Curiosity, 25” x 25”, acrylic on maple panel, 2019

'Curiosity' celebrates some of the fascinating biodiversity that I see near my home under the California redwood canopy. I created this painting over the course of a long wet winter when several species of mushrooms were popping up amongst the swollen green moss and lavender bay laurel leaf litter. I was also aiming to highlight a universal parental drive that I share with the California Quail parents, as they try to help their young chick navigate safely around hidden dangers. From avoiding steep ravines to the poisonous mushrooms and rattlesnakes hiding under the shadows of a log. Curiosity explores revealing things that were previously unknown, pulling back the veil of paint in sections to expose the maple wood grain underneath, and exaggerating the size of the fungi to resemble surreal fever dreams. 

Images from in the field