Hello dear Friends,

It’s been a rough couple of months since I last wrote. My annual trip to London was pulled forward and extended from mid April to the end of May. My dearest Dad’s health had been in decline and although he was well into his 80s, I somehow felt he would live forever. I never imagined life without him. In the end, he wasn’t strong enough to survive a combination of age related ailments that bothered and frustrated him. He died peacefully at the end of April, under his own steam, surrounded by the love of his immediate family. It’s been a heartbreaking, disorientating time for all of us.

Spring in London

My visits to the UK have always been later in Summer, after the end of Spring term. Being there earlier this year reminded me how lovely and plentiful the green spaces in London are, particularly in the South West, my old stomping ground. In April and May, the resident fallow deer in Richmond Park keep their babies hidden amongst acres of bracken. The Isabella Plantation, an enclosed woodland garden and shrubbery within the park, holds an incredible display of blooming azaleas and rhododendrons. Ponds are lit up by their pink, coral, purple reflections. Proud pairs of water fowl parents, Egyptian Geese, White swans, Moor Hens and Mandarin ducks glide across the surface, each with a string of chicks in tow. The arboretum at Kew Gardens, home to over 2000 species of trees is another wonderful place to spend the day and have a picnic. I always look forward to their next annual outdoor art exhibtion - this year we saw the garden’s first digital installation Of the Oak. Dad loved all these places and we’ve walked there with him since our teenage years. It helped us now to walk in the sunshine and fresh air, noticing the beauty and renewal of Nature, keeping his memory close.

5 unfinished paintings

Spring is also a busy time for submitting new work for exhibitions and I might have skipped this year if it hadn’t been for encouraging nudges from artist colleagues. I left my studio with 5 unfinished bird paintings, most of them in that ‘messy middle’ stage. Now that I’m home, I can’t find the thread to pick up where I left off. I’m so grateful to friends, colleagues and collectors who have brought me a flurry of new projects to think about; collaborations, commissions, travel and opportunities to exhibit. It’s taken the pressure off trying to resolve the pieces that now hang in limbo - I’ll find the thread again in time.

Some good news

Two of my paintings from last year have been juried into two separate International shows; LUNA - Portrait of a Barn Owl will be shown in the 45th San Diego Watercolour Society’s annual show in September and Fatal Attraction will be shown at the Artists for Conservation exhibition at Vancouver’s Van Dusen Botanical Gardens, also in September. I plan to attend both openings so there will be a bit of travel to look forward to in the Autumn.

I’m also considering an open studio event later in the year as part of the Squamish Art Walk. I’ll keep you posted of course. In the meantime, I hope all who live in the Northern hemisphere are enjoying Summer and these beautiful light filled evenings. For those in the South, your turn will come! Of that, at least, we can be sure.

Sent with love,

Zoë XO