A true waterscape, this painting is the surface of the water on Devil's Lake in Wisconsin. During a camping trip, I took a few pictures of the beautiful lake and dove into this painting soon after.

If you look carefully, there are tiny orange dots that I used as coordinates to keep track of where I was working in the painting and in the photograph. It was a challenge to paint and well worth it. The effect of this piece is both realistic and abstract, organized and organic.

These swirling water shapes influenced the water in my most recent Manjushri painting. I am inspired by the convergence of real shapes in nature and the stylized water shapes in Tibetan thangka painting.