20”x24”
Acrylic on stretched canvas
Signature on back

This painting is inspired by the memory of a late morning outing on the water. As we left the dock the fog was thick, the sounds of nature muted and all seemed calm and serene. As we made our way along the coast, suddenly the fog lifted and the beauty of our surroundings swiftly came into focus. Yet the calm remained.

10”x10”
Acrylic on stretched canvas
Signature on back

There were moments before the pandemic when I would find myself longing for the deep quiet of the Canadian wilderness. There is a silence that can be found on the small tree covered islands of our north and west that is truly restorative. When our busy world came to a halt, the gift of quiet in my own backyard was the silver lining to an otherwise unsettling reality. This painting of one such island from my memory is a reminder of this precious gift.

"Quiet is a resource and if we don't do something to protect it now, it will be much harder in the future to regain what we have lost."
— Matt Mikkelsen

10”x10”
Acrylic on stretched canvas
Signature on back

One of my fondest memories is of early September weekends spent on Georgian Bay. In Ontario, the early days of September seem to embody anticipation. Change is on the horizon. But Nature extends an invitation to pause, be present and intensely attentive to the moment in the form of peaceful foggy mornings.
Cool morning air meets the still warm water of the bay and creates a calm haze that will be gone before midday.

24”x24”
Acrylic on stretched canvas
Signature on back

The title that originally came to me for this piece was “mind the gap.” Unfortunately the image this phrase brought to mind was far to urban. As I searched for a synonym for the word “gap” - I came across “interstice.” A far more appropriate description of the narrow passage one might find between two well wooded islands.

10”x10”
Acrylic on stretched canvas
Signature on back

A lovely sunrise pulled me out of bed one morning to bear witness. Pale and misty it faded quickly leaving behind a light dusting of beautiful frost on the cedars.

10”x10”
Acrylic on stretched canvas
Signature on back

The moments of stillness I have experienced in our Canadian landscape are a few of my most persistent memories. It's in the stillness that I have felt my own presence in the world most deeply.

Stillness
There is a certain stillness, when even the gentle flutter of a
butterfly's wing feels like a hurricane.
The moment when crashing waves fall asleep, peaceful, lost to the serenity of salty dreams.
When tall trees stand to attention and every leaf pauses,
takes a deep breath and holds it.
It is here, beneath the maddening silence I hear your name.
An echo of you.
-- Michael Faudet

10”x10”
Acrylic on stretched canvas
Signature on back

The din of everyday urban life is something I was barely conscious of. My deep craving to spend time in remote places, amongst the trees or in secluded anchorages on Georgian Bay should have clued me into my need for escape. This painting is the memory of a place near one such anchorage in the North Channel. Surrounded by uninhabited islands and no other boats late in the season, the early morning fog simultaneously dampened all sound and obscured the horizon. Creating a space for silence.

Have you ever had the experience of fog creating a space for silence?

10”x10”
Acrylic on stretched canvas
Signature on back

Loneliness and solitude are not the same. Loneliness is a negative experience, marked by a feeling of isolation. Solitude is a positive experience. The deliberate choice to be without others, in order to replenish the connection to self. It is an opportunity to reconnect to our naturally creative core.

‘The mind is sharper and keener in seclusion and uninterrupted solitude. Originality thrives in seclusion free of outside influences beating upon us to cripple the creative mind. Be alone – that is the secret of invention: be alone, that is when ideas are born.’

-- Nikola Tesla