“CONFLUENCE” by David Mueller

I'm always wanting create "Something Beyond", a phrase that I use in teaching. Especially from the big picture standpoint. The affect from across the room. This viewpoint of looking down onto a figure seated in a spa is as much or more about the broad abstract design which creat a sort of angelic image. It's also about the luminosity and movement of the water. It won the gold medal in the Master Signature division in 2023 at the Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional Juried Exhibition. The frame on this piece is custom built. I truly believe that presentation (framing) is window into the world depicted, but also, in integral part of the design and of the art itself to be seen as a whole, not as two parts. If done well, it can create something visually impactful from across the room, then drawing the viewer in to see more.