​Northern days are getting shorter, transferring their brightness to the lengthening night. Crazy long nights which amazingly, rather than suffocating one with overwhelming darkness, provides a canvas for the ethereal Aurora Borealis. The Borealis is a huge perk to living in northern climes. 
By far the best Northern Lights display I have yet witnessed was a time when some friends and I slept out along the river in ​Wrigley, NWT. As we lay on the shore of the Mackenzie River, cuddled deep into our sleeping bags, the lights played low and brilliantly; dancing for most of the night. With a grande finale where the Borealis swirled together, forming what looked like a giant ghostly hand which dropped lower and lower until it seemed to hover just above us. When it seemed as though it could descend no further, the lights closed into a fist, shimmering and pulsing as it ascended and dissipated into the depths of the night.

 Painting of the Mackenzie Rest Inn, a wonderful bed and breakfast located in Fort Simpson, NWT - gateway to the Nahanni National Park Reserve

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A chill morning of hot chocolate and ice whispers. It is the time for Jack Frost to skim his freezing fingers across the top of the water, circling them along the edges of puddles and pools to give strength to his creations. Almost transparent feathers on this surface, daggers and diamonds on the next.
Every morning is a new display; for some a beauty to behold. While for others a new crust to be jumped on and crunched under rubber boots.

First in my ice formation series, playing with layers of blues. Water transforming to ice and the colour shift which follows. ​
Acrylic on paper 5" x 7"

 
September in Inuvik is a rather quick succession of the finality of summer, with Autumn just barely allowed to dig her brightly coloured nails in before Jack Frost and his hounds of the blowing snowy whirlwinds descend. I have attempted to enjoy every moment of this quick northern Autumn and her stunning colours have had to offer. I took some time off painting to go cranberry picking and enjoy being immersed in the luminosity of our rather hasty Fall season.

I find that the brilliance of Autumns' cloak of vividness really inspire a lot of my current work. I adore colour and enjoy using bright colours that you almost cannot imagine in nature, but there they are! Colours which become even more vibrant when they are peeking through a light dusting of snow; or just a couple of red hued wild rose leaves reluctantly hang tight to their branch amid a chorus of twigs and branches now turned dismal shades of brown and grey.