When Sallie Ellington Middleton was a child, her father walked with her through the woods of CHUNN'S COVE, telling her stories and creating a private world where myth met and mingled with reality. According to Sallie, the late Kenneth Ellington “was very imaginative... an authority on fairies and elves. He believed in the old tales and would tell them to us when we walked through the woods, pointing out the pine trees and the creatures, and as a child, in looking for imaginary creatures, we would see more than others."

Kenneth’s stories were full of folklore and legend, but they inspired Sallie to view the world around her with a creative curiosity and passion for nature.  The leaves that covered the forest floor were not just trampled over, but were explored in hopes of finding an elf, leprechaun or fairy among the snails, worms and soil.  Sallie’s search for creatures, both real and fictional -- physical and imaginary, led her to a discovery of the rich tapestry of life in the forest.

Sallie’s inherited gift for interpreting nature with a curious eye, mind and heart serves as the foundation for her refined skills as a painter.  Her paintings still reflect the childlike spirit and intensity discovered years ago at CHUNN'S COVE.  

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