I’ve always loved taking my son canoeing. We’ve paddled in lakes and rivers from coast to coast. A favorite location is on the Green River in Mammoth Cave National Park. This is a portrayal of us as we drifted downstream.

You will notice the atmospheric perspective with the trees closer to the viewer. They are darker and greener giving the impression of shade. They also appear nearer to the viewer than the canoe. They are more defined than the trees on the other bank – there is no definition of them, and they are very light. On the right side of the painting the riverbank is showing. You can see reflections in the water. The canoe can be seen from the back. My back is showing and you can see my life jacket, while son’s head is seen above. The paddle is sticking out to the side.

This painting is in Venice. I have tried to give it depth by using atmospheric perspective – the people who are closer are larger, the ones further away  are painted smaller. The closer ones have more detail than the ones further back. I wanted to make it look like it is raining. Notice all the umbrellas. You see reflections on the ground so you’ll know it is wet. Another thing I did to add interest was to have the vendor wear yellow and include a child who is talking to him. Of course one of the main things to look at is the cathedral with it’s domes.

I included pigeons on the ground because It reminded me of my grandson. He chased pigeons at public squares in Madrid, Paris, Rome, London, and many other locations. He was about six years old. He would see them, then run as fast as he could, making them scatter.