In 'Hydrangea' two sprays of the rather humble blossom block the way into the depths of night. But silhouetted against the sky, they also turn into a flock of droves escaping or enticing the viewer to follow. In another painting a branch of crabapples is painted candy-apple bright and forms a portal into a forest tinted with the shades of night, and that, in turn, opens out into an endless universe of the deepest midnight hues. The stars in Austin's vision twinkle everywhere and lead the eye through this wood and into the infinite night. She focuses the gaze up at the sky rather than toward the horizon. The work is titled simply 'Crabapples" because anything else would be too descriptive; this is a dream world.