Before Fear - Oil on Canvas, 20 x 28 Inches

The idea for this painting came from a black and white photograph my mother took of me around age seven, holding a snake. I have always loved the photo for the relaxed, focused feel of my body as a child while holding something I would later acquire a fear of.

When do we learn our fears? Can they be unlearned? These sort of questions, and more, led me to paint my way into them.

The ginkgo branches were added at the end for a graphic element, and because ginkgo is a very ancient tree, which felt right.