Every year, the fall foliage in Massachusetts surprises me. It’s been 17 years, and I still marvel at how beautiful my suburban town becomes. There’s always so much going on to the eye! The wide range of colors, their intensity, the light peeking through, the overlap of old, wooden electrical posts, the layers of black wires cutting across everything...

I really wanted to paint it, but I read in a painting magazine that this was a tough theme to paint. Autumn colors are so intense, artists end up struggling balancing the bright reds and oranges. How could I approach this? So, I got the idea of using real leaves! I had accumulated so many with my daughters when they were younger; I found them, glued them, and painted the electrical posts and wires. And then…. it still wasn’t perfect. It took me a lot of trial and error, but eventually, I found the balance of colors I was looking for.

This is not a “regular” painting for me. I took a lot of risks, and I honestly wasn’t expecting people to like it. But to my surprise, my viewers responded very positively, and the painting even won a prize in a group exhibition! Are you amazed by something beautiful that happens every year?