The title of this painting, “Summer Wonder,” refers to the miracle of growth in the natural world. I live in the splendor of rural Tennessee and are witnesses to this cycle of wonder through the seasons. I grow a garden of vegetables and flowers and see the short, colorful lives of local wildflowers every year. To me, it is so hopeful to see the wildflowers unfold every year in the same place at the same time. The “Roma” tomato on the bottom right of the painting is from a small drawing that I did in our garden. The words “Wonderful Garden” are from a letter from my grandmother as is the word “Fruit” on the bottom right and the word “July”. I made July red, white and blue since I grew up in Bristol, RI, where the 4th is the biggest holiday of the year, with a huge parade, etc. It remains my favorite holiday and I am so thankful for what this country has given me. The typed words are from my grandfather and from the top they read — “Worked – Paid My – Way – Help Time to time”.
My grandparents lived in Grenada, in the West Indies, when I was growing up so I have lots of letters from that time. My grandparents were a very important, positive influence on me. They also helped me “Time to time”, which is symbolized by the helping hand in the triangle. So, the painting functions as a way to bring three generations together. Although it is about my relationship with my grandparents, this is about all people and their relationships, hopes and dreams. The piece of wood on the top left comes from a beach in northern California and the bottle on the bottom comes from Standing Stone state park in Tennessee. So the painting is about what we find in life. I wanted the overall color to be joyful and energetic and for the painting to have a feeling of plants moving and growing. The image of the fisherman casting their net represents how we all cast our nets in life and the work it takes to do so.