Don’t even think about not checking out this beautiful enclave in Killingworth, Connecticut. It is a private nature preserve, a little piece of heaven, who knew?

Artist Joan Levy had the picture along time ago and has spent the last 25 years here, at Hemlock Forest on Murray Pond sculpting and honing and making it a place where she would eventually have artists, musicians, writers, scientists, ornithologists, you name it. It is a perfect place for a day retreat. This is a beautiful venue for nature.

Murray Pond has many species of turtles some thought to have been extinct. There are a variety of birds and other animals running about the place. Oh, and just so you know, it was Joan who took this shot of her pond from a fixed wing aircraft, how do you like that for a strong determined woman.

I saw a squirrel from Joan’s kitchen window grab some food and hustle it into a hole in a tree where it was living. pretty cool.

On the day I visited there was snow on the ground and it was juxtaposed against a brilliant bright blue February sky. Just stunning.

I stopped by to chat and have lunch with Joan. As an artist the place is filled with her works which really makes it fun. The stone and wood inside make it so cozy and she had a fire going in the fireplace and we sat in front of it in two rockers just talking about Joan’s plans to share her home with as many as she can.

Joan teaches art here too to children and adults. What a great place to come to be surrounded by so much to learn to draw and paint. You can even learn to blow glass here. She sells beautiful glass ornaments here as well. I selected a white one to be put on my Christmas Tree next year.

At at early age Joan’s influences included Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Van Gogh. Her head was turned in another way when she met William De Kooning. He became her friend and mentor.

Joan’s art studio is big and spacious and slopped with paint which as some would say is “just delicious.”

She showed me her work on September 11th which is amazing. Joan was at ground zero shortly after that horrific event and was able to capture in her mind what that was all about as an artist.

Joan is passionate about her art and she’s a pretty darn good acoustic guitar player, I’ll let you ask her who taught her to play…that in itself is a fabulous story. You can see her in concert at the Folk City Revival at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook, Connecticut on April 9th.

You can contact Joan about classes or retreats here:
Joan Levy
860-663-1169
colordoctor@comcast.net

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