From my first painting to my most recent one, an "accidental" painting that is pointing me in a whole new way. I had toned a canvas with a rich orange sienna and one day picked up a brush and loosely sketched the trees and their reflections. I started painting in the background but couldn't stop looking at the painting as it was. An artist friend came over one day, saw it, and said "That's a finished painting." That encouragment was all I needed to hear. I softened some edges and put down my brush. I love this painting - the transitory and transitional sense of nature it imples as well as the rich colors on the canvas. The first person I showed it to bought it, put it in his office, and many people have seen and responded to it. This is the direction I will be exploring in my next paintings.