September 2024

I’m writing this on the eve of my 34th  birthday. The woods outside my studio window are a sulfuric green as they teeter on the edge of autumn gold. The sun is sitting noticeably lower in the sky and the shadows are stretching longer. A calm is beginning to take over as Summer’s steady hum of boats is fading into just local sailors on the water hoping to keep their coppery tans a bit longer.

My husband Kenny is officially home from Summer fire season and while many projects beg our attention, easing back into the routine of togetherness is most important. Coffee in the morning. Regular farm chores. Evenings spent in the warm breeze listening to the Ospreys whistle before making a meal together. After ten years of him firefighting out west each summer, we’re used to this rhythm, but the homecoming in Autumn is always just as sweet.

In the quiet of his absence, I have the space to observe the daily changes around our home. Little by little new plants emerge, and others fade. Different birds migrate on and others take their place. New homes go up and businesses open. So much change that feels gradual to me must feel drastically different for him upon return.

Despite all the changes, the threads that make this land and house home remain. They weave into a fabric that comforts as it drapes over our shoulders at any homecoming and whispers,

“I am here, always.” 

Morning light on the back rain garden.

Autumn light settling on pieces and collection in my studio. I think it makes Daydream I look even dreamier.

Working on ideas for a commission.

Me with the first Seminole Pumpkin harvest of the year.

This month I took the opportunity to rephotograph some of my prints. It’s amazing how doing always makes me fall back in love with them. This print (available through my shop) of Belladonna was from my was from my 2021 Poisonous Plants Collection.

I love vines. There’s something romantic about the way they clamber and tumble over and through everything. The Chinese Clematis above are invasive and pop up all over our property but their delicate white flowers are hard to get angry with.

A new watercolor of Star Jasmine, an old Southern favorite with the most seductive scent.