The End of a Perfect Day, Thomas Kinkade, Candamar

As much as I love lush gardens and quaint cottages, I also love the unspoiled grandeur of woods and wild places, paintings like The End of a Perfect Day express my growing appreciation for the real beauty of nature untamed.

This rustic stone cabin is nestled in a glorious setting--a secluded jewel of a lake framed by distant mountains and warmed by the golden glow of sunset. Here, the night still belongs to the owls and coyotes whose lonesome voices will soon echo through the evening skies. The cabin is a safe haven, graced with human touches that mark it as a comfortable retreat: a rocking chair on the porch, fishing poles neatly stacked where they've been left after doing combat with rainbow trout. A fireplace warms the living room, illuminating the overstuffed chair and mounted animal trophies glimpsed through open windows.

I'll admit it - even my paintings of nature's wild places often include the charming and comfortable signs of man's presence. Retreating to a lakeside hideaway after a day enjoying the tranquility of nature is my ideal way to end a perfect day.