Learning new things and surprising myself.

I’m still surprised at the things I can do with painting. Does every artist feel that way or is it just me? I recently decided to do winter scene as I was getting a little bit tired of doing beaches. Although not perfect, it turned out pretty good.

I do recall along my educational career feeling the same way. I found interests I didn’t even know existed. But that’s the good thing about expanding oneself and learning new things – you never know what may come and what it may lead to.

Take this winter scene. I started out with the sky, as I most often do, added a few trees along the way. The first few trees weren’t my favorite but then I took more time to add the one most in the foreground. I really studied how the trees look and was more careful about it and it turned out to be my favorite tree in the painting.

The deer? Once again, I got into my own head and thought, “I can’t paint deer!” But I did. I studied each one and was careful. I drew them first in pencil and then painted.

That doesn’t mean I want to try everything. I can’t possibly do that. But if something piques my interest, I can choose to find out more about it and learn.

A good life is full of learning, and you may learn a little bit about yourself in the process.