Window

Here is “Window.”

Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee
Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee

The tops of the trees frame an opening in the sky, like a giant window looking out from the forest into the heavens.

Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee
Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee

There is another subtle window within that window, created by the white fluffy clouds framing a patch of blue sky.

Detail: Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee
Detail: Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee

The trees in the distance are partially obfuscated by brilliant light, giving only a sense of their shapes as they stand in the sun far away.

Detail: Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee
Detail: Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee

The foliage in the background evokes the sound of a gentle breeze rushing through the trees. In the foreground, the tree trunks are in deep shadow, almost black.

Detail: Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee
Detail: Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee

Dark shapes of leaves are contrasted against the brightness of the sky.

Detail: Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee
Detail: Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee

Light peeks through the tree branches. These negative spaces throughout give the painting a soft, colorful glow.

Detail: Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee
Detail: Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee

This painting is the last of six of this size that, earlier this year, I set out to finish.

Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee
Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee

With only a few weeks left in the year, I have finally completed the challenging goal I set for myself!

Cedar Lee painting studio. Art: Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee
Cedar Lee painting studio. Art: Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee

I happened to catch the painting in the studio illuminated by the bright rays of sun streaming in from above: A fitting image to celebrate this winter solstice, the gradual return of the sun, and the window of possibility that is 2018.

Cedar Lee art studio. Art: Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee
Cedar Lee art studio. Art: Window. 48″ x 48″, Oil on Wood, © 2017 Cedar Lee

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