Washington, D.C. artist Alma Thomas is at work in her studio in this photograph taken by her friend Ida Jervis. As she paints arcing brushstrokes on paper, her workspace, art supplies, and potted plant are bathed in natural light from a nearby window. A container of Miracle-Gro beside her paintbrushes evidences her interest in cultivating the brilliance of the natural world, a frequent inspiration of Thomas’s work. Even Thomas’s clothing, a checkered top with squares of various sizes, hints at her artistic eye and recalls her mosaic-like paintings.