Sunrise, Sunset - Swiftly Flow the Days. A line from the song made famous from "Fiddler on the roof."  The parenthesis of the day. I have made time to arrive for the 40 minute light show at The Everglades and the Atlantic Ocean. This light show clears all of the noise from my head. The temperature is cooler, and the animals serenade me while I paint.

I spent morning and evening on the levee in The Everglades painting the incredible light show en Plein air for this painting. I combined the sunrise on the right and the sunset on the left. I love teaching color theory. You will notice how the light splits into complements or opposites on the color wheel. Something about the turning of the earth splits the spectrum.

Sunrise, Sunset - Swiftly Flow the Days joins Sunrise on the Levee, Sunset on the Everglades, and The Everglades at Sunrise in my new collection of studies of the place I called home. Listening to the news on the way to the levee makes me realize how insignificant we are in a natural setting. All of the problems that seem so important melt away when you see the vast Everglades and hear the croaking of alligators. Maybe you will even see a turtle or a turkey vulture if you are lucky!

I think of Sunrise, Sunset as the parenthesis of the day. Sunrise is full of hope to accomplish wonderful things; Sunset reflects what was good and what needs work. Both are precious times that must be experienced - not photographed. Summertime means I am out there by 5:45 am in the morning and at 7:30 in the evening. It is a delivery of grace - paint therapy in its purest form.