“Snowscape”- Bald Eagle – 24”X 30” This scene is one that locals pass by almost every day, yet few would notice it in my painting. I happened upon this area on the Prairie River in my hometown, as I walked over the bridge behind our library. The movement of the dark water, with it’s beautifully repetitive patterns set against the stark whiteness of the snow and ice, seemed to be a perfect backdrop for one of my eagles. If one studies the painting for a while, a somewhat abstract repeating shape of the eagle appears. Look again. The lower left bank of snow mimics the lower left edge of the eagle’s wing. The dead, fallen and snow covered tree mimics the shape of the back and right wing. The icy outcrop and rocks in the water surround the eagle’s head to complete this imaginary, abstract eagle. I wonder how it got there as it wasn’t planned, although I played it up as I began to see it take form. Many of my paintings seem to develop with a life of their own, and I just let them lead me around. This painting in particular is only one of the few that has another painting on the backside. It is the same as the front only panned out more, with the eagle much smaller. I may one day finish the back side of it, just to see which one I prefer more.