This location appealed to me for various reasons. The back of the Russian embassy roof is like a horizontal table top balanced by the black fence creating steps / levels. The wall with graffiti on the left is balanced by the apartment to the right - thus framing the composition.

At first I was intimated by the graffiti on the walls and stones. It was raining so hard for a period of time... my palette and painting were both very wet. I stopped thinking, let go, and just painted. I found painting the graffiti very liberating and most refreshing. I find it adds a contemporary dimension to the work and a sparkle of unexpected color

Rather than omit unpleasant elements in landscapes I have chosen to embrace them: telephone wires, graffiti, street signs, pavement, garbage cans... I have found that these elements weave the composition together and add colour.

It was a cold wet day. The rain really motivated me to focus. I noticed a pattern in the organization of the trees. The dark transparent shades of the branches create a V in the forest growth.