My daily ritual involves a walk in the woods with my dog. In the beginning of the walk, I am usually preoccupied with the worries and frustrations of daily life. In the woods, I quickly become engaged with the vast variety of plants. Leaves fascinate me with their unique shapes and their changing colors and patterns as they age and fall to the ground. The textures and patterns of tree bark never cease to amaze me. I am surrounded by beauty. Though I am not a religious person, I truly believe that in the woods, I am walking on holy ground and am certain that nature harbors great wisdom and healing powers beyond our understanding. At the end of our walk, with my pockets full of leaves, I feel joyfully renewed with a clear mind and a desire to paint.

The three small succulents are a shout-out to our wonderful Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens and my past infatuation with the beauty of these plants.  

The three large leaves are Bear’s Breeches which grow in my yard. I was initially annoyed because they are invasive, arrived uninvited, and took over. Only lately did I realize how beautiful they are, am glad they are thriving outside my kitchen window, and that they deserve to be painted!