I had the chance to travel back to the prairies over the past nine days and it was so very needed. I'm a major homebody and often find it very difficult to be away from Saskatchewan for long periods of time. This year has been the longest I've ever been away and it felt like a marathon...but I made it! And I found my time at home to be refreshing, reviving, and all things delightful. I celebrated my youngest sister's high school graduation, caught up with old friends, enjoyed spending time with family and generally just soaking up the land that I feel so connected to. My only complaint was that M couldn't make it this time around so he was very much missed by everyone. I made him feel better by bringing back a long link of farmer sausage! I didn't take too many pictures this trip, but just enough to capture a few of my favourite moments.

From the top // 1. This little face came to visit, too! I can't get enough of him. // 2. My absolute favourite thing to do around town. Her name is Liza and we go on prairie adventures together. // 3. A very delightful evening celebrating Canada's birthday and graduation with my family. The night, of course, ended off with fireworks (and mosquito bites). // 4. My sister and I ride our treasured bikes together. This place holds memories my wedding so we stopped to enjoy it for a few seconds...before getting eaten alive again by those pesky bugs. // 5. This is what life is about. This is where I find joy. // 6. Because this is the last high five I'll ever get to give my beloved old dog. 

Hey, remember this friendly fellow? If you find him darling like me, you could have the chance to win an 8"x10" print! The lovely Bridget over at Deer Circus blog is hosting a giveaway today for you to win this print. I think he would make a great decoration for a studio or nursery...or just as a whimsical indulgence for yourself ;).  Head on over to the post for details on how to enter. Good luck!

I'm really feeling excited over my most recent painting project! I've began to look to words for my muse. Although I studied plenty of poetry in high school, I only started to really become interested in it a few years ago after watching the historical film, Bright Star, based on the life of John Keats. I've always had a love of words, but I began to discover the beauty and imagery that can be created using words. And recently, I've found poetry to be the perfect platform for illustration- bringing that imagery to life through visual representation. Readers of poetry will most likely have many different images that come to mind when reading, but this painting represents the image in my mind of a poem by A.A. Milne from his book, When We Were Very Young. It's a simple representation, but I love the mood it creates and I hope that it does the poem justice. This poem, The Island, follows below:

The Island

A.A. Milne

If I had a ship,

I'd sail my ship,

I'd sail my ship

Through Eastern seas;

Down to a beach where the slow waves thunder-

The green curls over and the white falls under-

Boom! Boom! Boom!

On the sun-bright sand.

Then I'd leave my ship and I'd land,

And climb the steep white sand. 

And climb to the trees,

The six dark trees,

The coco-nut trees on the cliff's green crown-

Hands and knees

To the coco-nut trees,

Face to the cliff as the stones patter down,

Up, up, up, staggering, stumbling,

Round the corner where the rock is crumbling,

Round this shoulder,

Over this boulder,

Up to the top where the six trees stand....

And there would I rest, and lie,

My chin in my hands, and gaze

At the dazzle of the sand below,

And the green waves curling slow,

And the grey-blue distant haze

Where the sea goes up to the sky....

And I'd say to myself as I looked so lazily down at

the sea:

"There's nobody else in the world, and the world was

made for me."

Expect to see this one in print form very soon...