Martin Johnson Heade was a 19th century American painter, initially part of the Hudson River School depicting the New England landscape… until he ventured to South America and discovered the fantastical world of hummingbirds, orchids, passion flowers, magnolia blossoms and lotus blossoms which Roberta Smith of the NY Times describes as ‘palpably naturalistic yet dramatically decorative and artificial.’

MARTIN JOHNSON HEADE by Theodore E. Stebbins, Jr.

There are some things that make me appreciative of living in Austin…experiencing the magnificent Magnolia tree is one of them!

This beautiful specimen is in a lovely garden that Jason has had the privilege of working in for the past year. Every few weeks I stop by this project to see Jason’s progress and enjoy the seasonal changes in the landscape.

The Magnolia blossoms were so beautiful today… inky white petals and leathery green leaves…

one time I asked a shoe maker to dye me a pair of boots like a Magnolia leaf… just so you know, he couldn’t quite do it.