Original Painting: in the Beginning by James Edward Scherbarth

Night above, blue water below and a pale stone resting where they meet.

Original Painting: In The Beginning is an oil and cold wax painting on paper by James Edward Scherbarth (1949-2021), dated 2016 and signed and dated en verso. Cold wax gives oil paint a dense, matte body, and artists often scratch into it to reveal earlier layers. The upper half is a velvety blue-black, meeting a band of cobalt and periwinkle along a soft, uneven ridge. Below, a pale aqua field holds a rounded white form, outlined in thin blue line, with faint red hatching around it. Small dashes and marks scatter at the lower edges. It is 10.25 inches wide and 14 high.

A fitting title for something this calm.