On the wall to my left is a print of a painting. It's huge (relatively speaking), about 3' by 4'. It dominates the east wall of my tiny computer room.

It's something that draws your eye and then intrigues. At first glance one sees fish (pastel blue dorsal, white ventral) swimming in pale blue water. Second look, there are reflections (white) in the water of trees overhead. Third sweep catches the black branches and bare trunks of trees in the foreground--or are they darker reflections in shadow? Or drowned tree limbs? Are the fish swimming over the trees or the trees standing aside? And the leaves, autumn-colored, are floating on the surface. Or not.

I found this print 15 years ago, discarded, set out for trash by my former tenants. I was examining the house for damage and dirt before refunding their rental deposit, preparatory to my moving back in myself. They said they didn't want it any more, so I appropriated it and hung it back up. There's a tiny bit of chipping in the frame, but not noticeable. The glass had been broken out of it in the earthquake. (There's not a living space in southern California that hasn't had earthquake damage).

The painter is Jeffrey Jones (I think), from what it says at the bottom, Barclay Simpson Fine Arts. I've tried googling both, to no avail. I'd love to see more of his work. Or even tell him how much I enjoy this one. It's a restful, imaginative place to come home to.