The lonely, yet hopeful image of a child wistfully drawing the sun on the misty window of a bus...it has never been so charmingly depicted as it has been in this piece.

The warm tones are what makes this composition really special. When rendering a rainy day, most artists tend towards monochromatic blues and grays, forgetting that a damp day can also intensify colors.

I especially love the whimsical fish darting through the watery koi pond that the schoolbus's roof has become. The lone errant little angelfish (looks like he is darting away in a panic from the bright sunshine!) is my favorite detail; a touch of surreal fantasy encroaching into the real world.

The blurring of details on the right, as though seen through a tear-filled eye or a drop of rain in a lense, also perfectly casts the mood. The details of the real world aren't important on this rainy day...only a little girl's wishes and her watery whimsical imagination rule the world inside her schoolbus ride.

Altogether lovely.

The mind of a child is truly a creative mind of amazement and wondrous dreams. The various joys of childhood that even we ourselves cannot fully manifest reside in their colorful and highly creatives imaginations. Within an instant, they can project their mental creations upon any area and it immediately becomes their own personal playground. An ordinary bike could instantly become a spaceship that they may ride upon and touch the brightest stars and visit strange new species upon distant worlds in the far off galaxies. Their rooms could become vast jungles that they would journey upon deep and engrossing expeditions. They would traverse through the darkest parts of the jungles, avoiding dangerous animals and make their way to viewing the entire spectacle before them while still in the comforting walls of their rooms and minds. Even a school bus could transform into an undersea world for them. Fish would immediately bubble up and swim about them as they sat in their bus seat. Rather than seeing cars and buildings pass by their windows, they were treated to the beautiful aquamarine waters of the deep ocean about them as fish began to swim about the bus as she looks on. Such a powerful tool, the imagination. Although some may say that as we grow, the tool may dull over time many of us can show that such a thought is provably wrong. Bus - End of a rainy season, created by the rather talented *sylphielmetallium, is a more than ideal example that our imaginative tools have not dulled, but are as sharp if not more so than ever. She has managed to capture the very essence of a child's imagination and immortalize it before us.

I must say that the grand vision behind this is outstanding. The detailing upon each and every object really stands out from the page. The water caustics that gently drape over the various elements of the bus, are quite well done and really bring that much more personality to the image and draw the attention of the viewer that much more easily. Watching the shy, almost tentative smile of the child staring outside the bus window really builds upon the gentle atmosphere of the area as well as showing her inner personality from what she can imagine. Clearly, her thoughts shine forth into such a beautiful scene proves how imaginative she really can be. The brush stroked design does a great job of simulating the inner composition of a child's imagination. The design style appears as if it is full of energy and life as if it too is as happy as the child that conjured it forth. The whole vibe of the scenery as well as the color usage, bring the composition together into something truly great.

I also have to say that the depth of field effect brought near the front of the bus really adds on to the dream-like atmosphere of the piece. A nice touch that goes perfectly with everything around it. This feeling is magnified with the gentle lighting effects glowing through the windows of the bus, perhaps reflecting the bright and sunny personality of the small girl on the bus. Its a very nice set of elements that keep the lively feeling of the piece together.

With every single thing that goes well with a piece, there is always an element or two that could use a bit of refinement. As much as I like the brushed-styled textural elements on the interior of the bus, I would have liked to see with a bit more detailing placed into it. Perhaps adding a few more scratches into some of the metal framing of the bus or adding a more leather like patterning on the bus chairs. Even the lighting that comes from the window that the child is looking through could use a bit more power. Perhaps have some of the light arc out the window and partially envelop the child, better representing that this is her world and she is the one that truly shines here. Changing these elements would really bring out that much more of the inner personality and potential of the piece and make this already wondrous gem shine that much more.

As we think of our childhoods, its hard to ignore what went on in our imaginations. Although, we may find some of the things we thought about were a bit crazy, that didn't make them any less meaningful to us or memorable. Bus - End of a rainy season shows us that these thoughts are truly what made our childhoods shine and is a powerful reminder that we should never let those thoughts go. Great job *sylphielmetallium!