Where the Wild Fern Grows

This painting was inspired by a photograph I took while visiting Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park near Pāhoa.

Once again, I found myself stepping away from the cleared path, drawn toward the untamed thickness of the island forest. I was amazed by the enormous ferns, some spanning at least four feet wide and stretching nearly six feet long. Snake plants, monsteras, succulents, and so many of the plants I carefully struggle to keep alive through the winter were thriving wildly in the rain.

I sat in this spot feeling as though I shared a heartbeat with the ground and with every living thing rising from it. Only an hour and a half later, I would stand nearby and watch the volcano erupt. Witnessing its raw force gave me an entirely new understanding of the power within this place. The earth beneath me was not simply holding life. It was alive.

Those familiar with me and my work know how completely I surrender to the intensity of nature. Painting these memories is my way of expressing what I felt in those moments, with the hope that, even in some small way, you may feel it too.

Where the Wild Ferns Grow is available as a fine art print or canvas print in multiple sizes.

Price below is for a 16x20 print. Contact us for additional sizes and print formats.