Flowering Dogwood is the state tree of Missouri.  It is a relatively small native tree, but its spring bloom makes it a stand out in the forest.  Its name originates from a English custom of bathing dogs in a concoction made from the bark.  On this outing to the Missouri Botanical Garden, dogwood blooms were still plentiful in the landscape, but their season was coming to an end.  After painting on the location for several hours, my equipment was covered with petals.  Sunshine was plentiful. 

This painting was created for my wife, Penny.  She enjoys the beauty of Flowering Dogwood in spring and comments often how the blooms seem to "float" in the landscape.  My primary goal for this painting was to capture the "float" of the dogwood blossom.  Additionally, I emphasized the legendary Christian symbolism of the tree.  The four pedals represent the Cross.  The holes common at the end of the pedals represent the Nails.  The faint red stain around the holes represents the Blood, and the green bloom in the center represents the Crown of Thorns.  I purposefully included several Christian shapes (Cross, Heart) in the composition.