In September of 1988 I was floating in the Aegean, in a secluded sunlit cove on the tiny sacred Island of Tinos in Greece. The water was warm and crystal-clear and the brilliant sun shimmered in my eyes. I knew then how great myths and philosophies come about: a setting of beautiful natural surroundings, brilliant light, and the exquisite sensations of the blazing sun and fresh sea is the perfect setting to unleash not only one's imagination but the best with in oneself. The feeling for this painting was born then. I started the studies for it in early 1993 and I worked on it until completion in late 1999.

The subject is a naked man arching back letting the sun and the falling water hit his chest. The water and the sun are coming down from the same direction and they merge to create a brilliant wash that bathes the man as well. The elements of sun, water, and humanity converge. This is my idea about the integration of nature and human beings.

An integral part of my art is to match the ends and means. For the composition I thrust him slightly forward and up so that it feels has if he is an active participant with the forces of light and water. For the color I wanted it to convey the fresh cool greens of water and warm rich oranges and reds of the sun. But the overriding technical theme was  how light's translucency integrates everything it touches. From my art history studies I only recall one painting that works with this type of translucency, Rembrandt's The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis. There is a very sad story about this work. It was a huge work, over 140 x 170" but the public didn't go for this innovative painting and Rembrandt had to remove it within the year of hanging it  in the City Hall in Amsterdam. Rembrandt had to cut it down by half to 120 x 76" in the hopes of selling it elsewhere. I have felt that I have taken up the reins from Rembrandt and gone off in pursuit of capturing  the transparent nature of light.