“Blue Garden Dawn” is a 20″x24″oil painting I did on gallery-canvas, inspired by one of my favorite quiet hangouts in my home town of Santa Barbara, California—Lotusland. It is the Montecito home and whimsical estate garden of the late eccentric actress, Ganna Walska. She filled it with prehistorical and exotic plants from all over the world. For me, it has always been my haven…my magical garden of fantastical varieties of cacti, succulents, aloes, palms, fire sticks, bromeliads and stag ferns. The endless walkways are each different artistic creations that lure the visitor into the garden jungles to sit under the dragon trees and commune with the fan aloes. This painting hopes to draw the viewer into this magical world of oversized plants and chromatic palette, to sit under the leaves and peer out in wonder. I’ve had other artists be critical of the bright colors in this, but to use anything less would diminish the effect this garden has on a visitor, and it is that effect I feel compelled to communicate.