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Wow, almost a month has gone by and I can't believe it! I've just gotten back from Ontario and had a great visit. The fall colours were awesome so I'll add some photos here.

I'm saving the best ones for reference material (& I got a lot!) You might see some on next year's calendar, once I've painted them up.

Highlights of the trip include meeting and getting photos taken with Robert Bateman. I'd been pondering, given my aim to become a world-class artist, who I could talk to as an example. Initially I was thinking that anyone I considered world-class was already dead, & I didn't want to go that way, just to have a conversation! Artists like Monet, Degas, Turner, the Group of Seven, Georgia O'Keeffe, Emily Carr, Toni Onley...they're all gone! Who is left in the art world that a) could be considered world class and b) was potentially someone who I could meet and c) I somewhat knew and liked their work? And Robert Bateman came to mind. Now, I had an impression of him based on reproductions and marketing but at least he was still alive, and around BC...and then, when I went to Ontario, the strangest sequence of events happened.

We were supposed to go into Toronto to have dinner with old friends on the Saturday night, but although I was determined, it just seemed to get too hard. Meanwhile we were checking out some art galleries in Milton, where I was staying, and lo & behold, on Saturday night, Robert Bateman was coming to one of the galleries to promote his latest book and sign purchases! So, we went, stood in line for 2 hours (that's when you know you're famous!) and we were all most impressed by how classy this elderly (80, although you wouldn't know it to look at him) man was after signing all night. He spent 5 minutes chatting and talking about his art, just to us, and I really understood what it was to be operating at that level. And then I read his essays in the latest book and got further insight into how much he loves the land, environment and animals and that's what his art is about. His charitable activities are a much better barometer of his purpose than are the reproductions.

The next few days I painted (including the leaves above, which immediately sold), played the piano every day, and then we had a trip into Toronto to see the Art Gallery of Ontario, which has a

fantastic collection of the Group of Seven and Emily Carrs, and some great curating of their rooms. However what I enjoyed the most, I think, was the tour of the whole gallery highlighting the wonderful new (18 month old) architectural renovation done by Canadian architect Frank Gehry. The titanium blue exterior bits in the adjacent photo are only part of it--the opening into the light and views of the city from every direction, and the wonderful Italian gallery on the north side, along with the wood staircases introduced everywhere, were amazing.

So, back to Vancouver, with some more paintings under my belt (including another one of my sister Shelley that you can see in the "What's New" Gallery), and I have some more inspiration for painting the current season in the Northern Hemisphere before I head down under.

It's just over a month until I go, and there's lots of preparation, including fine-tuning for the last sale of the year, Coquitlam Christmas Craft Sale, December 3-5, on Poirier Street. Thankfully it is local so in the event of weather I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get there!

Hope you enjoy the blog and photos, if you want to keep track of me don't forget to add your name to my mailing list and each time I post I'll send you an email.