The Beginnings
This commissioned piece began when a client expressed interest in a previous work. The original painting was created in 2020 using watercolor (see right) and served as a quick rendition of the reference photograph (see below).
This photograph was taken around 7:00 a.m. in January 2020. I realized I had just enough time to catch the sunrise before school that morning, and when I arrived near Montrose Ledge, I was surprised to find the shoreline partially frozen. It is amazing to think that the simple decision to go there that day is still impacting my life now.There was a bit of a journey with this painting…
The beginnings were exciting I thought the start of the ice-covered concrete ledge was going well and moved fast working my way up the painting. 
I got to this point fairly quickly and was still pretty happy with myself despite some clear flaws.
So, I took a step back and looked at the original photo noting the contrast in the water compared to the ice and sky. At this point I knew I made the right decision, but it was not quite coming together yet. I spent some more time on it and came to the result below. Looking at this one morning after thinking I was finished, I felt something off… it was so blue! Which makes sense, but there was little differentiation between the water and the ice ledge.Then, came the pivot. It felt right but also bold sometimes you don’t know how much more time you’ve added to a painting when you make a move like this. 