I’ve made it fairly common knowledge that I’m not the first to volunteer when it comes to landscapes. While I appreciate them in real life and when they are executed well in art, it’s just not something that I’m compelled to do for my own satisfaction. That said, unless you are determined to either do still lifes or portraits with indistinct backgrounds, landscapes will be a significant part of every painter’s work.

I chose to do this painting because of the challenge that all of those autumn leaves presented. The range of colors and values despite the largely overcast day offered up something that never failed to demand I pay attention to what I was doing. I put in the seat because I love to at some enigmatic element to entice the viewer to come up with their own stories — whether drawn from real life or imagination.