TM8544 Pond Logic 36×48 oil on panel

The first observations can seem chaotic – a mass of floating vegetation interrupted by fleeting glimpses of sky, which in turn is broken up by a haphazard grid of trunks and branches. Bot the longer one looks at the pond, the more one sees a certain rhythm in the fractal tapestry. There is a logic to the warp and weft. Everything is in its place for a reason, and the whole is an exquisite sum of the parts. Pond Logic explores variations on a natural grid, one that is leaning toward autumn. Details below. Enjoy.

TM8544 Pond Logic – detail from upper left corner showing layered textures and thinly painted negative sky shapes

TM8544 Pond Logic – detail from center right showing reflections, contrast of hard and soft edges, interpenetration of reflected sky and trees

TM8544 Pond Logic – detail from lower left of center with floating vegetation and reflections

Technical painting notes: I’ve been utilizing hard and soft edges to suggest the “blur” of a watery environment, as well as to suggest a quality of dappling light.