CherylAnnHillsArtist

The laws of nature are always at work whether we are aware or not. Even our daily lives can be affected by it. These transitional seasons Autumn and Spring are often busy times filled with completing things from the previous season and starting new things for up-coming seasons. At the end of September, I exhaled; my art show season had finished and I could look forward to new projects in the studio, time spent in thought and losing myself in the creative process. I created some breathing room but as nature abhors a vacuum that space was quickly filled with plans and ideas for new events. Then of course I needed to set aside time to create the plan(s), gather the materials and execute the ideas. I’m super happy with the progress of my plein air painters’ group . This season I’ve seen the best participation since I began the group in 2019. Members are happy and active, and the work produced has been amazing. So, encouraged by this wonderful growth I decided to plan a year end show an...

It was mid October 2022 when I went up to my favourite place to spend a weekend taking in the fall colour and exploring the corridor between Sudbury and Sault Ste Marie. On this visit I went a bit further west of the Soo to Batchewana Bay, located on the north east shore of Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world. I'd read many descriptions of the north shore by notable Canadian authors and seen first hand many paintings of its moods. Sometimes it's almost better if we have no prior knowledge of a new experience, place, person before arriving as this keeps expectations at bay. I'd already visited Lake Superior Provincial Park in 2018, specifically the petroglyph trail. I was alone on that trail in the early light of the day. A peculiar staircase formed by rocks led down into a quiet earthen glen of large mossy rocks and trees with clumps of lichen floating down from branches like soft feathers. I actually expected to have a fairy appear in front of me, aligh...

 I wanted to write this fresh from my trip to Whitefish Falls in Ontario Canada. I booked my cabin early in winter and did some initial planning and research to prepare myself for the week away in Northern Ontario. Little did I know that this trip would result in a feeling of finding my place both in the world at large and within myself. There are other ways to get to Whitefish Falls, my choice was to drive up and along a route that borders Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. Once out of the rat-race that is the cities of Hamilton, the GTA and Toronto weaving through the 6 lane 400 series highways you come upon views that likely you’d only seen previously in paintings. Pushing past the popular area of Muskoka’s you can visibly notice the landscape change as you drive further and further north. When people talk about the Muskoka area and how much they love it, I will often comment “keep driving”. I too used to feel that area was the best it can be. Now I know, keep driving. (of course...