I like to usually paint the surroundings with a subject. It allows me to tell a story.

With this painting, I wanted to see if I could tackle planes that were immediately next and a little beyond and then further beyond, and ultimately, way farther beyond the subject.

A man I saw pulling a boat to sail was beyond the shade, then the curb, then the shrubs. The lake was at a distance, and the mountains were much beyond the lake.

I had to veer away from the limited pallet in order to achieve it. It worked. As always, there’s always more room for improvement.