Since the temperatures were in the high 90s with accompanying high humidity, my decided to reschedule his barbecue gathering until tomorrow. This left me with time to paint and stay in the air conditioning. The Paph orchid is coming along and I’m starting to work on some details at this point. Edges make a big difference. Hard edge? Soft edge? Merged colors edge? Each of these treatments make for completely different paintings. On this painting I’m either doing soft edges or merged color edges. The types of brushes I use makes a big difference in the look of the color merging.

I also spent some time walking through my garden and admiring the daylilies that are in bloom. I have some stray orange ones, but I usually transplant them outside of the deer fence and out of my line of sight. Orange doesn’t play a big part in my garden. Pinks, corals, purples, light yellows and white predominate.

I began this daily journal in February, 2026 as I prepared for my solo exhibition, “Portraits From My Garden” at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, NY, from June 5 – September 15, 2026, my work for the group show, “Hearing Women’s Voices” at the Ceres Gallery in from June 23. to July 18, 2026, and my upcoming November 2026, solo exhibition titled, “Centering in the Midst of Chaos” in Chelsea, New York City