This painting transformed my work – and my life – forever. It was commissioned by a remarkable collector and patron of the arts who lost his home in the 2017 Wine Country Fires. The fire destroyed everything on the property except the grapevines and one rose bush. But then something miraculous happened. In the spring, that single rose bush began to bloom gloriously. The homeowner decided to build a new house on the same site and asked me to create a 6-foot painting of that rose bush for the home. We titled the painting “The Phoenix Rose” because it literally rose out of the ashes and is a powerful symbol of hope, resilience and reemergence

After creating The Phoenix Rose, my painting life was utterly transformed. I now devote my time and energy to painting larger-than-life flowers and offering their message to the world. The beauty of a flower is just a lure – it beckons us to an inner awakening. We can be awakened from the sleep of our busy-ness into the miracle of the present moment, the only moment there really IS, if we will only stop and see.