Fall is definitely a favourite time of year for many of us. I just can’t get enough of the kaleidoscope of colours, the breathtaking views, the smells, and the crisp cool air. 

A walk through the forest is filled with delights, and I find myself wanting to drink it all in, and savour it. 

Autumn in Northern Alberta is so fleeting. Its glory is only with us for about a month. I want to capture it, and hold it for longer, and it invites me to visually preserve some of its beauty.

The forest is filled with such colourful treasures, and I want to gather them up, and put them all in one place. That’s when I decided to create some fall inspired botanical artwork. 

I had so much fun creating these. I brought the studio to the forest, and created the images right outdoors, on the trail. I felt the joy of a child, as I gathered and foraged for all the elements in each image, carefully choosing mushrooms, moss, cranberries, rose hips, bunchberries, and collecting a variety of shapes and colours of leaves. 

My only concern on that sunlight autumn afternoon was that a bear might happen by to eat some of the cranberries. I could tell the squirrels have been happily munching on the mushrooms, so I was glad to get some for my images that hadn’t been chewed yet. 

In my final creation I wasn’t sure if I wanted to add the botanical names of each element, as I’ve done in some of my other botanical images, or should I leave it as it is? For one thing, I know little about mushrooms, so I have some learning and discovering to do if I want to label the mushrooms. 

For now, I believe I’ll leave the pieces as they are. 

If anyone wants to share their thoughts, I’d love to hear from you! Especially if you’re a mushroom expert. 

I’ll have these available soon, as greeting cards for purchase. They will also be available to order as Gallery Wrapped Canvases on my website. 

Dear readers, thank you for all of your support. I hope wherever you are, you’ll get to spend plenty of time enjoying our autumn, taking in all the colours and wonders.