This painting was created during my first week in San Angelo, Texas, as part of the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts Residency. The land received rain for the first three days I was there, a rare and cherished gift in West Texas. You don’t have to spend long in this region to understand how vital rain is for the community. It’s a topic that comes up in conversation between ranchers who meet on the road, truck windows rolled down, exchanging news about their fields and livestock. The impact of the rain is immediate and visible—grass, once dormant, bursts through the soil, turning from brown to green in a matter of days. As I watched the transformation, I understood more deeply the rancher’s words: rain is a true blessing here. This piece is inspired by the resilience of the landscape, the gratitude it evokes, and the way nature offers hope to those who live closest to it.