My intent here is to paint the light, reflections and sky in the water, rather than to paint the light in the sky. I want the painting to be about the water. To feel the cool shade and sunlight through the water. How do I capture the depth of the water, what I see down in the water, and what I see reflected on the water, and the movement of the water? Are the reflections the same color as the actual object on the land? I want the vertical scene to be full of vertical paint, strokes emulating the trees, a streak of light. This painting is a place I experienced at Gana Walska’s Lotus Land. Lotusland is a unique 37-acre estate and botanic garden situated in the foothills of Montecito to the east of the city of Santa Barbara. The gardens now covering the estate were created by Madame Ganna Walska, who owned the property from 1941 until her death in 1984. Before her death, Madame Walska established the nonprofit Ganna Walska Lotusland Foundation, which now preserves this unrivaled botanical treasure.