Spring Awakening (Sugarbush)

Spring Awakening (Sugarbush)
mixed media on hardboard, 24″ x 48″

Prints of this painting are available by special order.

Spring awakens in the “sugarbush.” The trees are tapped in the late winter as one trudges through the snow to each tree. During the maple syrup season the snow disappears, the birds return, and the trees and ground come to life. It was a time looked forward to, not only because it was fun to be out in the woods and feel the warmth of the fire as the sap was cooked into syrup, but the fire was used to cook outdoor meals and to eat them as the fire was watched and replenished with wood. After the exercise of tappign the trees and collecting the syrup, it was restful to keep the fire going, enjoying its warmth and savoring the food. With new laws and restrictions, modernized equipment and a faster pace of life, scenes such as this are rare now.