Inspiration for this piece sprang from a view of a sunlit corner in a friend's dining room. "I especially like the deep, rich colors you get when sunlight hits the floor," says Gordon. He takes advantage of this effect in many of his works, which frequently feature sunstreaked interiors.

Naturally, windows and doors play a prominent role as the point of entry for this light, and a striking, idealized outdoor scene is usually revealed just beyond these portals. In September, the scene shown wasn't the actual view from the window. It was, however, a real outdoor scene the artist found nearby.

He begins all his pieces with a detailed pencil drawing. Here's where he plans his paintings to achieve the best overall effect. As he paints, he uses up to three or four color layers to develop the soft transitions from lights to darks that give his paintings their characteristic glow. Between layers of paint, Gordon coats the entire painting with at least one layer of diluted Liquin medium (Windsor and Newton), which he sands with 600-grit sandpaper once dry. Then he proceeds with the next layer of paint, adjusting color and value as needed.

Gordon captures the drama and subtleties of light in oil-based alkyds. These give him the advantage of a slower drying time than acrylics but faster than oils. With them, he can work on a painting continuously, adding a new coat of paint each day.

Because his studio and home are both under the same roof, Gordon can be with his work and look at it at all hours of the day. This is an advantage, he says. "I spend a lot of time staring at my work. For every hour I paint, I stare for at least another hour," he says, trying to visualize what improvements he can make. Those hours of scrutinizing seem to be doing the trick for this former CPA. He's won numerous awards since he began painting full time, and has had 27 of his works published in limited editions.