Born of the mountain, this sweet creek gurgles and tinkles its way through the forest - bringing freshness and life-giving water full of nutrient-rich tannins.

An extension of my Sapling Forest series, this piece is all about warmth and depth, using lost-and-found edges to merge the creek with its forest host, and letting the forest blend away into timelessness beyond. I wanted to work with the palette of warm earth tones from latte and pale peach to copper and chocolate.

Thin layers allow light to bounce back from the white canvas so the forest feels lit from within. Water wash is used to create beautiful, blended tones in organic patterns on the tree trunks. A touch of mauve and aqua bring some cool contrast and prettiness.