As  the winter doldrums set in, my mind wanders to warmer times.  These are the headwaters of inspiration for my quilts - the loons, flowers, and landscapes of the woods and lakes.  Each warm season brings its own personality, its own opportunites, its own surprises and memories to the soul.  Last summer it was a big black bear which happened into our yard.  What a wonderful surprise.  But the serendipities come and go so fast.  You keep looking again and again to see if they will repeat, but of course they don't.  You must sieze them and savor them in their moment so you will have them to reflect on when the warmth fades.   

 

Now the world seems so stark and barren - devoid of the sights and sounds of my summer friends.  I long to be back in that time and place that brings such comfort and peace.  During the frigid months I spend a lot of time looking back at photos I have taken to rekindle the calm that comes with summer.  Here is where I find so much inspiration for my quilts - in the memory of the beauty of the summer.  In these memories the summer never dies; the tranquilty is forever fixed.  And it seems that as I recreate each moment in a new quilt, the moment is reborn and summer is never really that far away at all.