Paper. Strong backlighting becomes a design element in many of my paintings. The white swan tends to reflect the color and light of its surrounding habitat. The backlighting serves to further pop the bird out of the background. I found it exciting to try to capture the light filtering through the wing feathers of the swan and to repeat that light in the sparkles on the water. Once common, the trumpeter swan is now rare over much of its range. This swan is, however, slowly making a comeback, partially due to reintroduction to old breeding grounds. - T. I.