I first met St. John’s Wort many years ago on top of Max Patch.  It is one of the loveliest places on earth.  Being on Max Patch on a beautiful day makes me feel like my soul is shining out of me as brightly as the sun beats down on the mountains.  It’s easy to feel the magic of life when you’re in such a place.  At that time, St. John’s Wort grew rampant on the mountain top with little stands of yarrow and clover and a handful of other wildflowers amid the tall grasses. 

Years later, walking through my own garden’s stand of St. John’s wort one summer day, I felt myself being pulled into its orbit.  I sat down with it to listen.  It felt like the sunshine feeling of the plant was radiating out of me,  helping to give a voice to the stories of the plants.  I felt a deep connection to nature bringing a complete sense of peace and joy, and it simply spilling out of me.  

And that’s what I wanted to convey in the painting.