Gwen- The way this panting was a total surprise to me, I, like most artist have a process that we go through before a piece is completed. I usually get an idea think about it for awhile, then do some sketches, think about it more then do a few more sketches then if i am not totally sick of the idea I start a painting. With every painting that I have ever did I always started on the background first then after I have a good part of that done before I start on the figure. This painting however I got an idea and started the piece right then, I didn't even stretch my canvas first, I just went to town on a piece of unstretched pre-gessoed (gesso is the white stuff you put on raw canvas so the chemicals in the paint don't soak in and eventually deteriorate the canvas). I had the idea for her, Gwen, I started painting her as soon as the sketch for the was complete, I knew she was a mermaid and that was all, I finished her relatively fast and it was strange to see her on a plain white background. Well this piece is actual 3 paintings on top of each other, 1st was a night seen of her swimming toward islands in the distance, Then after it was almost completed I changed my mind and wanted her to be in a lagoon deeper into the island, but I still thought it was best at night...so..I finished it again...wasn t happy with the waterfall and it being night either,...so, This is what finally happened, she is at home here. The dark colors in the water and background foliage is actually the night skies of two previous paintings.