"Impatiens with Border" by Millicent Krouse

Last Saturday I finally checked out the local exhibit Artists in the Garden: PAFA at Morris Arboretum. PAFA (The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts) is my alma mater, so I was familiar with a number of the artists who had works in the show. But I did not yet know Millicent Krouse, who continues to enjoy a prolific artistic career, primarily as a wood block printmaker. For readers interested in learning a wee bit more about Krouse, check out page 38 of the Woodmere Art Museum's catalogue Women and Biography, found in PDF form here.  

The blossoms are beautiful, but sink. Black leaves droop over the double-thick bottom border, almost obscuring the block-letter label. A more airy blue squiggle fills the empty space above their heads. There will be no silences during this conversation. Three, open faces lean forward, their gazes locked on an audience that so long has eagerly awaited their colorful entry into this world. We so longed for spring, but nothing worthwhile comes without a price.