This original oil painting is 12” x 9” on birch panel. it was created out of my interest in color theory and creating color studies in preparation for larger paintings. I have been pushing myself to create bold and unexpected color palettes and combinations, and I look around my studio and see primarily yellow these days. Its a color that seems indispensable to me in my paintings. I go through phases with yellow, transitioning from using earthy yellow ochre, to the complex hue of indian yellow, to vibrant and attention-seeking cadmium lemon. My use of arbitrary and exaggerated color mirrors the heightened state of awareness, interconnectedness, and depth of experience I find in the natural world.