On my summer weekends, I walk up Pelican Point Road to and from the “Magic Hill”.  I call it that because it’s the perfect exercise at the lake in central Minnesota. Last fall after a rain, I noticed the vines growing on the oak trees had turned red and took their picture. They were beautiful! My photographs however didn’t look as good as my memory and become merely a reference.  After painting the vines, the detail became distracting, so I simplified them into directional brush strokes.  The cattails in the background were beautiful, but the water reflected in the pool was inspired by a sunset pontoon ride. When I look at this painting across the room, I feel a calm, refreshing peace.

In the painting, this palette was originally planned to be predominantly red, along with turquoise black pinks and greens. By increasing the amount of water shown, it became evident that I need to infiltrate more blue into the composition and change the balance of the colors. The color and the calligraphic brushstrokes are what define my painting as Neo-Impressionistic.

On this original, I hand-painted the sides of the painting extending the scene. It seems to walk you right into the scene.