Some paintings take longer to complete. Valley Light is one of those paintings… 
A while back, it was selected for the cover of the 2026 Sun Valley Local Business Directory, “Names and Numbers.” Yes, it actually is an old-fashioned phonebook!
However, after Valley Light was published on the cover, I became convinced that the painting’s strongest composition was a 30 x 30 format.
So I took the painting off the gallery wall, unframed it, measured and marked the canvas, and it was on the chopping block!
(See below)
As I was grasping the knife, the phone rang. Martin House Gallery called to ask if I had any larger works available for a collector.
I said no, but reconsidered. Then, I mentioned Valley Light and explained how I was cutting it down. Before making the cut, I sent them an image of the painting.
Their response was simple:
“Don’t cut it.”
So, I erased the crop lines with a little thinner and then began repairing the marks left behind. But one small adjustment led to another. I softened the distant hills, refined the trees, deleted a few cows, and improved the subtle atmosphere of rain and light moving through the valley.
In the end, the Valley Light was saved from the chopping block, and I believe it became stronger because of it!
Sometimes a painting knows what it wants to be long before the artist does! Fingers-crossed, she likes it in person!
