Hope is a Hidden Blossom

It is whispered that over hill and dale, through sleet and snow and howling wind, deep in a secret forest. . . there lies a hidden pond cradled by impenetrable thorny banks. The pond is fed by a myriad of shimmering, silvery streams, and its dark surface is dotted with the sheen of water lily pads.  

Upon this pond a single flower blooms always, even in the dead of winter.  

Some say that the Gods left it behind as a gift, a beacon of light and hope, when they sailed from our shores and traveled to the Western lands. A single petal from the flower is said to bestow untold blessings upon its bearer. What kind of blessings? Nobody knows for sure, but anyone who’s ever heard the story is inexplicably drawn to seek it, hungry for even a glimpse of ephemeral beauty. 

The fox had traveled far, too far to remember, and for too long. Through snow and sleet she’d staggered, shivering and slinking through hidden valleys, scurrying over wind-blown hills and under silent stands of dark, gnarled trees.  When an impenetrable wall of thorns reared and clawed high over her head she almost gave up, almost turned back, but then she realized that impossibly, the white sparkling flakes of snow had turned to a shimmering curtain of rain.  The air was warmer, and wind less biting, almost as if in this one pocket of forest, winter had fled. 

She squinted, bright hope fluttering in her chest, and drew nearer, nearer. . .   

As always, the original piece will ship matted but unframed. Not only does glass make foxes and owls nervous, it’s also sometimes rather brutally mauled by the USPS, and nobody needs that!  

Image Size is 5.5 X 8.5″ and is painted with watercolor on Arches 140lb cold press paper