In realist painting, women are often the cultivators, the nurturers. Images of women in nature often represent fertility and sanctity. This series served as my first exploration of what it means to portray a female figure alone in the natural world. Using the women around me as models, I explored different poses and perspectives to create narratives about women as gatherers, explorers, adventurers, curiosity seekers, wanderers, and primarily, cultivators of a tangible relationship with their surroundings. Mimicking Erik Bulatov's Soviet-era painting "Oпасно," I attempted to use clashing red-and-green to catch the viewer's attention and examine the subject as one which stands out from, rather than blends in to, her environment.