When a started painting male figures the figure was my focus. I was and enamored with the shape and artistry, and sexuality, of the athletic male form. However, I soon realized what drew me to this creative outlet wasn’t simply capturing a beautiful body, but telling stories, sharing moments and feelings. Which meant these figures needed scenes and settings and suddenly my work was 50% (or more) landscape painting, which I never really had an interest in doing. While I know the background scene is integral to my work, and I have learned so much by tackling everything from skyscrapers to piles of hay, I am well aware that I don’t have that same level of excitement to start painting a tree as I do a figure. In this piece, I went with the photo styled blurred background, which saved me from a lot of tedious leaves, but also surprised me with this added dreamlike quality which really suits the tone of the piece.

One other note, while not deliberately a series, this piece is in my mind a companion piece to Pensive Sky and Capricious Sea.