Paradise has proven to be one of my most popular artworks ever! I'm releasing 3 Limited Edition Hand-Embellished Prints at the actual size of the original painting. The golden embellishments to me represent so many things. Hope, joy, the interconnectedness of all things. And they glow so wonderfully when the light catches them! This artwork was supposed to be about death. But, as fate would have it, ended up being about life instead. I love the idea that we came from the cosmos, and that when we die our bodies/energy return to the earth. Like we are part of an incomprehensible never-ending cycle. And so spawned my idea for this piece. I wanted to represent the cyclical nature of existence, the cosmos and beginning of life, the earth to which we return, and the peace and beauty we experience as creatures throughout our life. When it’s all laid out like that, it seems very obvious that the painting turned out the way that it has! But when all you have are loose words, ideas and visuals in your head, it’s quite a challenge to tie them all together in a cohesive and meaningful way. After many many failed attempts at bringing these ideas together, I finally struck upon the composition you see now.