St. Paul's Reflected

One of the best ways to see St. Paul's Cathedral is not to look at it directly, but to find it reflected in water. The ornamental pools around the cathedral create these perfect mirrors on still days, doubling the dome, adding sky where there should be ground.

This painting captures one of those autumn afternoons when the trees are turning gold and the water is calm and the whole scene feels temporarily suspended between seasons. St. Paul's rises in the background, solid and permanent, while its reflection wavers gently in the pool below.

What strikes me about St. Paul's isn't its size or its history – though both are impressive. It's how it anchors the city. No matter where you are in London, if you get high enough, you can probably see that dome. It's been there since 1710, surviving fires and bombs and centuries of London's chaos.

But this painting isn't about permanence. It's about doubling. About seeing something familiar in a new way. About how water can take something imposing and make it delicate, reflective, almost dreamlike.

On a windy day, this reflection would disappear. But on this particular afternoon, it held. Long enough to paint. Long enough to remember.