This painting was created in the summer I moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Settling into a friend’s guest house for the summer, I drew inspiration from my friendships and the surrounding garden as it bloomed with life and vibrancy as the season rolled on.

Having spent my entire life in Florida—where time seems to blend together in blurry waves of sunshine and heat year-round—experiencing a Nashville summer had me seeing the season with fresh eyes, and looking for ways to capture the colors, smells, and memories of my first summer in Tennessee on canvas.