I took the painting, a large one, begun earlier a week ago in Central Park, out to the North Fork. I found a winery with a lake, about he same early afternoon sun, and continued to work on my canvas. The transformation is profound. Painting directly on a white canvas enhances the radiance, reminiscent of the artist Monet. The blue sky takes charge, with strong blues now reflecting in the lake. I cut into the trees with the sky, adding dabs of whites and blues into the branches, which I think is a more effective representation of the now semi barren autumnal foliage. The remaining leaves are even more intense. I also carved a small jutting stretch of land into the lake, with three trees, reflecting on the pool. It is almost an entirely different painting. I think in the future, when I complete a painting on location it should be done, and I should not be tempted to return to it. There is a beauty in the moment, in the spontaneity of capturing the scene. It can only be found once. That is what life is all about, collecting fleeting moments and preserving them in the mind's eye for all eternity.
