Morning in the Forest

I find inspiration in many different places. National Geographic Magazine is a tremendous source of images that I use to spur creativity. I found this photo online and fell in love:

I used that as an impetus to create this painting:

This piece took a total of about 12 hours to complete. I spent about 4 hours working on blending the colors for the sky in the background, then I spent about another 4 hours on the trees and leaves. Yesterday, I set up my easel on the back porch for about 4 hours to work in the sunlight, and completed the deer and plant life in the foreground.

At 30" x 36", this is the largest canvas I have worked on yet.