Over 20 year ago, I was married in the most beautiful 11th Century agriturismo in the Maremma region of Southern Tuscany. We have returned many times to Pieve di Caminino and it has always been my dream to bring people there to create.

February is a tough month in New England. In this heart of winter, when everything feels so grey and colorless, as a painter and lover of color, sometimes it’s easy to lose inspiration. I’ve always dreamed of escaping and traveling to some warmer place…where I could get an infusion of greens, blues and maybe even pink. The allure of the exotic…the soft breeze blowing through the palm trees. Alas, I remain in New England and on the cusp of March, I am yearning for spring.

When our sweet pup, Captain, died suddenly during the pandemic, I found myself starting to sew together her toys. There was something about the act of sewing and creating new creatures from old that felt connective to me...like she and I were still playing. I began to draw from multiple views of these sewn sculptures, honoring the lossof her by working with the beautiful remnants of what she left behind.