You don't need much else
to celebrate Springtime
than this:
a graceful bouquet of seasonal blooms,
an elegant silver vase,
and a few petal-like winged visitors!


A print of this painting
has now been added to my shop!

It's hard for me to imagine,
but I once very much disliked
the whole Springtime season,
so much so
that I actually came to dread it each year.
I thought it was windy, and wet, and changeable,
tiresome and long;
at best it was a necessary evil
on the slide from Winter
toward glorious Summer.

The self who felt this way
could not feel farther
from who I am now.

Now, each Spring
I celebrate the return of the light,
the green growing things
where all was brown and sleeping,
the color and texture and pattern
that turns my garden
into a fairyland,
the birdcalls,
and scents,
and evening sunshine--
I want to hold all of the beauty to my face,
and drink it in.

This painting was inspired
by a recent hike.

The green haze of Springtime
had spread all throughout the wood,
and everywhere I looked
I saw delicate new growth
and cheerful signs of the season.
We listened to a bird trill,
with a noticeably long and sweet call,
and its beautiful voice echoed
in the spaces between the trees.


A print of Woodland Birdsong
is now available in my shop!

Hummingbirds!

About a year ago,
I bought a hummingbird feeder
for the backyard garden,
which hangs just outside
my kitchen window.
I have delighted in seeing
these fierce little friends
almost every day.

I watch them flit among the flowering plants
and then zoom in a blink
up to the window,
where they drink,
heads down, throats sparkling,
and I pause,
breath held,
until they shoot away.


A print of Hummingbird Garden
is now available in my shop!

The last few photos
of my dear hellebores.

They are truly fading now--
their nodding heads
hang even lower these days,
and their jewel-bright colors
have faded to silver, platinum.

Their dimming
makes way
for the next phase
of Springtime in the garden.

I don't know about you,
but I've never liked the phrase,
"kill two birds with one stone."
For years now,
I have instead been saying,
"feed two birds with one scone."

I thought it was high time
that I illustrated this saying!

You can now find a print
of this latest painting
in my shop!

March has certainly swept in like a lion
here in the Pacific Northwest!

Dark skies, wind storms, torrential rain--
we have had it all so far.
Throughout the wild weather, however
Spring's beauty has continued to appear.
Clouds of cherry blossoms
have turned the view out our upstairs windows
into a soft-focus haze of pink.
Flowering quince has started to pop,
vibrant and saturated,
and we saw some downy pussywillows
while out on a recent hike.
Forsythia gleams along the roadside
as brightly as the (lately absent) sun.

I painted this recent piece
to honor the sprigs and blooms and hopeful bits of new growth
in the face of the darkness.


A print of my Blossom Bouquet
is now available in my shop!

A glimpse at just a few
of the hellebores
in my garden.

In my mind,
hellebores are the perfect plant.
Their stunningly beautiful blooms
come in rich and subtle shades,
full of variation.
Their evergreen foliage
is dramatic and elegant.
They grow wonderfully well
in the shady spots that
(let's face it)
make up most of my garden.
But the reason
that I love them
most of all
is because they blossom and thrive
at a time when most of the garden
is still bare,
dark,
and winter-sleeping.
They gleam like jewels
in the rain and wet of early Spring,
and are as prized and cherished by me
as a chest full of treasure.

On a recent walk
I was startled by a real-life version
of this little bunny,
munching ivy in the undergrowth,
and I knew I had to turn him into a painting.

A print of this little fellow
can now be found in my shop.

Small scenes
from my garden.

Every day
there are more buds forming,
leaves unfurling,
blooms popping,
and new growth raising its head from the earth.

Some plants from last year
that I had thought didn't make it
have appeared again,
despite my doubts,
to send out fresh shoots
and elicit a shout of surprise from me
when I discovered
their unlooked-for return.

A print of these mischievous little guys
is now available in my shop!

It's a good thing
that they are awfully cute,
since they sure do love
to cause trouble in the garden...

Prints of Garden Wren & Nested
have now been added to my shop!

Signs of Spring
are appearing day by day...!

In honor of March 1st,
new print Springtime Kitchen is now in my shop!
It celebrates all the seasonal treats
that will be showing up soon
as we move fully into Spring:
bright rhubarb,
sweet-smelling hyacinths,
& hot-cross buns accompanied by jam and a cup of tea!