Over the years, I have incorporated waterfalls into many of my paintings, but this was the first time I featured one as the main subject. This piece, Cascade, was my rendition of the Meyberg Waterfall at the Los Angeles County Arboretum. The stunning scenery offered numerous points of interest to capture in paint, and I deepened my understanding of the nature of water through the experience.

Working with open acrylics, I started by painting the distant background using loose, pouncing brushstrokes. As I progressed forward within the composition, I added increasing detail. I painted the rocky areas before incorporating the foliage and water in front of them. For the falling water, I used translucent paint. The close-up Angel's Trumpet plant called for meticulous attention to detail, with each individual leaf represented. Many landscape painters intentionally avoid close-up objects due to the level of detail required, but that is a missed oportunity. Including nearby objects in the composition adds depth and richness to the artwork!