When the pandemic became severe, I had been getting ready for a solo exhibition. Realizing I had to cancel, I stopped work on my red rock paintings and turned towards pieces I have always wanted to paint. I have plein air painted in this location many times, but had some images from a late afternoon, when the trees were bare, yet with subtle color of the low sun. The location work certainly helped me to realize this piece.

This is how "Silver Flame" came to be. I sequestered in my studio, played classical music, and worked on problem-solving, which was just how to render the delicate branches.

As I worked, I realized that the focal point; the isolated tree to the left became a metaphor for what we were starting to go through. Isolation, and a "cutting off."

This is one of the first paintings I did during this period. Little did we know that the crisis would continue the way that it has...so I have done many pieces since.