on social media sites. We all know it's really about money and it will very likely make it harder for individuals and small companies to be seen. It's sad to think that Instagram will turn into another Facebook--although with Facebook as its owner, I knew it was just a matter of time. I love Instagram so much. It's such a warm, creative place. I hope that it won't lose all of its charm and will still be a place where creative folks can meet. We will see.

My indoor potted daffodils have given me so much pleasure this past month as I waited for spring to arrive. The first daffodil bloomed on February 25th and there are still new ones opening each day. In the autumn, I layered a whole bunch of mixed daffodil bulbs in three big pots that I usually have outdoors for summer annuals. I can't wait to see the bulbs I planted outdoors too. There's so much anticipation this time of year.

And in other news, this bundle of curls turned six years old last week! Meeko is such an important part of our family. His daily companionship means the world to me.

I wish you a lovely spring (or autumn if you are in the southern hemisphere)! If you'd like to see more of my spring art, you can see it here.

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

Meeko Time

Every now and then, Meeko leans over and whispers 'If you're looking for a blog subject, I'm sure people wouldn't mind one all about me'.

It's hot and humid here. Even without the heat, in the summer my art productivity always slows down. My concentration is always off when others are in the house, even though I enjoy my daughters' school vacation presence. Snatching an hour to paint here and there doesn't always work. I'm better off with a stretch of a few hours of uninterrupted studio time--time to think, time to putter, time to produce. Plus I have a very big garden that requires my regular presence during the summer. This past week, I've been getting up early each morning to go out and work in the garden for two to three hours before the day's heat hits. If I don't look after it daily, it becomes an unworkable jungle.

The rest of my summer days seem to be a bit of a blur--dentist appointments (Chloé got her wisdom teeth removed this past week; Emma's appointment is in August), various errands, visits to framing suppliers, preparations for a garage sale, the beginning of a painting commission, mom's 'taxi', walks with Meeko.

Wait a minute. Meeko. Once again, I think the furry boy might be right.

A serviceberry from our garden. Meeko loves berries.

Gentle boy.

A rare off-leash summer run. Yippee!

"I stand on guard for thee." I think it's more to do with dogs, cats and squirrels in the park. 

Gardening companion whether at work or at rest.

A blog post brought to you by Meeko.

A Spring Adventure

This morning when we woke up, I'm certain there was a collective groan. If the windows had been open, I'm sure it would have resonated for miles. After an unseasonably warm day yesterday when much of the snow melted and people flocked into the streets wearing light clothing and big smiles, it snowed again overnight. A lot of snow. After the initial shock of seeing everything covered in white again, I decided to make the best of it and see if the forest path was still accessible. I had my doubts after all of the thawing that had taken place in previous days.

There is a creek that we have to cross over to get to the path. A plank of wood serves as a bridge but it was under a half-foot of water and a layer of ice this morning. It wasn't even visible. I had to get a piece of wood to poke through the surface to be sure that it was still in place.

This is when I told Meeko my plan that we were going to walk across the submerged bridge. First he looked at me and then he started barking. Rough translation: 'You want me to do what? You are crazy'. (He fell into the creek a couple of springs ago when he sidestepped the bridge.) After some initial hesitation and more barking, he got brave and went across first.

This is taken from the other side. What was waiting for us was surreally beautiful. The thaw from previous days had created the swampy patches that are typical of this little forest during the spring and summer but everything, absolutely everything, was covered in snow. It was like a frozen moment between seasons.

I let Meeko be the leader as finding the pathway was not always obvious because there were parts underneath the water. He had a ton of fun running ahead and then racing back to check on my progress. We had the forest to ourselves because no one else was nutty enough to be there this morning. But oh what they missed!

I don't wear my glasses when I'm out walking. Somehow I hit a setting on my phone without realizing and the last few photos are in black and white. Still beautiful.

This is Meeko getting mentally ready to cross the watery bridge again to go home. I'm so glad that I decided to shake off my initial disappointment at seeing the snowy weather. I have Meeko to thank over and over again for getting me out into nature on a daily basis. We had a ton of fun together this morning.

❤  ❤  ❤  ❤  ❤

Happy Birthday, Meeko!

Birthday boy in the house!  Five years old today!

Thanks, my friend, for the daily walks, constant companionship, cuddles and your endearing eccentricities. You make every day better.

I did the portrait of him a couple of years ago. I need to paint him again sometime soon.

The photo above was taken on the day he became part of our family. The photo below was taken on this morning's birthday walk in the forest.

❤  ❤  ❤  ❤  ❤

And Then It Snowed and Snowed

This morning we woke to a blanket of snow and it kept snowing. In fact, it still is. The first snowstorm of the year.

Despite the weather, well actually because of it, Meeko and I went for a walk in the forest in the early afternoon. We had the whole place to ourselves.

The scenery in the forest was absolutely enchanting. Snow covered every single tree trunk and branch. 

When Meeko runs in the snow, I have this song in my head. 

Look at the snowballs that accumulated on Meeko's legs. It was wet, sticky snow.

We are thawing inside now. It took over a half hour for the snow to melt that had accumulated on Meeko's legs but I think he would agree that it was worth it. We had so much fun!

Today, I was thinking of Emma's friends in her McGill University residence who will be experiencing their first snowstorm. I hope they are able to take a break from studying for their exams to build a snowman together! 

The winds have picked up and it is quite blustery at the moment. I'll be glad once Chloé's schoolbus arrives at the corner.

The beauty and challenges of snow.

❅ ❅ ❅ ❅ ❅

A Walk in the Snow with Meeko

Wanna go on a walk with me? If you say yes, I'll show you the way.

It's over that way. You remember, right?

First, you walk past the tall grasses. Wow, it's a really pretty day today.

Wait, you're taking my leash off? Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Now you need to walk over the board that someone put across the little stream. The stream is already frozen. It's been so cold the past few days.

Hey Kathleen, how come you're lagging behind? Don't worry. I'll wait for you.

It's so pretty here this morning.

Look at those dried leaves and the sparkly snow.

That was really a lot of fun.

Wanna go on another walk with me?

❤  ❤  ❤  ❤  ❤

The weather changed abruptly here this week. Last week, I was gardening with a sweater on. This week I am wearing full winter gear. Yesterday was miserably cold. Everything was covered in ice. The wind howled all day long and was bitterly cold. It was about -12C or 10F with the wind chill factor.  I couldn't even face taking Meeko for his walk, a very rare occurrence. I did manage to harvest (hack out) some vegetables from the back garden though. You can see the photos here and here.

Today, it is completely different. The sun is out. There is no wind. Meeko and I were able to go on the forest path for the first time this season. It's too swampy to walk in the spring and the summer so we really cherish the months when it is walkable. As you can see from the photos above, we had a ball together. What a gorgeous morning. Thank you, Meeko my friend, for getting me out and into it.