"Spring House" 15x23 acrylic

With my focus on smaller works over the past few months, it feels good to complete something a little larger and more complex. I happened upon this scene while hunting mushrooms last spring and knew it would be the inspiration for a future painting. The old forgotten spring house carved into a steep hillside had so much character and mystery, I'll likely go back again this spring to investigate a bit more.
There's a lot going on in the composition, so it was a huge undertaking. I spent a lot of time strategically adding and subtracting leaves to help round out the structure of the painting and keep the viewer's eye pleasantly drifting from one element to the next. The stars of the show are a pair of golden-crowned kinglets. They're quite common throughout most of the eastern United State, but so small and secretive, most folks have never seen one.
This year's Southeastern Wildlife Exposition is just over two weeks away and this is the final addition to my show inventory. I'll have more than 20 new originals for my visit to Charleston, so stop in and say hello. There are dozens of skilled painters and sculptors on hand and the atmosphere is light and friendly. I'm really looking forward to it.