There can be an entire world unfolding around us when we’re focused on something else. In Whispers by the Riverside, a fisherman works the stream while a family of Downy Woodpeckers goes about its life nearby.

I enjoy putting small discoveries into some paintings—things that may not reveal themselves at first glance. This piece has one of those hidden-in-plain-sight surprises. Explore the tree and you may discover the woodpeckers aren’t its only inhabitants.

That’s part of the pleasure of being outdoors: the longer you stop and look, the more you notice.

This is the original painting, so there is only one. The 14” x 18” piece is painted in oil and acrylic on a 1-1/2” thick gallery-wrapped canvas with painted edges. No framing is required unless you prefer a framed look.