In the spring of 2017 Holly and I were taking a walk along the Marsh Creed trail when I noticed a small group of willow trees rising out of the high spring waters in some interesting curves and angles. Their reflections in the water gave a sense of symmetry to an otherwise abstract asymmetrical design. Added to the battle between symmetrical and asymmetrical in this scene, was the battle going on between life and decay, which reminded me of the movie Epic. These elements fueled my original excitement for doing this painting, however, the background was so dense with brush that there was no depth to the scene. So I made major changes by removing the clutter, and creating pathways to the back of the painting for the viewer to travel in.