In “Sensitive Seeds,” a solo show at the Phoenix in Waterbury, Mary Lynn Burke evokes an entwined sense of landscapes both emotional and botanical with her near-abstract jungle-tinged paintings. It is a first solo presentation for the Lexington, Mass., artist, who holds a master’s degree in clinical social work. In a YouTube video for the podcast “I Like Your Work,” Burke explains how she started out taking hundreds of photos of the rugged coastline. ➆“Mary Lynn Burke: Sensitive Seeds,” on view through December 31 at the Phoenix in Waterbury. The original print version of this article was headlined “Breathing Room | Mary Lynn Burke’s abstract botanicals stake out space at the Phoenix in Waterbury”This article appears in August 5 • 2026.