Winter Greetings
Feb 12, 2021
Winter Tidings!
WELCOME! JOIN ME FOR A RIVERSIDE FIRE?
Hello! This may be the first time I’ve written to you. If so, thanks for taking the time to read. It is my hope that this newsletter will help us to get better acquainted and keep in touch. As I write today, I imagine that you and I are sitting by a fire near the river of my family’s little farm called Alight By the Brook. We can sip hot cocoa while we keep the fire “alight by the brook!” There’s plenty of wood to keep the fire blazing for some time so we can chat about art, farm, family and other things as we get to know each other better.
This pond-side site is one of my favorite places to be, and a nice place to take a moment to relax and share. It is especially peaceful and scenic in the winter. I spend less time by the brook in the winter than at other times of the year, but it remains my place for “disconnected” connection-- a place to commune not only with friends (like you now!) but also with nature and spirit, without the distractions of internet or chores. It is often my site for relaxation, meditation, plein air painting, photo shoots and artistic study.
Something about the holidays had me in a kind of work hibernation early in the winter, but with the new year I feel energized and ready to start some new projects and explore new directions. I have so many ideas, I am still deciding which paths to follow.
new paintings
Along the idea of new directions, you may have seen a new figure painting that breaks from my mostly landscape and horse art themes. Painting Bernie was not my idea--it was a request from a firiend, but it was so much fun to make that it has ispired me to think about doing more figurative work.
Sales
It pleases me to no end to see my work in people’s homes! Thank you to all who have shared photos of the pieces in their new locations. It makes me so happy to share a bit of myself in your daily lives!
Goals
I am incredibly optimistic for 2021, and besides growing as an artist, my art goals include: exploring new media, making more of my work visible and available through my website, increasing the range of available products from very small to very large, increasing community engagement, and (maybe most daunting...) getting this newsletter out regularly.
This has been an exciting year in regard to the horses. For several years, my two horses, Breeze and Choctaw, were both unsound, but since last spring, we’ve been back to work and building our connections through riding and liberty games, and we’re solving partnership puzzles together all the time. Even through winter, my yard is full of obstacles and new challenges for the horses and me. It’s been positively magical to ride and play under the lighted trees!
And speaking of trees...
It seems the sap will be running soon, so that means it is time to tap the sugar maples! Every year we collect enough sap from our three trees to supply the family with homegrown maple syrup all year long.
planning the gardens
Seed catalogs have started to arrive and I am dreaming of a vibrant growing season ahead! Last year we began to transform our mostly fruit and vegetable gardens to allow more flowers and perennials. This year I want to expand my cutting garden, so I have been pouring over the catalogs, highlighter in hand! What are your favorite flowers?
The fields abound with life 
It is decidedly quieter in New England in winter than it is in other seasons, but signs of life are not far from sight. I especially love seeing the tiny footprints and little holes in the snow that the smallest of the animals make.
this place is for the birds...
One of the more consipicous signs of life that comes every Febraury are the birds. Ducks inhabit the waters of the big river and throughout the wetlands around us year-round. But for some reason, we see more ducks frolicking in our little brook and up to the pond in late Janurary and early February. They are incredibly private animals, so they disappear the instant there is a hint of human presence, which makes it an extra special treat to be able to watch them play unaware of my witnessing!
Also, song birds have been more abundant as they pilfer seed heads from the horses’ hay. It is nice to hear their songs as a reminder of warmer seasons ahead.
And finally, I had my first bald eagle sighting over the river! February always marks the entrance of bald eagles in the skies over the river.
events on the horizon?
I can’t wait to see people at the farm again. While isolating, we have been working hard to make improvements on the farm, especially in the eternally-under-construction barn and studio space. When we open up, I have some exciting plans for events at the farm, so please stay tuned for your invitation!
Something else (to be revealed soon)
A while back I had been working on a painting series that I wasn’t ready to fully develop. My new outlook sees all of the lessons and skills I developed over the past as building blocks for some really exciting new projects. Now may be just the right time to get cooking on things that have been on the back burner for too long.
what will the second half-century bring?
I know that warmer, brighter days are coming. You may wonder whence my optimism for the future springs. It may have to do with the celebration of my 50th birthday. It may have to do with planetary alignments. But for whatever reason, I feel like I am at the start of a whole new chapter of growth, and I am energized and ready for the challenges ahead. I hope you’ll stick with me on this journey.
Thanks for spending this time with me. I hope to see you again in the spring!
