Leaf-peeping in New England By Ronnie Ford
A visit to New England in the Fall has been on my ‘travel wish list’ for many years, but being restricted until recently by school holiday periods, it did not become reality until this autumn.
Forty minutes from Boston airport, the town of Franklin, Massachusetts became our base for exploration. Arriving on 1st October would be just about right to hit the foliage at its best, we were told – but of course nothing is ever guaranteed. There is no way to predict when fall foliage will be at its peak, though each state has a Fall Foliage Status Line – an 0800 number which will keep you posted on the best colours of the day!!
This is a time of change when each day produces new colours, and only two places in the world have this brilliant foliage – New England and Japan. However, we benefited from the local knowledge of our cousins who pointed us in the right direction to explore the wonderful yellows and oranges, produced by the breakdown of chlorophyll when the leaves stop making food. This is due, in part, to shorter periods of daylight and cooler temperatures.
The vibrant reds, purples and bronzes are produced by other chemical processes - the abundance of red maples make a breathtaking display – a feast for the eyes, and this year’s colours were helped along by the warmth of the autumn days when more sugar is produced turning the leaves an even brighter red.
Some favourite spots included the beautiful Catskill Mountains in New York State, near Albany, where we were surrounded by whole mountainsides ablaze with a palette of colours. When we travelled to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the white plank houses on the shores of Lake Winnepasaukee were reflected like a mirror.
Each village had a picture postcard white church surrounded by the most vividly coloured maples, cherries, oaks and sumacs. The White Mountains surrounding our hotel in North Conway, New Hampshire were shrouded in mist which lifted slowly revealing a spectacle which stopped our breakfast in its tracks. The bagels had to wait!
As often happens, though we travelled some 2000 miles and through five states, some of the best foliage was found on our doorstep. Hopedale Pond, a former mill pond in Milford, MA kept me photographing and sketching for several hours and will most certainly feature in my future works.
Look out for fall-inspired paintings in my forthcoming shows in AJC in Hong Kong and Kranenburg Fine Art in Oban – both in March 2007.
Winter Shows 
See Ronnie Ford this winter at Atholl Gallery, Dunkeld, Winter Exhibition;
Spirit of Christmas Exhibition at Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Hyde Park, London
and Kings Road Gallery, London – Christmas Exhibition.
Christmas Gifts Anyone?
A selection of original paintings, including limited edition giclée prints, cards, cushions and scarves will be available for your Christmas shopping pleasure at Atelier 23, Holy Loch Marina, Sandbank. You can also purchase the exclusive TextureScapes 2007 Calendar at the studio or why not buy online and receive a special offer of free Post & Packaging...Pick up a very special gift today!
Looking Ahead 
Work has begun on the creation of two new solo shows coming up in March 2007. Commencing with Ronnie's fourth show in the prestigious Kranenburg Fine Art Gallery in Oban. The following week Ronnie travels to Hong Kong to open his first international show of the new year, held on the 9th March in Amelia Johnson Contemporary in NoHo, Hong Kong - who are dedicated to promoting contemporary fine art. Be sure to read our Spring newsletter for details of the new collections.
Solo Shows 
Christmas Competition
