Exactly 20 years ago today (April 1, 2021), I returned to the US from my year and a half stint as the first Artist-in-Residence for Gore, New Zealand. I left NZ at 7 am on April 1st, and after a 9 hour flight, arrived in Honolulu at 8 am on … April 1st!

I was so happy to be out of the cold, cutting winds and chilly air, back in my love-home of Hawaii! Gore is about 3000 miles away from the South Pole – with nothing but vast ocean between. The winds would come thrashing through town and it would be all I could do to even get up in the morning – I hate being cold!

I decided I’d paint how I felt about being cold – so here I am, all snuggled up under one of the World Trees, all warm and cozy, dreaming of Hawaii.

While I was in Gore, I was given the use of a couple of side rooms in an old church the local art council had saved from being torn down, and which they were going to turn into an art center. It was the perfect place to hold painting classes, which I did twice a week for several months. That was where I painted this.

WINTER DREAMS
oils on canvas, 36″ x 36″
Prints available