For several summers I was showing work at the Waters of Superior Gallery in Duluth and I would deliver paintings in the spring. 

There is something about the light along the north shore in spring that is hard to describe. It must have something to do with the light reflecting off of Lake Superior because it washes over everything.

When I returned home I tried to capture that light, reflecting on the trees, along a hill, from my memory but I could not get it to work. So I decided to quickly paint the entire painting out with colors I could use as an under painting in an attempt to capture the light. But when I started to paint, the painting itself took over and presented an abstract quality of light that captured my attention. This was something I never expected and it was a grand lesson in painting. So maybe this is what painting is about. Grand lessons will almost always present themselves.