“May Rhododendron,” mixed media by Kerry McFall

I often paint or sketch things that are setting on my dining table, which is a warm maple wood.  The window behind the table has venetian blinds of the same warm hue, and the strong vertical and horizontal lines have always intimidated me before this.  I decided to try just a suggestion of those influences today, and I think it almost worked.  What worked even better was the process of making the piece, losing myself in the colors and shapes, taking my mind off the challenges that await this next week: getting my mother into memory care, waiting while my son begins his epilepsy diagnostic sessions at UC San Diego Epilepsy Research.  So many milestones to absorb at once.  But like making sense of how to capture the ruffly flower petals and veined leaves, we’ll be taking it one step at a time, one line at a time, one day at a time.