Yes, it is a stump! In water! So why did I paint a stump? Well, merci for asking. And I don’t think I have a clear answer here.

I can try answering the “how” it happened, but not the “why”! During a fantastic trip to Maine, I took a lot of pictures during a boat trip on a small lake. When I was looking at them later on my computer screen, I just fell in love with this one because it felt so peaceful and tranquil, like time was on hold. So I painted it!

To be fair, everyone I talked to was surprised by this choice, and couldn’t see what was so great about it. I was still very excited, although when I started painting, I realized this was going to be a lot harder than expected because of all the greens… and that it is, in fact, just a stump. Getting the reflections right was really hard, plus my American friends kept asking me if it was a stump in a french river, only to be very disappointed when I told them it was from Maine. “Ah…” they said, trailing off. I was indignant! When I saw this image, it transported me immediately to this beautiful lake, and why couldn’t people see that a stump in Maine or in the Loire Valley is still just a stump?!?

And that’s when I had my epiphany. I loved this so much because the stump reminded me of Maine, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll find someone who is reminded of Ghana, or China, or anywhere else in the world when they see this. Where does this stump bring you? Or an even better question: what images bring you peace?