Urban Decay...

...takes on a new meaning in the town the size of Creston (5000+, just barely).  It happens mostly at the tail end of autumn, as we shift into the winter months.

The gardens shift from green and glorious to faded and rich,

the gardeners bundle their debris,

the roadsides become a rich tapestry of tangled brush,

 and the sidewalks and lawns gain a new carpet.

Yards look filagreed

and intensive decomposing starts.

In colours ranging from dun

to delightful,

 our world starts to molder

and deteriorate

in ways that are eerily beautiful.

Does your neighbourhood shift from one season to another this way?  What do you think when you hear about urban decay?

It's the colour...

Fall is all about the colour, isn't it?  There are incandescent golds against a background of deep forest green,

and the flaming reds that make a heart leap.

In our front yard we have a very large pair of maple trees, and at this time of the year they nearly dance with riotous joy.  If humans displayed themselves in this manner, we'd likely be jailed for exhibitionism!

I love the fall colours, the opportunity to walk for miles without expiring in the heat, and the crisp feel of the air.  And nature's palette  inspires me in the studio, so I think I'll go paint some paper, and use some of those dried and pressed leaves from last autumn, and maybe layer some translucent film strips and do some outlining in gold....