The Eyes Of Nature, In The Pond & In The Garden

I made this painting last October, as I was emerging from months of artists block. Looking back at it now I notice how anemic it looks. The color was just returning to my life and I can see the hesitation to put down more pigment.

Out of all the eyes in the world I think there is something special about those of the horse and the rabbit. There is an emptiness to them, no emotion and paradoxically a piercing quality that sees you and through you at the same time. I don't know how else to describe it. The eyes became an obsession, and the flower, a now seen subconscious symbol for my returning creative energy.

In this first painting I wanted to create the effect of submerged foliage with the flowers floating on the surface. shallow fresh water has a certain aesthetic to it. It reminds me of catching frogs as a child. For many of us these early encounters with nature are some of our first.

With these paintings I wanted to capture a certain feeling that nature sometimes gives me. That kind of dark wonder somewhere in between fear and curiosity. To see and to be seen back

In The Pond & In The Garden 5x5 watercolor on paper.