Firmament, 2012
Some titles come to me almost subconsciously. This was one of those occasions. One of the great advantages of living in Kula is the simple fact that steps from my studio door I find things such as this to paint. This pasture, with its grandfather eucalyptus, is next door to me. I ride my bike past the scene every day.
The ever-changing sky constantly bathes the hills in a variety of colors. I've seen it in every imaginable light. Lately I've been leaving at sunset, returning home after dark. The word firmament* kept occurring to me as I rode through the arching sky. Both the color, as well as the word, stayed with me as I painted it to canvas. I vaguely knew what it meant but the word is not exactly common parlance. After I'd completed the painting, I looked it up and it seemed the perfect title.
*Firmament: The heavens or the sky, esp. when regarded as a tangible thing. The vault or expanse of the heavens; the sky.