In “Song of the Cypress,” a 4 foot-wide canvas allowed me to immerse myself in the natural environment of a black-crowned night heron. I love how the bird disappears into and emerges from the reflections of the cypress swamp, inseparable from its ecosystem of earth, water and sky. Every brushstroke was a process of finding order, balance, and serenity in a lively chaos of treetops, clouds and sky.
The painting is based on a photograph I took at Brookgreen Gardens, in their awesome aviary built over an existing cypress swamp.
Acrylic on canvas, 48″ x 30″, 2024. Now on exhibit in the 2024 Spring Show at Seacoast Artists Gallery, Myrtle Beach, S.C.