Quest For Light

This painting is called “Quest For Light.” It shows two giant sequoia trees growing towards the sun, side by side. This competition for light between the individual trees in the forest, a fact of nature, is what has allowed some of them to grow to such tremendous heights.

The tree on the left is in shadow as it is back-lit by the sun–the light flowing around the edges of that tree strikes the tree on the right directly, so it lights up in red and gold. The differences in the colors of the two trees–the left one cool and the right one warm–creates a dynamic tension.

This painting is thrumming with life and bursting with light!

This was enormously fun to paint–not just because the light, color, and forms here are exciting to me, but because this painting was my first major experiment using cold wax medium, allowing for an incredibly thick, rich texture to the painting’s surface.

The painting continues off the edges of the painting and around the sides.

It looks amazing in my studio in the afternoon, with the green leaves outside the window and the sunlight streaming in. Perfect.

At 30″ x 40″, it is quite large-scale and makes a huge impact when hung on the wall. Just right for a large wall in an entryway, or the space over a large sofa or bed.

It looks different under different lighting. This photo was taken in the studio shortly after dark, under indoor lights.