My preferred site for developing a painting is in the studio. I will gather visual material with my digital camera on location and then refer to these images throughout the picture making process in my studio. The impetus for "Tenaya Gorge" came when I observed the seemingly opposing moods exhibited in two picturesque sites in the high sierras: The panoramic view of Lake Tenaya on the Tioga Pass and the intimate shot of one of the many gorges on the Sonora Pass. Could I tie these contrasting moods into one unified work? The diagonal movement from the lower left to the upper right provided the bridge. I felt that strong line allowed the two opposing forces to actually complement rather than compete with each other.