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Cottonwood in a Blizzard on Viejas Boulevard, Descanso CA
5x7 oil on Ampersand Gesso board

Old School

I decided to frame this in an ornate, old-style frame after seeing The Power of Art by Simon Schama and all of Van Gogh's paintings framed in this way. It seemed a lovely counterpoint to the brush strokes and light/dark interplay of impressionist painting, the raw color and direct strokes.

It took a while to find this frame, but I think it's perfect. The gold leads the viewer onto the trail, while the green areas, glossy and solid, focus the eye on the vortex made by the overhanging trees, their shadows, the up-reaching Manzanita, grass and wild-flowers as the trail narrows and heads up the mountain.