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There's a funny paradox at the center of this painting for me. The composition is utterly simple, a stick, while the subject of the painting is quite complicated. One could even say it's crazy complicated. My inclination in painting is to surrender as best I can to the nature of the subject and "the way that it is," and this was an experience of being willing to just go along with the complexity that is there. I could tell early on that it would be a longish experience, and so I just relaxed into it and thoroughly enjoyed the sunny afternoons I spent with these trees over 3 summers. One of the things I love about plein air painting is how the experience can’t be predicted. I could not “see” this finished piece at the onset, or even very early on. It’s a process that involves some trust, and as it always happens, I grew in familiarity with this subject day by day and step by step, and just let it guide me toward this finished piece.