This is my neighbors backyard.  I have been painting it for 25 years, as long as I have lived in my house.  The house was the original farmhouse dating back to 1865 on about 65 acres of land.  The builder renovated it for his growing family and moved in as he was developing the surrounding properties.   When they moved in, the wife was pregnant with their 5th child.  She delivered twins.  She told me the row of trees were significant because there were a row of 4 trees, the 5th was a double.  Her family grew to include 9 children, seven girls, two boys.  When I moved in, all the girls were my contemporaries.  It was lovely living next to such a lively family.  We celebrated holidays,weddings, births.  I began to paint over there casually, just wandering over and setting up my easel.  I never had to ask permisssion, our backyards meshed into one another. After I finished three years with the Ardrossan project, it was relaxing just to go right outside my door and paint.  The family was amused that I found all the nooks and crannies so interesting.  I did and still do.  In 1999 the house was sold.  It made me feel very old and sad that a era was coming to an end.  The house was sold to an amazing family who I love.  They have 3 small children, it was so refreshing to hear young children in the yard.  The current owners renovated the house extensively , but kept the absolute integrity of the 1865 farmhouse.  I have painted the house over and over in all seasons in all lights , in all different times of day.  If you look through my galleries, the house appears again and again. I still find new things  to paint.  It keeps me alive and excited, and some times I just meander over knowing I will always be inspired.

These are the roses my husband sent me for our 31st wedding Anniversary.  They were so gorgeous that I had to paint them.  On my main page I dedicate them to Andrea Bocelli.  I notice there is a red rose theme that is in all the CD jackets.  I became enamored with Bocelli when my daughter went off to school.  The house was so quiet and lonely,that I began bringing new music into the house from the library. I alway loved his Sacred Arias but never paid attention to the pop music.  I became obsessed and now I own most of his CDs.   The music is so delightful , many times I cannot get the melodies out of my head. It calms me, sends me to another place, and soothes me when things are rough.  I became interested in more opera, began playing the piano again, and now have quite a library now of and arias.  The biggest thrill was seeing him in concert in June.  He made his Carnegie Hall debut recently, but I could not get there.  My dream is to see him perform at his in Tuscany(and paint there a well!).