California Dream Under the Tree

I lived in California from 2014 to 2020, and for years I hated its relentless sun and heat. The golden hills, the dry air, the rare trees offering small islands of shade…

After moving to the Pacific Northwest, I discovered that I sometimes miss it.

I miss those hazy days when the heat becomes almost tangible, when you breathe it in and the light seems to pass through your entire being. This painting came from that strange transformation of memory: how a place we once wanted to escape can return to us years later as something almost dreamlike.