Juliana McDonald’s daily walks in local woods and fields connect her to nature’s complexities and rhythms and to the challenges green spaces face to escape urban development. Field paintings celebrate the rich variety of wildflowers and grasses slowly reclaiming old farmlands. Similarly, the fragile transition zones along creeks and in marshes team with life and mystery. During the 2020-22 pandemic her art practice was disrupted in many ways, resulting in a body of work based on exposed tree roots. Through her exploration of the theme of uprootedness, a sense of interconnectedness, strength, and renewal emerges. Layers of paint are applied with a palette knife, echoing the layering of events and changes over time.