To some,
a magnolia may represent the essence of the south.

Picture a warm afternoon, right before the cicadas start, you’re standing beneath a canopy of green and brown leaves with large white blooms stretching into the summer sky. I can imagine that exact scene when I was a child in my grandmother’s front yard. My sister and I would catch lightning bugs in a large mason jar waiting for the sun to set. Summers in Mississippi…I can’t explain the feeling I have when I recall those days spent with my grandmother. Those days were filled with sepia colored photographs of my great grandmother on the farm and of coconut cake recipes and of football. But most of all, those days were filled with art lessons in her studio.

My grandmother was the first artist I ever knew. She was the first person who taught me how to mix oil paint, or blend watercolors; the first person to hand me a small sketchbook in the kitchen to draw a large bowl of apples.  My grandmother’s artwork reflected her love for the state she lived in, full of wooded landscapes and old barns; but most of all, magnolias. She has been creating these beautiful flowers for as long as I can remember, and at 96 she is still creating them today. 

Whenever I began painting these beautiful white and gold florals, it came so naturally to me and I laughed. That shouldn’t have surprised me considering the fact that I’ve been drawing and painting magnolias with my grandmother since I was 10 years old. These beauties have graced the walls of our family for generations. Every member of my family has an original magnolia from my grandmother in their home. I currently have 3 of them matted and framed in my kitchen, living room and dining room. Each piece has her tiny signature on the bottom right corner, although I wouldn't need to see that to be reminded of her. In our family, she is synonymous with these beautiful flowers.

For myself, a magnolia will always represent the essence of family . A generational symbol of who we are and where we came from. With every brush stroke and every mark I make on the canvas I am reminded of her and connect with the past, while making something new for the present and future. 

In painting these magnolias, I hope to express the deep connection I have to my family. And I also hope to bring warmth and connectedness to your home, as they are on display for you and yours.