This painting was exciting for me; not so much because of the image, but because of it's intended use. A commission from the National Eagle Foundation, the painting will be used as a fundraiser for the foundation and also will be made into a specialty license plate for Tennessee. Now, not to pat myself on the back, but I was really blessed that the foundation chose me out of all the artists across the nation. As for the image itself, it should stand on its own merits. I suppose the eagle set against our flag can be an overdone, contrived sort of painting, running the risk of playing on our patriotic sensibilities rather than appealing to our artistc eye. Yet I'm satisfied that I've done a good job with the eagle, and I had fun with the fabric of the flag. In the end that's a good measure of success: I'm satisfied and I had fun. :-)