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It’s been a struggle
This painting has had many iterations. I’ve thought it was finished twice before. It started as a reaction to the devastating forest fires in California and slowly morphed into a view of Mt. Etna, first on the left side of the painting, and then on the right. You could say it’s been a struggle.
First, the California fires …

True, it was mostly about the smoke and the red glow in the sky, but it needed a focus.
Next, Mt. Etna on the left …

That was better, but I still didn’t like the divisions in the sky.
So… finally …

Now, instead of just emphasizing the fiery sky, I beefed up the mountain on the right, pushed it back with the smoke and emphasized the fading light with the title.
It took two months start to final finish. What a struggle!