Cake and Chaos

This piece—"Birthday Cake in the Rain"—is taking shape, and I’m at a really satisfying pause point. The cake’s standing proud, the party hats are looking appropriately disheveled, and that picnic table? Let’s just say it demanded my full attention. I didn’t rely on references or tracing—just observation, intuition, and the willingness to stay with it until the structure felt grounded in the scene.

There’s something quietly emotional about a birthday party left to the rain. The vibrant colors, the scattered decorations, the melting frosting—it all adds up to a scene that’s both festive and forgotten. I’m interested in that space where joy and discomfort intersect, and this painting is a deep dive into that layered feeling.

"Birthday Cake in the Rain" is part of my ongoing series RePLAY: Objects of Innocence, Moments of Reckoning. Each piece reexamines childhood objects and memories through the lens of lived experience—offering both a nod to the past and an honest reckoning with how it shaped the present.

I’ll be stepping away from the easel for a few days, but I’m excited to come back and keep building the world inside this puddle.