"Spring Snow" is the only painting that I have reproduced this far of a woman rider on the bike. It shows Wendy in a halter top stretched out across her husband Brent's Harley. The photos were taken in the backyard of their oceanfront home. The cedar trees and bike were as is, but Wendy and the bike were actually in a field of summer wildflowers.
I created the path of cedar chips to show that there had been a way in which to arrive at that spot. I created the snow and changed the season from summer to spring for two reasons. One was to keep the colors to a minimum and the other was to evoke the feeling of spontaneity. Wendy had taken the time to enjoy one of life's simple pleasures, by finding a place to shelter in the hot spring sun and take a rest. I also wanted to paint her bar arms and the show of the vitality of flesh. The snow was a way in which to relate to the special quality of the heat. In summer, the heat is taken for granted but in that transition time between winter and spring, every living thing is grateful for that energy renewal.
Manon Elder