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Serendipity: “Fire and Ice”
The first day of February saw my wife, Alisa, and me making a trip north of Toronto to Caledon. Our morning began at the Whole Village farm cooperative, where I still have friends from my involvement with the project more than two decades ago. An hour spent helping to move firewood into the big house—called Greenhaven—was enough to earn us a warm communal lunch.
From there we drove on to the nearby town of Alton to visit the Alton Mill Arts Centre, where we were delighted to stumble upon their winter Fire and Ice festival. It was a moment of real serendipity: fresh snow, a brilliant blue sky, and a historic mill alive with visitors.
Nearly all of the resident artists were in their studios, welcoming guests. There is a great deal of fine work being done there, and rather than attempt to summarize it, I’ll simply say that a visit is richly rewarding for anyone able to make the trip.
I came away with this small print titled Home Is Where the Heart Is, by resident artist Michelle Eissler. Her oil paintings blend imaginative, semi-abstract forms with rich colour and layered composition, and this piece spoke to me immediately. I suspect my next visit will see me returning home with a lighter wallet than when I arrived—and no real regrets about that.
Stories, Learning, and Imagination
I’m Andrew Wood — a storyteller, writer, and educator — and this is my online home. The site brings together a collection of work from the different strands of my life over the past decades: stories to inspire, reflections to provoke thought, and resources for creative learning. If you’re in search of some charming tales, or you’re simply a lover of words and ideas that have been crafted in meaningful ways, I hope you’ll find something here that speaks to you.