In early January of 2021, I was driving north on Highway 15-501, just past the Haw River and Hamlet’s Chapel Road, when a burst of color caught the corner of my eye. It was the unmistakable electric yellow of Forsythia — blooming wildly, long before the rest of nature had even begun to wake up. I made a U-turn, pulled off the road, and gently cut a single branch.

At home, I remembered a small ceramic bud vase in my studio — a piece my wife brought home from Seagrove, North Carolina, where she visits potters every year. The soft earth tones of the vase paired perfectly with the vibrant yellow blossoms and the rustic wood planks I salvaged long ago from an old barn near Old Graham Road. Some compositions take me days, even weeks, to resolve — but this one came together instantly. Forsythia knew what it needed to become.

Forsythia has always symbolized the first spark of spring — energy, renewal, and that beautiful moment of transition between what has passed and what is about to emerge. In the quiet dark of my studio, under the slow, intentional movement of my light painting technique, the blossoms seemed to glow from within, like a living promise.

This piece has gone on to be recognized in regional exhibitions and juried shows — a reminder that sometimes the most powerful art begins with something as simple and fleeting as a branch on the side of the road.

If you’d like to learn more about how I create these still life works, you can explore my Still Life Light Painting Gallery, or read more about me and my artistic journey on my About Me page. You can also learn how I structure and catalog my editions here: Limited Edition Prints Explained.

Forsythia in Bud Vase Pottery may be available as a limited edition piece through the Pittsboro Gallery of Arts. I also proudly exhibit as a member of the Chatham Artists Guild, where I showcase both my still-life light painting series and architectural nightscapes.

Collectors may contact me directly to discuss availability or special presentation options.