When Christchurch became a winter wonderland a couple of years ago, we hopped in the car, drove around the corner, took a few photos of the park looking as pretty as a picture, discovered the car was stuck in the snow, dug the car out of the snow (with a little help from the neighbours) and drove home again. The next time we get this much snow, I think I’ll venture out on foot.

I’ve never painted on stretched canvas before ― and I’m in love… with the woven texture, the way it bounces with every brush stroke and the way it takes layer after layer (after layer) of paint. I’m getting ready to paint my first commissioned artwork! It’s going to be a triptych on canvas and so a little practice beforehand seemed like a good idea.