California in Bloom explores motherhood, transformation, and the seasons of visible and unseen growth that shape our lives.

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I began the collection as my daughter, Grace, turned one. Her first year marked a quieter period in my life, one devoted to nurturing, slowing down, and learning the rhythms of motherhood. Although it was not a season of dramatic outward growth, it transformed me in ways I could not yet see.

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As Grace approached her first birthday, I felt a renewed energy emerge. I had grown more confident as a mother while rediscovering my purpose as an artist. For the first time, these two identities did not feel separate. They met and strengthened one another. I was not returning to the person I had been before motherhood, but stepping fully into the person I had become because of it.

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That sense of aliveness informs the visual language of the collection. Through saturated color, expressive palette knife marks, and abundant florals, I reimagine California’s landscape in a state of full bloom. Turquoise coves, cliffs covered in flowers, distant mountains, and fields of poppies, wildflowers, and sea lavender become heightened expressions of vitality. The paintings are bold and unapologetic, reflecting the energy I felt within myself and my readiness to take up space again.​

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Halfway through creating the collection, my gallery was named Best Art Gallery in San Diego by San Diego Magazine. The recognition felt like an outward affirmation of an inward transformation, a moment when my life and work seemed to bloom together.

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I hope California in Bloom reminds you that every season has purpose, even the growth no one else can see, and whenever your season arrives, you are allowed to bloom boldly.

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The collection will remain on view at Krista Schumacher Art Gallery through October 12 and will ship beginning October 13.