Concept:

 

I started this painting on December 30 after having watched “Art of the Cross” (a documentary about crucifixion paintings throughout history). I wanted to take some of the dramatic elements of those paintings (in particular Rubens and Rembrandt's work) but to continue with my tree series.

 

There's a tree stump that I see on a regular basis that I've wanted to paint and have taken photos of while at a red light over the past couple of years. I was also going to add vines but I've decided that it wasn't needed. This tree stump can be seen in the painting, "The Living Artist" that I finished prior to this work.