Tree Under the Northern Lights
This was my first time trying the tree swipe technique, and I was drawn in by both the process
and the result. Somewhere along the way, a tree began to take shape, more discovered than
planned. My son gave it its name, and it stayed.
23 April 2026
I tried a new technique with this piece, the tree swipe, curious to see what might emerge.
I chose my colors and carefully poured them into the center, then gently swiped them outward to each side. While everything was still wet and fluid, I used my palette knife to begin carving out the shape of a tree.
Somewhere between intention and chance, a tree took shape, its branches stretching through shifting blues and violets, lit with veins of copper like light moving through the dark.
My son looked at it and said, “Tree Under the Northern Lights.”
And just like that, it had a name.
There is something quiet and surprising in letting an image reveal itself, and I am learning to trust that process a little more each time.