I've been playing with this idea for years...to make a painting that showed one object split into 4 and affected by the seasons.
I choose one of my favorite place in Richmond, Maymont, as inspiration for showing the seasons. They have a koi pond and beautiful foliage, so it was an easy choice with lots of possibilities. The aging of the skull was inspired by old relic skulls found in oceans. Granted that skulls don't float, but depicting it this way made it easier to split it into four parts. The seasons from the top left clockwise, are Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer. Fall has colorful falling leaves and acorns (in the nose), which are common here (and other places) during the fall. Winter has snow, but we tend to have odd winters. Rain and ice would have been more accurate, but harder to paint. Spring has baby koi and shorter water plants. Summer has an adult koi and taller water plants. The water plants are grass like at Maymont. Every year (probably every few months) workers have to pull large amounts of it out of the pond, because it grows too thickly and hinders the Koi from swimming.
This painting took 3 days to complete. I enjoyed experimenting with painting techniques and taking my time. Painting like this is still fairly new to me, but it's very rewarding to see the finished products.
