Blossom Mood

Oil on canvas, 20 × 24 in
2025

It was February — believe it or not.
I was walking through Balboa Park with a friend. Gardens were in full bloom, bees were drifting through the air, and the atmosphere was filled with such an intoxicating fragrance that words simply failed. It felt unreal.

The next day, I returned with my easel and canvas, determined to capture that dizzying, blossoming mood and preserve it on the surface of the painting. If you’ve ever walked through Balboa Park during cherry blossom season, you’ll understand my excitement instantly.

This painting was born quickly — in a single breath. Even today, it still carries traces of plein air life: tiny flower petals that settled onto the wet paint during the process.

This work changed my life.
Because it is one of my brightest and most impressionistic paintings — free from dark, existential tonalism — I decided to submit it to an exhibition of the American Impressionist Society. The painting was selected and traveled to the National Exhibition in Montana.

But the most surprising moment came on opening day. I stayed in San Diego, quietly living my everyday life, when suddenly a friend from the association messaged me with congratulations.
Blossom Mood received the Excellence Award and a full-page feature in PleinAir Magazine — one of the most prestigious publications in the art world.

I was on cloud nine. And I believe that very feeling is what lives inside this painting.
Because Blossom Mood is happiness.

I believe the collector who lives with this work will feel it too. This is not just a memory of one day in Balboa Park — it is the feeling of being deeply, joyfully in love with life.