Valletta Tranquille

When I painted this scene of a river running through a secluded glen, I realized that in many ways it is the realization of an image that has been developing in my minds eye. The composition itself was not so much the idea, but the execution of the colors, with lights shining against darks in an almost stained-glass manner, has been forming in my mind for some time. In particular, I saw the leaves of a draping tree. So when this painting manifested, I realized that elements of it were answering to this muse. I also feel that I learned something new about painting the shapes that occur in landscapes while working on this piece.