Almost every day, I bike ride just over twenty kilometres along the river trails. The trails go through a lush rainforest with a wide variety of flora and fauna along the way. Riding along the paths is relaxing and inspiring and has become my happy place. This year, I’ve been stopping often and taking tons of pictures. Those pictures were used as a reference as I sculpted the twisted maple tree that is part of my Lyrical Toad entry for the Sign Invitational. Of special interest was the moss that grows in the dense, shaded forest near the river trail. I enjoyed sculpting it, and today I finished painting it. This was accomplished by painting the moss a dark green, applying a dark brown/purple glaze and then gently drybrushing some bright mossy green highlights. In real life, it is pretty convincing, and I was delighted with the result. Now it is time to move on to painting the toad. Stay tuned…