Set beneath the California redwood canopy, this painting explores the intertwined instincts of protection and wonder through the lens of native species and parental care.

Curiosity celebrates the rich biodiversity found beneath the redwood canopy near my home in Northern California. Painted over the course of a long, rain-soaked winter, the work captures a forest floor alive with vibrant fungi, soft moss, and the heady scent of bay laurel leaves in decay.

At its center, a pair of California Quail guide their chick through a surreal, oversized landscape—navigating hidden dangers from toxic mushrooms to rattlesnakes. The painting reflects the universal tension between nurturing and survival, echoed in the quiet gestures of parenting across species.

Subtle veils of paint reveal the maple wood grain beneath the surface, while the enlarged scale of the mushrooms introduces a dreamlike quality that blurs the line between natural observation and emotional metaphor.