I’m no longer looking at the original photo of the magnolia for inspiration as I paint. I’ve decided to just experiment with color and play to see what this painting wants to be. Since I’m a very procedural person, this isn’t easy for me to accomplish. But, since it’s not easy, I decided I needed the challenge to just keep trying different ideas with color. I’m surely not there yet, but I’m thoroughly enjoying the process.

Since the weather went from 90 degrees over the last few day, we had rain and now the temps are in the 60s again. It’s playing havoc with some of my flowering shrubs. This beautiful dwarf azalea is a Koromo shikibu Purple Spider. People are usually surprised to hear that it’s a rhododendron. All azaleas are rhododendrons, but not all rhododendrons are azaleas.

This is a daily journal of my creative efforts as I prepare for my June 2026 solo exhibition in Poughkeepsie, NY, and my November exhibition in Chelsea, New York City.