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I started this painting as an exercise in colors and shapes. But as I continued, the forms of doves ascending and descending began to appear. I was struck with the vision the angels in the story of Jacob's Ladder, where Jacob sees angels ascending and descending to and from heaven. Sometimes the painting tells you what it wants to be. This might be suitable for a church gathering place.

"If I could say it in words there would be no reason to paint." ~ Edward Hopper Hopper's maxim sums up what I believe about painting, though of course that has never stopped me from trying to explain what I've painted or to attach a story to it. I came to painting late in life, believing I could never draw anything beyond a stick figure -- and it turns out that essentially I was right! I've found though that by using color and a basic idea of form, I could convey the beauty and mystery of the image that emerges as I apply paint to a surface. I was trained as a chemist (PhD in organic chemistry) and worked and taught (ironically enough) in the fields of coatings (read paint) and adhesives. Interestingly this has given me some...