Although I spent a great deal of time making the blocks and getting the edges just the right black and smoothness, I've decided to try a different form next time. I am going to use just masonite mounted on small blocks of wood that cannot be seen.

I learned a lot from this painting about glazing and using the gold leaf to create luminosity. You can see that some sections such as the water reflection and the light trees above it have this quality more than other areas. The light sienna trees in the left far ground are more opaque and flat.

I've learned that this surface is great for glazing. Too late for this painting, though.

I've layered some trees into the right lower panel. I'm only working about 10 minutes.

The glare of the light on the photograph obliterates some of the work in the lower panel. I've delineated the line of the water's edges and added trees on the right lower block. An interesting observation is that the glare actually begins to look like sun reflections. It will be interesting to see this as a finished, hanging piece.

The preparation for this painting was somewhat experimental. I wanted separate blocks that could appear to float off the wall. I opted for a block of wood that was about 1.5" thick with a black edge. I didn't want the edge to appear as wood so I attempted to eliminate the grain. I experimented with sanding, wood putty, spray paint. I eventually applied joint compound, sanded, gessoed, and spray painted. I applied gold leaf to the top surface. This painting session basically outlined the composition and painted in some color/form in blocks 1 and 3.