Rachel’s Garden

Rachel was the resident gardener in 2018 at the Joseph A. Fiore Center at Rolling Hills Farm in Jefferson, ME. She had a very laid-back approach to gardening, and I tried to replicate that in this painting.

I can’t tell you why this garden was sited near a Black Walnut sapling. First to lose its leaves in the winter, last to get new ones in the spring, it’s toxic to a host of other plants. They turn yellow, wilt, and eventually die, which is why the trees are often surrounded by a big ring of wild blackberries, because nothing can kill those things.

I painted this on a very rainy day, which is reflected in the flowing pigment. The colors of the garden were echoed in the treeline, which was just starting to turn to its autumn finery.

This is a dramatic signature piece, loose-mounted in a streamlined narrow black frame for a three-dimensional effect. It would look great in a contemporary home with open sightlines.