Coneflowers I.

This painting is inspired by a tiny garden just down the street from my studio.  The garden is tenderly cared for by a local garden club, all volunteer, who make sure it is bright and colorful all season long. I’ve been photographing and painting this garden for a few years now. I ride my bike next to it every summer morning before it gets too hot. One day, I thought to stop and take a closer look. There, I discovered colors, shapes, and textures way beyond what I saw as I rode by on my bike. It reminded me of Virginia Wolfe’s short story “Kew Gardens” which features a snail as one of the main characters inching is way along the garden as people stroll by without noticing the life teeming inside this eco-world. So, I took photos and made sketches of this lovely garden that so many of us drive by every day. Here are two of my paintings of the garden.