Last from the Garden

Right before our first snowfall I went out to finish cleaning up the garden beds, and found this last eggplant hanging on amidst its withered brethren. The tomatoes were also lonely survivors from long-gone summer. (You will never find a tomato that shade of yellow in a grocery store.) I bought the patterned cloth in Fells Point, Baltimore in the 1970's at a big, funky fabric emporium, and it's moved with me to many studios since then.

Steve's Barn & Maple Tree

I love seeing this farm appear over a rise in the road when I walk on Hollister Hill. The barn door, roof, silo, farm equipment, and sometimes the cows, depending on where they are wandering in the adjoining field, make for an endless combination of shapes. I painted this view at the end of October, when the maple had a few more days before it lost its leaves.

Winter Squash

I planted hubbard and butternut seeds late last spring, and pulled miniature squash from the vine at the end of our short growing season. They make a lovely soup, but would be well worth growing just for their shapes and colors.

Farmhouse Hallway

James and I drove down to Guilford, VT to visit friends in their 18th century farmhouse. It's a summer place kept largely unchanged by each generation, and the log cabin quilt, wooden sink and patterned wallpaper are evocative of another time. I liked the cool light, and the in-between view from the hallway.

Wild Apples

I picked these right before the first frost from a wild apple tree that's in our lower field. I think these little apples have more character and flavor than their cultivated cousins. I made the quilt top years ago from old feed bags I found in a hardware store in Iowa.

A Walk in First Snow

James and I went out walking with our friend Martin on the morning of our first snowfall. Even though Martin has been exploring these fields and woods since he was a boy, we took a different path than usual and were lost for a time, until we found our stone walls and knew we were close to home.