Before the Bloom

It's always easy to love flowers when they're at their peak - they demand attention.

However, I've always been interested in the full cycle of changes throughout the seasons.

Before the flowers begin their display, something else begins—fuzzy buds, formed in the winter, become prominent against the deep green of the new leaves. I’m always reminded of rabbits’ feet with their soft texture and muted colors, soon to be overshadowed by rich, deep burgundy flowers.

This wasn't the first time I had been drawn to what comes before or after.

Last autumn, I found myself collecting black tupelo leaves after they had reached their richest autumn colors and fallen to the ground. They eventually became one of my watercolor paintings, but only after I spent time researching the tree and appreciating their color and pattern.

Even my photographs seem to return to this idea. Ferns while they're still unfurling. Maple leaves resting among stones. Tree roots exposed beneath the soil. Mushrooms pushing up beside a sidewalk. These things are a reminder nature rarely offers just one moment of beauty. We typically just notice the most obvious one, but a garden is always evolving.

It isn't beautiful because of a single bloom. It's beautiful because it's always changing in subtle and dramatic ways. Every week offers something different to observe, and every stage has its own character.

Paying attention helps us to appreciate the whole story.

Continue Exploring:

Related Artwork · Genie Magnolia, Before the Bloom

Related Gallery · Botanicals and Garden Gallery

From the Journal · Before the Bloom, Black Tupelo Leaves