Today in the studio, I decided to add more depth by darkening some of the original abstract underpainting to make the dahlia pop. I also began differentiating the layers of petals using saturation. Saturation is defined by how bright the color is, not by how light. Lightness is defined by the value of a color. In the garden, I continued to cut back last year’s old and battered hellebore leaves. I usually have this done much earlier in the season, but this year that isn’t the case. Some of the newest hellebore cultivars have their flowers facing upwards so you can see them while walking through the garden. Formerly, your best view was to plant them on the top of a retaining wall since you needed to peer at them upwards to enjoy their delicate beauty.

These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.