This painting has been an adventure-in-progress since the beginning of the pandemic. It took me a total of four years to complete. I began the still life drawing my center of interest — the blue chairs. I cannot remember what kind of red flower that I included, something from my garden, but decided to leave it and erased the rest of the background. The painting laid on my studio shelf a couple years. It was artist’s block — a brain fog — until I resolved the composition. Every once in a while I took it out, critiqued it with a mat and decided my initial effort was very good and that I needed to finish it. I thought about it while I walked the trails and I was unable to come up with a solution for three and a half years.

Finally, after seeing some beautiful butterflies this spring — eureka! I erased and redrew the background foliage two more times after adding the butterflies, a symbol of growth and new beginnings. It was especially meaningful because last year had hurdles of three surgeries, Covid and recovery. The significance of the transformation back to good health was an achievement for me and a turning point in my life. This series of my “Chairs in the Jungle” began at the start of my career and shows the progress I have made as an artist over the years.

This painting will be part of the Iowa Watercolor Society’s Traveling Exhibition 2024-2025 by juror Betty Carr, a nationally recognized artist.