Cogitatio begins with the delicate falling of rose petals, among an entanglement of growing vines and the prick of thorns. It blossoms into a swirling rose pattern which the composer created by tracing rose swirls across the strings, changing directions from one swirl to the next, all with the velvety softness that the viola produces so beautifully. This work is the second in a series with Out of Mud, also for Viola Solo. Both works won the Northern California Viola Society Composition Contest for new works in 2019 and 2020, respectively. This recording is performed by the 2020 winner Pearl de la Motte.