This work started life as colored pencil art on heavy lightly-textured paper. Unfortunately, after being scanned, the original was lost—which is mostly why it’s now listed as a digital image (also, it’s been tweaked a little in the computer since the scan).

I like to use the edge of images in less than conventional ways when it makes sense to. Here, the woman (based on actor/model Julie McCullough) is contentedly leaning on the edge of the frame, drinking in the sunset-bathed landscape. What doesn’t come across so well in this incarnation is that she’s holding a rather large and thick book. Now, whether the book is the gift, or whether something else is I leave as a creative exercise for the viewer.

Oh, btw, Ms McCullough was very nice in the note she wrote about this work. (I say this for information, not to imply an endorsement. Let’s be clear on that.)