I want my landscape paintings to convey the mood, or spirit of the place. In portraying this energy, I lay down a complementary color to the dominant color in the scene and paint the scene on top of that color, letting some of the base color show through.  This creates a lively movement in the painting. Since nature is moving all the time, color as well as composition, helps me bring this out on the 2-dimensional surface. The natural world, especially wild places, have a vibrant power that I want to honor by allowing the viewer feel this in the painting.