Encircled by Fire

This started as a plein air study overlooking the river at Sundance, and finished as a studio piece. I was standing on a bridge stretching over the river, sketching and painting. The backlit fall foliage took my breath away. The colors and rhythms were stunning. Then when the five teenage girls walked into the scene I knew it would be my next painting, and I knew what the title would be. From start to finish it took over a year to complete. The quality of light, the gestures of the girls in the background, and the spiritual underpinnings go beyond expressing the beauty of a mountain west landscape to evoke layers of meaning.