Today marks the beginning of the last week of January, 2015, and the beginning of Austin's false spring. Temperatures daily are in the 70s by mid-afternoon, and the citizens of this fair city are trading their sweaters for shorts, relieved to be rid (temporarily, at least) of the cold, dank conditions we've endured for the last two months. The warmer weather creates a longing for the real spring, and reminds me that it is not far away.
Last November, I completed a commissioned painting of last year's first sign of the season. I call this painting Wisteria - Harbinger of Spring. Wisteria, like flowering quince, announces the arrival of the vernal equinox. This particular wisteria makes its home just north of Austin, on the outskirts of Leander. The wisteria is glorious, but my favorite part of this painting is the blue tree in the woods behind the cabin, by the creek. Not many people can say they own a blue tree! The tree is actually a blue-grey, seen here through the whimsical eye of the artist.
Celebrate with me the anticipation of the season of rebirth.
