Sometimes, okay, most of the time, I paint how I’m feeling. A college professor once told me that I paint with my emotions on my sleeve. I’ve often told friends, customers, and art students that you can’t hide yourself in your art. Nor should you.

I battle seasonal depression. It’s a tough thing to explain to someone who doesn’t experience it themselves. Gray skies and cold wet weather affect my joints and my mood - in a bad way. One of the healthiest escapes I find during those dark days is in creating art. Sometimes the best paintings and the best writing come from the cloudiest of moods.

And so, in the beauty of sadness, I created a couple of dreary watercolor florals in black & white. The simple shapes and lack of color create a stunning sensation. Color (or lack thereof) can affect emotions in ways that only the subconscious can understand. What would otherwise be ordinary red roses and poppies take on a newer, dark, but beautiful character. See what you think - did I turn lemons into lemonade here?