Before Covid hit last year, a dear family friend and mentor asked to commission a painting from me that was inspired by nature and completely up to me. I look forward the challenge of getting inside someone’s heart to create a one of a kind artwork for them to live with and this one was especially thrilling because I grew up with her daughter as my best friend. Her home is one of the main backdrops of my memories. I wanted to make something that captured that joy.
For this painting I took pictures of her yard and a walk to see which trees were in the neighborhood. It happened to be spring and the world was a bloom! I did several sketches of the Japanese Magnolias in the area and let the energy of spring lead the way.
Once covid hit and isolation started, this spring inspired painting took over my tiny home art space. I was literally living with it, daily adding paint as I went. It took a year to feel truly finished. I’ve never spent that long living and working on an artwork. It changed my creative process dramatically.
This painting is installed in the spot my best friend grew up painting from, in her old bedroom. I have so many sweet memories and I am so touched to fill that space once again.
Lisa Rachel Horlander 