Each year, both locals and tourists seek out the fleeting beauty of cherry blossoms in bloom. Their brief appearance seems to heighten the sense of celebration and ritual that surrounds them. While walking through The Quad at the University of Washington campus in Seattle, you can see groups of young women dressed in white and pale pink, with matching hats and parasols taking photos of one another under the trees. The beauty and quiet femininity of the season served as the inspiration for this painting.