01 March, 2026 0 comments Leave a comment

Over the past month, I’ve been spending wonderfully focused days in my art studio, completing the four new watercolours shown above. Winter is one of my favourite times to create, working beside a cozy fireplace while the daylight slowly begins to stretch a little longer beyond my window.

In recent years, I’ve returned again and again to 'after dark' themes, and they continue to captivate me. My initial inspiration often comes from reference photos taken during the day, and then I let imagination guide the transformation into night.

This latest body of work gave me the chance to experiment with new pigment combinations and explore richly atmospheric, dusky skies.

The new series features the Milky Way glowing gently above quiet northern lakes.

To bring more clarity to the landscape, I included a subtle trace of sunset’s afterglow along the horizon, reflected softly across the water.

Today, I’m excited to share the stories behind these new artworks, beginning with the two unframed miniatures.

This is Finding Peace, varnished watercolour on 5 x 5 inch panel.

Decades ago, while cruising on Georgian Bay one overcast afternoon, I saw this rustic cabin hunkered down on a rocky point, bracketed by wind-sculpted trees.

Seeing this tiny rustic abode made me wonder who lived there and what their life was like. For my painting, I imagined how the scene would appear after sunset, with the Milky Way leading a celestial trail to the cabin.

For more information about Finding Peace, click here.

This is Stardust, varnished watercolour on 5 x 5 inch panel.

In October 2018, I took a sightseeing lunch cruise with my local Women's Probus Club on Lake Muskoka.

I was really keen to photograph the rocky islands and robust pine trees of this renowned lake, viewed from the water.

The weather was terrible though - drenching rain the whole time - so I thought my photos would be dreary. How wrong I was!

The rain gave atmospheric perspective to my photos, which made closer islands appear darker than background shores. This simple layering of values would not have been captured in photos taken on a sunny day. I ended up with dozens of inspiring island photos such as this one, which I used as reference for Stardust.

Click here for more details or purchase inquiries about Stardust.

This is Starlit Shores, varnished watercolour on 10 x 10 inch panel.

In August 2017, on the suggestion of an artist acquaintance, I stopped at the hamlet of Rossport on the Ontario shore of Lake Superior to see the scenery, and I am so glad I took his advice. 

The Rossport Archipelago is the largest group of islands on Lake Superior, and they were absolutely stunning, with high cliffs and lush tree cover. 

The day was foggy but I took many photos and they have inspired several paintings since then.

This is the photo I used as reference for Starlit Shores.

For purchasing details and other information about Starlit Shores, click here.

The fourth painting in my Milky Way series is Mazinaw Midnight, varnished watercolour on 10 x 10 inch panel.

It was inspired by our camping trip to Bon Echo Provincial Park near Cloyne, Ontario last fall and is part of my Bon Echo Collection of paintings.

We truly fell under the spell of this stunning nature preserve, enjoying kayaking on Mazinaw Lake to examine the mighty cliff face of Mazinaw Rock, and hiking in the surrounding forest.

This is one of the wonderful photos I took during our ten-day stay in the park, and this snapshot taken after sunset served as inspiration for Mazinaw Midnight.

I recounted the wonders of Bon Echo in my previous blog post The Magic of Mazinaw, highlighting all my best photos and videos of this natural wonder.

Click here for more information about Mazinaw Midnight.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the personal narratives accompanying my latest paintings. Creating imagined wild landscapes illuminated by spectacular starlight brings me great joy, and I’m grateful to share them with you.

If you have comments you wish to share, please do so using the 'Leave a Comment' button at the top of this post.

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