Three of my best friends and I go to Edisto Beach each year.  We have known one other since elementary school and are now in our 40's.  We spend most of our time catching up and enjoying each others company and I usually don't take photos for landscape painting references because I don't want to take the time.  Driving or walking around the island, which is heavily wooded with live oaks, you can see beautiful views of the colorful march.  This painting is an interpretation of both the beautiful scenery and the happy emotions we experience as we relax and enjoy our brief time away from the world.

Inspired by a trip to the Florida Keys.

This "Atlantis" series is about the beauty and the power of Mother Nature. The landscape is the Bay of Islands in New Zealand, the country where I live. And the strange characters in the painting which be seen in the depths of the ocean represent the lost language of Atlantis. 

In the Chinese tradition of oriental painting, landscapes are represented by just two characters.....mountain and water.  We call it  "shanshui".....literally meaning mountain/water.  These words bring to mind the essence of most Chinese scenery.....the majestic rugged strength of the mountains and the fluidity of the rivers, waterfalls and lakes.  The artist can paint one or the other or can combine both elements and also add features such as trees, people, mist, etc.  The artist tries to read the message in the landscape, pondering on the intracies of life itself rather than concentrate on how nature looks. In Chinese landscape, the pine tree represents strenght, the trees stand tall and strong.....the majestic slopes stand awash in their pristine blankets of freezing snow... loneliness abounds.....yet, strength prevails................ Yes,  it  is  lonely  FROM  THE  TOP.