From 1975 to 1985, I owned and operated a small photography school, called Your Mind’s Eye, in Falls Church, Virginia. The town has a lovely tree-filled park, where I often went to take pictures.

One day I came upon a watercolor class, students gathered around their instructor, easels set up among the trees. I noticed an easel, well away from the group, with a sheet of watercolor paper colored by shadows from overhanging branches—shadows that could be mistaken for washes of blue paint. It was something I had to photograph.

As I started my painting career, I turned to this image and created “Art in the Park.” One of my favorites, it hangs at the foot of my bed, where it’s been as long as I can remember.

For me, this painting is a metaphor for the creative process. The blank sheet—like a canvas in my studio—is a space where virtually anything can happen.