RISING

Nov 06, 2025

Rough stone steps wind around the side of a hill defining the cliff's edge in their slow ascent. As the path turns sharply, the eroded ground beneath forms an overhang. The sky beyond is suffused with golden radiance layered with grey-blue clouds. The trees at the edge of the cliff, already in the transition to autumn, are lit by the warm glow of sunset creating a contrast of light and shadow up thick textured trunks. Out over the edge, hovering in the open air, a woman in a long dress holds her hands out as if presenting a clear spherical vessel containing a solitary flame. Bathed in the light of sunset, she stares off panel into the far distance while a pair of doves flies low, sweeping over the curving steps. — RISING (2007), Acrylic on Watercolor board - 36” X 24”

This image came to me while I was working on THE RIVER in 1996. I don’t know why it took me over 10 years to get around to doing this painting!

LEFT: Photo of RISING as a work in progress. The underpainting top left is russet color and lower left is green. The forking branches of the tree have been defined against the contrast of white blank canvas as is the earthy overhang against what is to be sky. RIGHT: Work in progress photo of RISING with the panel turned on its side. Some of the sky has been rendered in blue. The trees are skeletal but more textured. Everything is in earthy tones with the path of stairs winding down into the foreground. — Work-in-progress from underpainting to detailed rendering

I’m often encouraged to share my process. Fortunately I did snap a photos of this painting along the way from the early stages of the underpainting as I worked out the details.

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Additional images from RISING

LEFT: Detail from RISING featuring a woman in long dress hovering in open air. She holds her hands out as if presenting a clear spherical vessel containing a solitary flame. The trees next to her are intricately texture, and their leaves are as yellow as the golden light of the sun the bathes the entire image in warmth. RIGHT: Background detail from RISING featuring the artists sigil, the stylized letters M and W combined within a circle, hidden among the leaves of the trees. — Details from RISING

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Dale Johnson

Nov 6

i absolutely love this image ! The colors are magnificent

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Debra Sanders

Nov 7

Stunning! You outdo the outdoors with your autumn glory. Always my favorite season, and you make it marvelously uplifting... floating with the gods.

Love the photos -- priceless to see your process. Thank you, Michael.

RISING

Additional images from RISING

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